The iOS 26 Feature Secretly Extending Your iPhone's Battery Life

Jeff Carlson writes about mobile technology for CNET. He is also the author of dozens of how-to books covering a wide spectrum ranging from Apple devices and cameras to photo editing software and PalmPilots. He drinks a lot of coffee in Seattle.

Battery life in the latest iPhone models is more important than ever, whether you're taking advantage of the physically larger cells in the iPhone 17 Pro -- the "best battery life of any phone that CNET has ever tested," CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland said in his review -- or getting the most out of the thin battery in the iPhone Air. And software now also plays a big role.

A new feature in iOS 26 called Adaptive Power is enabled by default on Apple's latest phones, but is also available on older models that ...