iOS 26’s new ‘adaptive power’ mode dials back performance to save battery

Apple is working on a new “adaptive power” feature in iOS 26 that aims to make your battery last longer. In the iOS 26 developer beta, Apple describes the feature as a way for the iPhone to make “small performance adjustments to extend your battery life,” including by lowering screen brightness and “allowing some activities to take a little longer.”

Apple also notes that it may automatically enable Low Power Mode, which restricts background activities, when your battery reaches 20 percent. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first reported on the possibility of an AI-powered battery optimization feature for the iPhone last month.

At the time, Gurman said that the feature will use the “battery data it has collected from users’ devices” to determine which apps it should lower power consumption on. Google has a similar Adaptive Battery feature for Android phones, which it says uses AI to analyze how you use your phone, allowing it to shut off lesser-used apps in the background.

The Adaptive Power toggle currently exists alongside Low Power Mode in the Battery > Power Mode section of the Settings menu in the iOS 26 developer beta.

Apple plans to release the iOS 26 beta to more users next month before rolling it out to everyone in the fall. Along with a new “Liquid Glass” design, iOS 26 adds a bundle of new features, including updates to the Camera, Phone, Safari, and Messages apps, as well as Apple Intelligence-powered live translation for text messages and calls.