Apple’s latest iOS 26 update introduces a groundbreaking feature called Adaptive Power, designed to extend iPhone battery life by making targeted performance adjustments based on real-world usage patterns.
Adaptive Power is enabled by default on Apple’s newest iPhone lineup, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air, as well as on recent models that support Apple Intelligence capabilities, such as iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max. The feature is currently exclusive to iPhones, despite some iPad and Mac models supporting Apple Intelligence.
Prior to Adaptive Power, iPhones relied heavily on user-managed settings and Low Power Mode to conserve energy, with users able to extend battery life by lowering display brightness, turning off the always-on display, or manually activating Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode reduces background activity, dims the screen, and can be set to enable automatically when the battery level reaches 20%. Apple positions Low Power Mode as a broad and aggressive tool for extending battery life during low-charge situations.
Adaptive Power introduces a more selective approach, targeting high-consumption scenarios and applying adjustments only when needed. According to Apple’s description in the iPhone user guide, “It uses on-device intelligence to predict when you’ll need extra battery power based on your recent usage patterns, then makes performance adjustments to help your battery last longer.” These adjustments focus on activities that typically drain power quickly, including recording video, editing photos, and gaming, where even small efficiency gains can translate into noticeable battery savings.
The feature does not apply constant throttling or permanent limits, requiring about one week of typical use after activation to learn individual usage patterns before it begins intervening. Once calibrated, it runs in the background without requiring configuration from the user, activating only when battery usage is higher than usual or when it anticipates periods where conserving power will be beneficial. Most of the time, when usage is within expected ranges, the phone operates as normal without any obvious performance reduction.
For supported devices where Adaptive Power is not enabled by default, users can manually opt in through Settings > Battery > Power Mode in iOS 26. Within this menu, users can toggle Adaptive Power and choose to receive notifications indicating when the system has activated its optimizations. On devices where it is enabled automatically, the feature is designed to remain unobtrusive, with visible indications minimal, often limited to a brief Adaptive Power alert when adjustments are applied.
Apple emphasizes that the behavior of Adaptive Power is context-dependent, selectively reducing power usage in specific tasks or moments rather than applying uniform restrictions. This can include prioritizing or de-prioritizing processing tasks, fine-tuning system performance, and applying subtle changes that aim not to disrupt the user experience. Early observations reported in testing indicate that these changes are generally subtle, with no dramatic or persistent slowdowns during everyday use.
The introduction of Adaptive Power aligns with persistent consumer concerns about battery longevity, with a CNET survey noting that 61% of respondents upgrade their phones primarily because of declining battery life. By adding a feature that can extend effective battery performance on both new and existing models through a software update, Apple is positioning Adaptive Power as a practical response to one of the most common user pain points without requiring new hardware in every case.
Apple also reiterates a common pattern around major software updates: immediately after installing a release such as iOS 26, some users may see temporarily reduced battery life due to background processes and system re-indexing, which is expected to stabilize once the system completes its post-update optimization. Within this context, Adaptive Power is intended to function as a long-term, low-profile tool that incrementally improves endurance across supported iPhone models once it has gathered sufficient usage data.
