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iOS 26 Features Battery Settings Overhaul

In iOS 26, Apple updated the Battery section of the Settings app to provide a much more in-depth look at how your iPhone usage impacts battery life and how much battery apps are draining, plus there are new battery management tools.

ios 26 battery overhaul 1
At the top of the Battery interface, there's a readout of your current battery and the time that you last charged. If your iPhone is currently charging, it will let you know how much time is remaining until a full charge.

Battery usage is no longer split by 24 hours and 10 days, with Apple providing just a weekly view of average battery use along with a comparison of how much battery you're currently using compared to your typical average.

The new comparison feature will let you know if you're using more, the same, or less battery life than you do on most days. It shows which apps used more battery and by how much, which makes it easier to tell what's draining your battery.

App battery usage includes specific details, such as letting you know if an app ran in the background longer, was on your screen longer, or sent more notifications than normal.

You can tap back through the previous 7 days to see how much battery you used on a given day, with a breakdown for active use and screen idle use. It also shows when you charged and for how long.

ios 26 battery overhaul 2
There's still a Battery Health section where you can see charge cycles and maximum capacity and a Charge Limit section where you can limit charging to 80 percent. Apple also added a new Power Mode option where you can toggle on Low Power Mode or the new Adaptive Power Mode. Adaptive Power Mode detects when iPhone usage is higher than normal and makes small performance adjustments like lowering display brightness to extend battery life.

adaptive power mode
These new battery features are available in ‌iOS 26‌ and iPadOS 26, but Apple hasn't changed the Mac battery readouts. ‌iOS 26‌ is limited to developers right now, though a public beta is coming next month. ‌iOS 26‌ will launch to the public in September.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

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Top Rated Comments

Tr55 Avatar
13 months ago
This article would be a lot more informative if it said which Apple devices can take advantage of these features.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
13 months ago
I just want something built in that tells me what rate the phone is charging at with the connected charger.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
13 months ago
Will they finally implement the 80% charge limit function for older devices? No reason not to, other than to intentionally cripple them.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Plutonius Avatar
13 months ago
I really don't care if the phone is thicker. I wish Apple would use a larger battery.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
13 months ago
A19 required?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mr.steevo Avatar
13 months ago
What a time to be alive!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)