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One of our favorite new features added to iOS 26 is Apple's new "adaptive power" mode aimed at extending the battery life of the best iPhones. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro model or newer to enjoy the benefits.
In iOS 26, Apple describes adaptive power mode as a way for your iPhone to make “small performance adjustments to extend your battery life,” such as by lowering screen brightness and “allowing some activities to take a little longer.” When the setting's enabled, your phone will automatically trim its energy use to keep it going longer between charges.
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
Adaptive Power is enabled by default in iOS 26, but you can also find it alongside Low Power Mode in the Battery > Power Mode section of the Settings menu.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman first reported that Apple was working on an AI-powered battery optimization feature last month. At the time, Gurman said the feature will use the “battery data it has collected from users’ devices” to figure out which apps to trim power consumption from.
There's hope for the iPhone 17 Air's battery life yet
Adaptive power mode could prove especially useful for the iPhone Air, Apple's ultra-thin handset. The new phone does have a shorter battery life, around 5 hours less according to Apple, though it's unclear how big the battery pack will be. This new setting may be the key to squeezing out as much battery life as possible from the iPhone Air's slim chassis.
On the best Android phones, Google has a similar adaptive power feature that employs AI to predict your app usage and restricts the ones you don't visit as often from running in the background, thus using up precious battery life in the process. Over time, Adaptive Battery learns which apps are the worst drains on your phone's battery and limits some of their functions. That way, your phone's battery doesn't drain as much when it's left idle.
iOS 26 has just been released to all compatible phones, and you can check out our full iOS 26 guide for the rundown on all the latest features and changes.
More from Tom's Guide
- 11 best hidden iOS 26 features — here's my favorites so far
- iOS 26 is bringing some big Apple Intelligence upgrades — but will they be enough to justify an iPhone upgrade?
- There’s a much faster way to access your iPhone app settings — try these shortcuts
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