How your phone’s low power mode really works

Smartphones have limited battery life, and poor management can lead to a dead phone before the day ends. To extend battery life, both Android and iOS offer power-saving modes. These modes automatically activate below a certain battery level, but you can customize the trigger and manually enable them.

What Power Saving Mode Does

Power saving mode conserves battery by reducing device performance. Key changes include dimming the screen, reducing screen timeout, and decreasing the frequency of background tasks like email and news updates. Background uploads and downloads are also limited, and voice assistants ("Hey Siri" or "Hey Google") are disabled. On 5G phones, the connection will revert to 4G.

While the core functionality is similar across platforms, there are differences. Android automatically enables dark mode, unlike iOS. iOS disables some visual effects, although specifics aren't provided by Apple.

Low Power Mode on iOS

iOS's Low Power Mode doesn't automatically activate but prompts users at 20% battery. It deactivates automatically at 80% charge. You can manually toggle it in Settings > Battery. A Control Center shortcut can also be added via Settings > Control Center. A yellow battery icon indicates activation. Battery percentage can be displayed permanently in the status bar. The Battery settings screen shows power-consuming apps. While screen brightness can be adjusted, other settings like auto-lock time remain fixed in Low Power Mode.

Battery Saver on Android

Android's Battery Saver (on Google Pixel phones) prompts activation at 15% and again at 5%. It automatically disables at 90% charge. Manual activation is available in Settings > Battery > Battery Saver. A schedule can be set to trigger Battery Saver at a custom percentage (10-75%). Android can also predict low battery and prompt activation based on usage. This is configured in Settings > Battery > Extreme Battery Saver > When to use. A quick settings toggle is also available. Dark mode activates, and a red outline appears on the battery icon. The estimated remaining battery time is shown in the notification shade and in Settings > Battery.

Different Android manufacturers offer variations, but the core functionality remains consistent. For example, Samsung phones use Settings > Battery and device care > Battery > Power saving mode. Some settings, like display brightness, can be customized even within power-saving mode.

Corrected April 30, 2021: The previous version incorrectly stated that auto-lock time was adjustable in iOS Low Power Mode.

This post was originally published on December 2, 2020 and has been updated.

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