The “20% Battery Remaining” warning pops up and you still have hours before you can charge. Low Power Mode is the fastest way to stretch what is left. Turn it on in Settings > Battery (on iPhone 15 and later, tap Power Mode first), tap the battery button in Control Center, or say “Siri, turn on Low Power Mode.” The same three routes turn it off again.
Low Power Mode and the battery number use separate switches, so to see exactly how much charge is left you can show the battery percentage on iPhone from Settings > Battery.
Low Power Mode at a glance
- What it is: a battery-saving setting that cuts background activity and some visual extras until you charge.
- How to tell it’s on: the battery icon in the status bar turns yellow.
- When it ends by itself: once the iPhone charges to 80% or higher.
- Where the switch lives: it depends on your model. iPhone 15 and later have a Power Mode screen inside Battery; iPhone 14 and earlier show the switch directly on the Battery screen.
If you aren’t sure which model you have, open Settings > General > About and look at Model Name.
Turn Low Power Mode on or off in Settings
iPhone 14 and earlier
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Battery.
- Tap the Low Power Mode switch. Green means on; tap it again to turn it off.
The screenshots above come from an iPhone 13. The layout of the Battery screen has changed since, but the switch name is the same.
iPhone 15 and later
- Open Settings and tap Battery.
- Tap Power Mode.
- Tap Low Power Mode to turn it on or off.
The Power Mode screen is also where Adaptive Power lives on supported models (more on that below), which is why the Low Power Mode switch moved one level deeper.
Use Control Center or Siri instead
Control Center
Apple’s instructions are simple: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen and tap the battery icon. If you don’t see that button, add it first.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
- On current iOS, touch and hold an empty spot (or tap + in the upper-left corner), tap Add a Control, and choose Low Power Mode. On older iOS versions, go to Settings > Control Center instead and tap the green + next to Low Power Mode.
- Tap the battery-shaped button to switch Low Power Mode on (it turns yellow) or off.
For help reaching Control Center on your model, see opening Control Center on iPhone.
Siri
Say “Siri, turn on Low Power Mode” or “Siri, turn off Low Power Mode.” This is the quickest option when your hands are full or the phone is across the room.
Make it turn on automatically with Shortcuts
iOS offers to turn on Low Power Mode at 20%, but you have to tap the prompt. A personal automation in the Shortcuts app can do it for you at whatever level you choose, such as 40% on long travel days.
- Open the Shortcuts app and tap Automation at the bottom.
- Tap + (or New Automation / Create Personal Automation if you have none yet).
- Choose Battery Level, select Falls Below, and drag the slider to the percentage you want.
- Choose to have it run immediately rather than ask first (labeled Run Immediately or by turning off Ask Before Running, depending on your iOS version).
- Add the Set Low Power Mode action and make sure it says On.
- Tap Done.
You can build a second automation with Rises Above and the action set to Off if you want Low Power Mode to end before the 80% mark. To stop an automation later, open it in the Automation tab and turn it off or delete it.
What Low Power Mode changes
Apple lists these limits while Low Power Mode is on:
| Feature | In Low Power Mode | What you’ll notice |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-Lock | Set to 30 seconds | The screen locks quickly when idle |
| Display brightness | Reduced | The screen looks a bit dimmer |
| Refresh rate (ProMotion models) | Limited to 60 frames per second | Scrolling looks slightly less smooth |
| Visual effects | Some turned off | Fewer animations and motion effects |
| iCloud Photos | Paused temporarily | New photos upload later |
| Automatic downloads | Off | App updates and downloads wait |
| Email fetch | Off | Open Mail and pull down to check |
| Background App Refresh | Off | Apps refresh when you open them |
| 5G (iPhone 12 and 13 only) | Kept for streaming and large downloads | Other tasks may use LTE |
Calls, texts, email you check yourself and web browsing keep working. Apple notes some tasks may run more slowly. If you rely on StandBy at night, the StandBy nightstand display may also dim or go dark sooner while Low Power Mode is on.
Why it turns off by itself
Low Power Mode is meant as a bridge to your next charge, so iOS switches it off automatically once the battery reaches 80% or higher. That is why it can seem to “disappear” overnight. If you want it back on after charging, turn it on again manually or use the Shortcuts automation above.
It can also turn on without you touching it. If your iPhone supports Adaptive Power and it is turned on, it can switch Low Power Mode on when the battery reaches 20%.
Adaptive Power on newer iPhones
On iPhone 15 Pro and later running recent iOS, Adaptive Power predicts heavy-use days and makes smaller adjustments (brightness, background activity, performance) to stretch the battery. It is on by default on iPhone 17 models and later, and off by default on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, where you turn it on yourself.
- Go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode.
- Turn Adaptive Power on or off. Below it, Adaptive Power Notifications controls whether you are told when it kicks in.
Apple explains the feature in Use Adaptive Power to extend the battery life of your iPhone.
If Low Power Mode keeps switching on at 20% and you don’t want it to, turning off Adaptive Power is the setting to check first.
When the switch misbehaves
- It keeps turning back on: look for a Shortcuts automation that sets Low Power Mode, and check Adaptive Power on supported models.
- The button is missing from Control Center: add the Low Power Mode control as described above.
- The battery still drains fast: Low Power Mode can only do so much. Check which apps use the most power in Settings > Battery, and try these ways to stop iPhone battery drain.
- Battery life is short even on a full charge: the battery may be worn. Check your iPhone’s battery health to see its maximum capacity.
Low Power Mode is a battery tool, while the separate Reduce Motion setting on iPhone exists to cut down on-screen animation.
Low Power Mode questions
Why is my battery icon yellow?
Yellow means Low Power Mode is on. It returns to its normal color when you turn the mode off or charge past 80%. There is more on the colors in why the iPhone battery turns yellow.
Can I leave Low Power Mode on all the time?
You can. Apple doesn’t describe it as harmful to the battery. The trade-offs are the limits in the table above, such as delayed email and a 30-second Auto-Lock, and it still switches off each time you charge to 80%.
Does it work while the iPhone is charging?
Yes, you can turn it on while charging, but it will switch itself off once the battery reaches 80%. Apple doesn’t say it makes charging faster.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. iPad has Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery too, and the battery icon also turns yellow while it is on.
Next time the 20% warning appears, a quick tap in Control Center is all it takes. For Apple’s own summary of the feature, see Use Low Power Mode to save battery life on your iPhone or iPad.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.