Battery life is easily one of the iPhone’s most important features.Whether you’re planning to buy the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, the battery beast iPhone 17 Pro Max, or hold on to your current model, iOS 26 has a new feature coming that can make your iPhone’s battery last longer: Adaptive Power.Adaptive Power is a new iOS 26 setting to extend battery life If your iPhone battery is getting low, iOS has long offered Low Power Mode as a helpful tool.
While I’ve heard of some users keeping Low Power Mode on all the time, that’s a pretty extreme option to stretch your iPhone’s battery life.iOS 26 has a much more moderate solution.Adaptive Power is a brand new battery setting that can ensure your iPhone lasts longer—particularly on the high-usage days.
You can find it inside the Settings app’s Battery menu under ‘Power Mode.’ Unlike Low Power Mode, which deactivates lots of features and noticeably degrades your experience, Adaptive Power is all about making small battery gains with minimal impact on performance.Here’s how Apple describes it: Essentially, on a “normal use” day, your iPhone battery won’t necessarily be extended much—if at all.But when you‘re using your iPhone more than usual, Adaptive Power will kick in and make minor adjustments to help stretch your battery longer.
Note: even though Apple doesn’t market Adaptive Power as an AI feature, users running the iOS 26 beta have found that it’s only available on Apple Intelligence-supported devices.That means you’ll need an iPhone 16-class model or newer, or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.Have you been using Adaptive Power in the iOS 26 beta? How’s it been working for you? Let us know in the comments.
Best iPhone accessories
AirPods Pro 2 (now only $169, down from $249)
MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone
HomeKit smart plug 4-pack
10-year AirTag battery case 2-pack
100W USB-C fast charging power adapter
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