Apple quietly made several changes to its Battery Settings in iOS 26, although most attention at WWDC 2025 focused on the new Liquid Glass interface. The update introduces a redesigned Battery page that aims to make power management simpler and more effective, with a few new tools added along the way.
Image: iDeviceHelp / YT
Rather than displaying toggle switches for Battery Percentage and Low Power Mode at the top of the screen, iOS 26 now shows the current battery level more prominently. When the device is charging, the screen also shows how long it will take to reach full charge. Another small but noticeable change is that the screen auto-lock setting has moved from the Display & Brightness menu and is now found within Battery Settings instead.
Battery usage data has also been updated. Instead of showing the past 24 hours and the last 10 days, Apple now presents a weekly view. Users can tap on individual days to see how much battery was used and when the phone was charged. The charts are simpler to read and give a clearer picture of power consumption over time, focusing on broader patterns rather than hourly details.
The familiar Battery Health section remains, showing the usual details such as maximum capacity and number of charge cycles. However, Apple has added a new Power Mode section, which brings together existing and new power-saving options. Low Power Mode has been moved here, and a new Adaptive Power Mode has been introduced. When switched on, it allows the iPhone to automatically make small adjustments—such as dimming the screen or slowing down background tasks—to help preserve battery life. It works in a similar way to Google's Adaptive Battery feature on Android.
The new features are already available to developers and will be included in a public beta version expected next month. The full release of iOS 26 is planned for later in the year, likely in the autumn. While the design changes have grabbed the headlines, these quieter improvements to everyday battery management may prove just as useful.
Read next: AI Summaries Replace Clicks Leaving News Sites with Fewer Readers and Less Income
Rather than displaying toggle switches for Battery Percentage and Low Power Mode at the top of the screen, iOS 26 now shows the current battery level more prominently. When the device is charging, the screen also shows how long it will take to reach full charge. Another small but noticeable change is that the screen auto-lock setting has moved from the Display & Brightness menu and is now found within Battery Settings instead.
Battery usage data has also been updated. Instead of showing the past 24 hours and the last 10 days, Apple now presents a weekly view. Users can tap on individual days to see how much battery was used and when the phone was charged. The charts are simpler to read and give a clearer picture of power consumption over time, focusing on broader patterns rather than hourly details.
The familiar Battery Health section remains, showing the usual details such as maximum capacity and number of charge cycles. However, Apple has added a new Power Mode section, which brings together existing and new power-saving options. Low Power Mode has been moved here, and a new Adaptive Power Mode has been introduced. When switched on, it allows the iPhone to automatically make small adjustments—such as dimming the screen or slowing down background tasks—to help preserve battery life. It works in a similar way to Google's Adaptive Battery feature on Android.
The new features are already available to developers and will be included in a public beta version expected next month. The full release of iOS 26 is planned for later in the year, likely in the autumn. While the design changes have grabbed the headlines, these quieter improvements to everyday battery management may prove just as useful.
Read next: AI Summaries Replace Clicks Leaving News Sites with Fewer Readers and Less Income
