iOS 26: Extend iPhone Battery Life With Adaptive Power Mode

In iOS 26, currently in beta, Apple offers a new Adaptive Power Mode that works alongside the existing Low Power Mode to intelligently extend your iPhone's battery life. Unlike Low Power Mode's heavy restrictions, this AI-powered feature makes subtle adjustments that you're barely meant to notice. Here's how it works.

What Adaptive Power Mode Does

When your battery usage runs higher than usual, Adaptive Power Mode automatically makes small performance tweaks to help your iPhone last longer. Apple says this includes slightly dimming the display brightness or allowing some tasks to 'take a little longer' to complete.

The feature works in the background without the limitations of Low Power Mode, although the latter may still be activated if your device depletes to a 20% charge level.

Compatible iPhone Models

Adaptive Power Mode requires Apple Intelligence, which limits availability to the following iPhone models:

iPhone 15 Pro

iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 16e

iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Plus

iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro Max

The feature won't work on iPhone 14 Pro models or earlier, since they lack the necessary AI processing capabilities. However, if you're the proud owner of an iPhone 17 (launching September 2025), rest assured Adaptive Power Mode is supported.

How to Turn On Adaptive Power Mode

Follow these steps to enable the feature, which is turned off by default:

Open Settings on your iPhone.

Tap Battery.

Tap Power Mode.

Toggle on the switch next to Adaptive Power.

Once enabled, your iPhone will automatically monitor battery usage patterns and make adjustments when needed. You don't need to manage the feature manually, as it works entirely behind the scenes. iOS 26 will see a general release in September 2025.This article, "iOS 26: Extend iPhone Battery Life With Adaptive Power Mode" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums