iPhone 17 Models Have This AI Battery Life Feature Turned On By Default - Here's What It Can Do
iPhone buyers won't have to deal with battery anxiety when the iPhone 17 series ships later this week. The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max all feature longer battery life and faster battery charging than their predecessors. The ultra-thin iPhone Air will deliver all-day battery life according to Apple, with Apple's own estimates indicating the phone will last at least as long as last year's iPhone 16 Pro. If that's not enough, Apple decided to enable Adaptive Power, a brand-new AI-powered battery feature in iOS 26, on all four iPhones, which should further improve battery life.
"Adaptive Power uses on-device intelligence to predict when you'll need extra battery life based on your recent usage patterns and then adjusts as needed to help your battery last longer that day," Apple explains in a new support document published online on Monday. The document indicates that Adaptive Power is enabled by default on all 2025 iPhones, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air.
The feature is off by default on all the other iPhones running iOS 26 that support Apple Intelligence features. The list includes the iPhone 15 Pro, the 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 versions (including the iPhone 16e). Adaptive Power was also available to iPhone users who used iOS 26 during the three months of beta. Apple made iOS 26 available for download on Monday.
What does Adaptive Power do?
The point of Adaptive Power is to extend the iPhone battery life by making adjustments to energy use in real time in accordance with the various iPhone usage patterns that the AI software records. The feature is more intelligent than the Low Power Mode setting, which you can enable at any point while using an iPhone or iPad. Low Power Mode permanently reduces the iPhone's performance and refresh rate, and turns off 5G connectivity to save battery life. It also stops background activities, including iCloud syncing.
Adaptive Power will make more specific adjustments than that to prolong battery life, but only when needed. Apple notes that the AI will make performance adjustments like Low Power Mode, but not when you need the iPhone to use the maximum performance, like when using the camera or playing games with Game Mode on. Adaptive Power will also lower screen brightness by 3% and limit some background activity. The feature will turn on Low Power Mode automatically when the battery reaches 20%.
Having Adaptive Power enabled by default on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models should further improve battery life, without impacting performance. iPhone Air owners would benefit the most from the feature, considering Apple's thinnest iPhone also features the thinnest battery. However, any iPhone user with access to Adaptive Power can turn it on or off, regardless of the default setting.
How to turn Adaptive Power on or off
The new Adaptive Power setting is available on all iPhones that support Apple Intelligence once they're updated to iOS 26. To find it, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app
- Tap Battery
- Tap Power Mode
- Tap the Adaptive Power toggle to turn it on or off (see above)
An optional Adaptive Power Notifications toggle is available in the same menu. If enabled, the iPhone will offer notifications when Adaptive Power turns on during the day after it's enabled. Put differently, Adaptive Power doesn't mean the iPhone will run at reduced performance throughout the day. Adaptive Power will only activate when the AI thinks you might run out of battery sooner than usual. When Adaptive Power kicks in, you'll receive a notification, if that setting is enabled. Even without notifications, Adaptive Power will work in the background.
Adaptive Power could become the kind of battery feature users set once and forget about. However, more testing will be required to see whether Adaptive Power can extend battery life, especially on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models.