Apple is testing a new “Adaptive Power” feature in iOS 26 that automatically adjusts iPhone performance to extend battery life.
Now live in the iOS 26 developer beta, this smart battery-saving tool tweaks brightness, slows background activity, and may even auto-activate Low Power Mode, no manual effort needed.
iPhones Running iOS 26 Will See Some Apps Slower to Load or Background Tasks Take Longer to Complete When Adaptive Power is Enabled
With iOS 26, Apple is shifting towards intelligent battery optimization. The new Adaptive Power mode lives in the Settings > Battery > Power Mode section and works alongside Low Power Mode.
Adaptive Power is not enabled by default, and users will have to opt in. It’s designed to make subtle adjustments; like lowering screen brightness or slightly delaying some tasks, to help your iPhone battery last longer throughout the day.
In the developer beta, Apple describes the feature as one that makes “small performance adjustments to extend your battery life.” That could mean a few apps taking longer to load or updates syncing in the background more slowly, but the tradeoff is more hours between charges.
It can also automatically turn on Low Power Mode when your battery hits 20%, which reduces background activity and conserves energy even more aggressively.
Related: Hidden iOS 26 Features Apple Didn’t Talk About at WWDC 2025
Powered by AI and User Data
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman recently revealed that this feature might be AI-powered. Apple could be analyzing battery usage data from your device to understand which apps drain your battery and adjust power allocation accordingly. Google does something similar on Android with its Adaptive Battery feature, using AI to limit power to unused apps.
When Can You Try It?
Right now, Adaptive Power is available only in the iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple plans to release a public beta in July. The official release of iOS 26 is expected this fall alongside the next iPhone lineup.
Related: Hidden iOS 26 Features Apple Didn’t Talk About at WWDC 2025
Related: iOS 26 Beta 1, iPadOS 26 Beta 1 OTA Update: How to Download and Install
Along with this power-saving feature, iOS 26 brings updates to the Camera, Messages, Safari, new Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation and of course, the new Liquid Glass UI.
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