My iPhone in permanent low power mode gives me two days of battery life

We all know iPhone drill: “Battery low. 20% battery remaining” alert, followed by options to tap Low Power Mode or dismiss reality by tapping Close. Apple added a low-power mode as part of it iOS 9 to save battery, so battery conscious iPhone users should just keep Low Power Mode on all the time now that we’re on iOS 16?

The reality of keeping Low Power Mode always on is that the pros and cons will depend on your iPhone model, how you use your phone, and how much you care about conserving battery life. Find out exactly what disables Low Power Mode and how to leave it on permanently, if you want to give it a try.

For more, make sure you’re not you’re charging your iPhone the wrong wayand learn why the iPhone battery meter icon changes with iOS 16.1.

What is iPhone Low Power Mode?

Low Power Mode is an iOS setting that disables some iPhone features to save battery power when the battery is low. Your iPhone will ask if you want to turn on Low Power Mode when your battery drops to 20% and then back to 10%.

Apple says Low Power Mode reduces the amount of power your iPhone uses to help the battery last longer.

You can tell when you are in low power mode because the battery icon will be yellow. Your iPhone automatically turns off Low Power Mode when the battery reaches 80%.

What features does iPhone Low Power Mode disable?

According to official apple support site, Low Power Mode makes these changes to conserve battery power:

• Excludes 5G (except for video streaming)
• Sets your iPhone screen to turn off after 30 seconds of inactivity
• Decreases screen brightness
• Reduces screen refresh rate for iPhones with ProMotion
• Eliminates some visual effects
• Pauses iCloud Photos Sync
• Stops automatic downloads
• Pauses email downloads
• Stops apps from refreshing in the background

Low Power Mode also disables watching videos in HDR, turns off the Always On display in iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, disables automatic video playback, and reduces CPU and GPU performance.

How do I enable iPhone Low Power Mode?

A manual way to keep Low Power Mode on all the time would be to simply put your iPhone into Low Power Mode every time after charging it. You can turn it on manually by going to Settings > Battery and inclusion Low Power Mode.

You can also manually turn on Low Power Mode using the iPhone Control Center or Siri.

How can I enable iPhone Lower Power Mode permanently?

But there is an easy way to “set it and forget it”. To automatically keep your iPhone in low power mode at all times, you’ll need to get a little crafty and make your own Personal Automation using Shortcuts application.

There are many ways to automatically set the low power mode Shortcuts, but for me the easiest way is to turn on Low Power Mode whenever the battery is less than 100%. That way, your iPhone is essentially in Low Power Mode all the time, but it can also create backups, complete downloads, and receive updates when it’s plugged in and charged to 100%.

Scroll to the right on your iPhone’s home screen to get to yours Application librarythen scroll down and tap Shortcuts. When the app starts, select Automation at the bottom of the screen, then tap blue Create personal automation button.

On New animation screen, scroll down and select Battery level. Tap the option below, Falls Belowand then move the slider all the way to the right for 100% Then click The next one. You have set your condition to trigger the action.

Now create an action to put your iPhone in low power mode. On Actions on the screen, click on the blue Add action button. Then you can type “Low” in the search box and tap Set low power modeor tap Scripting and find it below Device.

After you have chosen Set low power modewill appear on your Actions on the screen as “Turn on low power mode.” Click The next one. On the next New Automation screen, turn it on Ask before starting off to allow the lower power mode to turn on automatically. If you want, you can request a notification every time an automation is triggered.

Confirm “Don’t ask” and then tap Done to finish. Everything is ready. Every time your battery drops below 100%, your iPhone will automatically go into low power mode.

How much battery life does Low Power mode save?

You won’t get a definitive answer here. The value of low power mode has been debated since its introduction. While some estimates say that the battery will last about one and a half times longer using low power mode, others show very little difference in battery use.

If you’re worried about your iPhone battery lasting longer, you’ll just have to try Low Power Mode for yourself and see the difference.

My own experience is consistent with that early estimate of battery charging lasting about 50% longer in Low Power Mode. Anecdotally, I find that low power mode matters less when I use my phone more. The benefit of low power mode seems to be greater when my phone is idle or used sparingly for text messages and 2FA.

On weekdays, when I’m working and mostly using my laptop, I generally only need to charge my phone every other day if I leave it in low power mode. It still includes activities like posting on social media, streaming music with help Spotify and watching downloaded videos on Netflix. If I don’t have low power mode on all the time, I usually have to charge my phone every day.

How to get rid of Low Power Mode

If you find that low power mode is not saving your battery, you can turn off the automation by entering the Shortcuts and disconnection Enable this animation. To delete it completely, swipe left on the low power mode automation on the main automation screen, then tap the red Delete button.

You can also create your own custom version of Low Power Mode by adjusting your iPhone’s settings to take some of the measures that Low Power Mode does. For example, you can significantly save battery stopping background apps from refreshing or adjusting brightness settings.