How to Enable Adaptive Power to Save Battery in iOS 26
iOS 26 introduces a smart new way to extend your iPhone’s battery life called Adaptive Power. Unlike the traditional Low Power Mode which significantly cuts down on features, Adaptive Power works intelligently in the background. It learns your usage habits and makes small, subtle adjustments to power consumption throughout the day, ensuring you have enough battery when you need it most.
Think of it as an automatic, proactive way to manage your battery. It works to save power without you noticing, so you don’t have to wait until you’re at 20% to flip a switch. Learning how to enable Adaptive Power can help you get more out of a single charge with minimal impact on your daily use.
Adaptive Power vs. Low Power Mode: What’s the Difference?
It’s helpful to understand how this new feature differs from the familiar Low Power Mode. While both are designed to save battery, they work in very different ways.
Low Power Mode is a manual, emergency tool. When you turn it on, it immediately makes aggressive changes, like stopping background app refresh, reducing screen brightness, and disabling some visual effects. The impact is noticeable.
Adaptive Power is an intelligent, all‑day solution. It runs quietly in the background, making small, dynamic adjustments. For example, it might slightly lower display brightness when you’re in a dark room or manage background tasks for an app you rarely use. It’s designed to be so subtle that you won’t even notice it’s working.
How to Enable Adaptive Power
On the latest iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air, Adaptive Power is enabled by default. On other compatible models running iOS 26, you can turn it on manually in just a few steps.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Battery.
- Tap on Power Mode.
- Find the toggle for Adaptive Power and turn it on.
In this same menu, you will also see an option for Adaptive Power Notifications. If you enable this, your iPhone will let you know when the feature becomes active, so you can see when it’s working to save battery life. If the toggle doesn’t appear or the feature isn’t responding, you may need to fix Apple Intelligence.
What Happens When Adaptive Power is Active?
Once enabled, Adaptive Power uses on‑device intelligence to analyze your patterns and make adjustments. It prioritizes a smooth user experience, so it won’t interfere with demanding tasks.
Here are a few things it might do:
- Subtly adjust display brightness based on ambient light and what you’re doing.
- Optimize background activity for apps based on how frequently you use them.
- Manage network performance for non‑urgent background downloads.
If you notice charging becoming slower after enabling Adaptive Power, see how to fix slow charging. In rare cases the AI adjustments can cause the device to run hotter; learn how to fix iPhone overheating.
