With iOS 26, Apple introduced Adaptive Power, which works alongside Low Power Mode. Both are aimed at increasing your iPhone’s battery life , but they work in very different ways. So which is the battery-saving option on your iPhone that you should use?
Low Power Mode on iPhone
Low Power Mode has been available since iOS 9 and is available on all current iPhones. When enabled, it instantly reduces system activity and pauses power-hungry background tasks to extend battery life.
This mode reduces the amount of power your iPhone uses by:
You can turn Low Power Mode on or off at any time. iOS will also prompt you to turn it on when your battery drops below 20%. When your iPhone reaches 80% charge or higher, the mode automatically turns off.
Apple designed this as an emergency battery-saving feature that works best when your iPhone is running low on battery and you can't plug it in right away.
What is Adaptive Power in iOS 26?
Adaptive Power, which debuted in iOS 26, is Apple's latest intelligent battery optimization tool. Unlike Low Power Mode, which drastically reduces battery usage until it turns off, Adaptive Power runs in the background and only activates when battery power is needed most.
Specifically, Adaptive Power can fine-tune iPhone battery usage in real time without slowing down the phone.
The main difference between Adaptive Power and Low Power Mode
| Features | Adaptive Power Mode | Low Power Mode |
| Activate | Auto-Activate | Manual switch or reminder when battery is 20% |
| Impact on performance | Minimal Adjustment | Apps and animations slow down |
| Save battery | Balance between smooth and efficient use | Maximum, drastic reduction of features |
| Features available | Only available on iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max, and 16 series (AI-enabled models) | Available on almost every iPhone |
| Time of use | Daily heavy use like editing, gaming or video | Emergency use when battery is critically low |
Should I use Adaptive Power or Low Power?
The answer depends on your iPhone model:
Adaptive Power Mode is suitable for:
Use Low Power Mode if:
Both Low Power Mode and Adaptive Power have their merits, but they serve different purposes. The best strategy is to use both. Use Adaptive Power for everyday performance and switch to Low Power Mode when your iPhone's battery is running low.
You can use Picture in Picture (PiP) to watch YouTube videos off-screen on iOS 14, but YouTube has locked this feature on the app so you cannot use PiP directly, you have to add a few more small steps that we will guide in detail below.
On iPhone/iPad, there is a Files application to manage all files on the device, including files that users download. The article below will guide readers on how to find downloaded files on iPhone/iPad.
Near Field Communication is a wireless technology that allows devices to exchange data when they are in close proximity to each other, typically within a few centimeters.
If you frequently need to contact someone, you can set up speed calling on your iPhone, with a few simple steps.
Rotating the screen horizontally on iPhone helps you watch movies or Netflix, view PDFs, play games,... more conveniently and have a better experience.
Reverse image search on iPhone is very simple when you can use the browser on the device, or use some 3rd party applications for more search options.
Today's technological developments can allow you to directly extract text from images captured with a smartphone camera.
As soon as you update your iPhone to the official iOS 16 version, you will be able to set an iPhone wallpaper without covering your face when adjusting the wallpaper according to the depth effect.
While Apple's Photos app is useful for basic tasks like cropping photos, it doesn't offer many advanced editing features. And that's where a third-party photo editor comes in handy.
You can use iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain to save your passwords and easily access them on your iPhone. Here's how to recover deleted passwords on your iPhone.
The Phone app on iPhone when upgraded to iOS 18 has been updated with a call history search feature. Below are instructions for searching call history on iPhone.
The Wallet app on iOS 26 lets you store physical card information alongside your digital payment card. This feature lets you quickly access your account number, expiration date, and other information without having to carry your physical card.
You may have had an iPhone for years, but pairing it with a Mac completely changes the way you use it. There's a whole layer of functionality that only comes to light when the two devices work together.
The yellow battery color displayed on the iPhone screen is actually due to a new feature called Low Power Mode by Apple. This feature will not be automatically activated without the user's permission. If you accidentally allowed the mode to be activated while using it and now do not know how to turn off the yellow iPhone battery icon, please refer to the following instructions.
You can use Picture in Picture (PiP) to watch YouTube videos off-screen on iOS 14, but YouTube has locked this feature on the app so you cannot use PiP directly, you have to add a few more small steps that we will guide in detail below.
On iPhone/iPad, there is a Files application to manage all files on the device, including files that users download. The article below will guide readers on how to find downloaded files on iPhone/iPad.
If you really want to protect your phone, it's time you started locking your phone to prevent theft as well as protect it from hacks and scams.
Android Picture-in-Picture mode will help you shrink the video and watch it in picture-in-picture mode, watching the video in another interface so you can do other things.
The common point of most of these AI chatbot tools is that they need an Internet connection to use. But with the article below, you will learn more tips for using AI chatbots without the Internet on your phone.
Depending on your needs, you'll likely get a set of Pixel-exclusive features running on your existing Android device.
After years of using Android phones, many people have become familiar with a number of open source Android apps. These apps are better than their closed source counterparts.
Near Field Communication is a wireless technology that allows devices to exchange data when they are in close proximity to each other, typically within a few centimeters.
Apple introduced Adaptive Power, which works alongside Low Power Mode. Both extend iPhone battery life, but they work in very different ways.
Samsung's camera app works well out of the box, but Camera Assistant adds new features that you wish were built in from the start.
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a powerful and versatile tool that allows you to do many things like find logs, install and uninstall apps, transfer files, root and flash custom ROMs, create device backups.
If you frequently need to contact someone, you can set up speed calling on your iPhone, with a few simple steps.
Rotating the screen horizontally on iPhone helps you watch movies or Netflix, view PDFs, play games,... more conveniently and have a better experience.
Reverse image search on iPhone is very simple when you can use the browser on the device, or use some 3rd party applications for more search options.
Chrome on Android is a great browser out of the box, but you can make it even better. These tips and features will help you browse the web faster.
