Importance Score: 25 / 100 🔵
Smartphone batteries in older iPhones often degrade, failing to retain charge as effectively as when new. While phone manufacturers introduce advanced functionalities like artificial intelligence, many users prioritize enhanced iPhone battery life.
Employing Low Power Mode can marginally extend iPhone usage when battery levels reach 20%. However, using Low Power Mode continuously could potentially maximize battery duration before requiring a recharge.
This guide explains the functionalities disabled by Low Power Mode, instructions for activation and deactivation, and how to enable it persistently to assess its impact on your iPhone’s battery performance. We will also detail how to examine your iPhone battery health to determine if a replacement or a new device is necessary.
For additional tips, discover methods to accelerate iPhone charging and quick setting adjustments to prolong iPhone battery lifespan.
Understanding iPhone Low Power Mode
iPhone Low Power Mode is an iOS setting engineered to conserve battery charge by deactivating certain features when the battery is running low. Your iPhone prompts you to activate Low Power Mode when the battery level decreases to 20%, and again at 10%.
Apple indicates that Low Power Mode curtails the power consumption of your iPhone to extend battery duration.
The yellow battery icon signifies that Low Power Mode is active. Your iPhone automatically deactivates Low Power Mode once the battery reaches an 80% charge.
Impact of Enabling iPhone Low Power Mode
According to Apple, activating Low Power Mode implements the following adjustments to optimize battery usage:
- Disables 5G (except for video streaming) on iPhone 12 and later models
- Automatically locks the iPhone screen after 30 seconds of inactivity
- Reduces screen brightness
- Lowers the display refresh rate on iPhones with ProMotion technology
- Minimizes certain visual effects
- Pauses iCloud Photos synchronization
- Suspends automatic downloads
- Deactivates email fetch
- Prevents background app refresh
Low Power Mode also deactivates HDR video viewing, the always-on display feature on newer iPhone models, video autoplay, and curtails CPU and GPU performance.
Manual Activation of iPhone Low Power Mode
You can manually activate Low Power Mode by navigating to Settings > Battery and toggling the Low Power Mode option. Alternatively, utilize the iPhone Control Center or Siri for manual activation.
Maintaining iPhone Low Power Mode Continuously
To maintain Low Power Mode continuously through manual means, simply reactivate it after each iPhone charge cycle. However, a streamlined, automated approach exists for persistent activation.
To automatically keep your iPhone in Low Power Mode at all times, utilize the Shortcuts app to create a Personal Automation.
Various methods exist for automating Low Power Mode using Shortcuts. A straightforward approach is to enable Low Power Mode whenever the battery level drops below 100%. This ensures your iPhone remains in Low Power Mode consistently, while still permitting backups, downloads, and updates when charging and at full battery capacity.
Access the App Library by swiping left on your iPhone home screen, then locate and open Shortcuts. Within the app, select Automation at the bottom, press the blue “+” icon in the upper right, and then tap Create Personal Automation.
In the New Automation screen, scroll down and select Battery Level. Choose Falls Below, and adjust the slider to 100%. Then, tap Next. This establishes the condition for triggering the action.
Next, configure the action to enable Low Power Mode. On the Actions screen, tap Add Action. Search for “Low” and select Set Low Power Mode, or find it under Scripting then Device.
After selecting Set Low Power Mode, it will appear as “Turn Low Power Mode On” in your Actions. Tap Next. On the subsequent New Automation screen, disable Ask Before Running to enable automatic activation of Low Power Mode. Optionally, enable notifications for each automation execution.
Confirm “Don’t Ask,” and tap Done to finalize. Setup is complete. Your iPhone will now automatically enter Low Power Mode whenever the battery level decreases below 100%.
Automatic Activation of Low Power Mode at Specific Battery Percentages
After setting up permanent Low Power Mode activation, adjusting the activation threshold to specific battery percentages, such as 50%, is simple.
To automatically activate Low Power Mode at 50% battery, modify the permanent shortcut and change the trigger from 100% to 50%. Access the Shortcuts app, select the Automation tab, and tap your “When battery level falls below 100%” automation to modify it.
Under “When,” tap the trigger “When battery level falls below 100%” and adjust the slider from 100% down to 50%. Tap Back and then Done. Now, your iPhone will automatically switch to Low Power Mode when the battery level drops below 50%.
Battery Charge Savings with Low Power Mode
A definitive figure for battery savings from Low Power Mode remains undetermined. The effectiveness of Low Power Mode has been a subject of ongoing discussion since its introduction. Some projections suggest a 1.5x increase in battery duration using Low Power Mode, while others indicate minimal battery life improvement.
To ascertain the actual benefit, users are encouraged to personally test Low Power Mode to observe its impact on their iPhone’s battery performance.
Deactivating Low Power Mode
If Low Power Mode does not yield noticeable battery improvements, deactivate the automation in Shortcuts by toggling off Enable This Automation. For complete removal, swipe left on the Low Power Mode automation on the main Automation screen and select the red Delete button.
Alternatively, create a customized Low Power Mode by manually adjusting iPhone settings to mirror some of its power-saving measures. For instance, significantly enhance battery life by disabling background app refresh or adjusting screen brightness.
Assessing Battery Health
While persistent Low Power Mode usage is an option, consistently needing it for acceptable iPhone battery performance suggests potential battery degradation or underlying issues.
To assess your iPhone battery health, navigate to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging. View your battery’s maximum capacity and options for Optimized Battery Charging and Clean Energy Charging. An “Important Battery Message” warning appears if the maximum capacity drops to 80% or lower. This signifies significant battery degradation requiring replacement or service.