Apple finally dropped iOS 26 this week, and while fans rushed to download the update, many quickly noticed something annoying—their iPhone battery suddenly feels worse.

Why iPhones lose battery after iOS updates

Apple has actually admitted it this time: installing a big update like iOS 26 can temporarily hurt battery life and even make your phone feel slower. Why? Because your iPhone is busy working in the background—indexing files, reworking search, and pulling system resources into place.

Think of it as your phone spring-cleaning itself after the update. The downside? Your battery drains faster, your phone runs hotter, and everything feels a little off for a few days. Apple says this is “normal for major releases” and should settle soon.

So if you updated last night and woke up today to find your battery at 20% by lunchtime, don’t panic—it’s not just you.

Adaptive Power: iOS 26’s new battery saver

To ease the pain, Apple has introduced a smarter feature called Adaptive Power, part of the new Apple Intelligence suite. Unlike the old Low Power Mode, which bluntly cuts background activity, Adaptive Power only kicks in when your iPhone is working extra hard—like while recording 4K videos, gaming, or editing photos.

It quietly makes small performance tweaks to stretch your battery without ruining the experience. On the iPhone 17 series, Adaptive Power is switched on by default. Everyone else has to enable it manually.

How to turn on Adaptive Power in iOS 26

Here’s how you can try it out:

• Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 26.
• Go to Settings > Battery > Power Mode.
• You’ll see a new option for Adaptive Power above Low Power Mode.
• Toggle it on—and let your iPhone do the rest.

iPhones that support Adaptive Power

The feature isn’t for every iPhone, but it works on:

• iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air
• iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max, 16e
• iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max

Yes, iOS 26 battery drain is real, but it’s not permanent. Your iPhone just needs a few days to finish its behind-the-scenes tasks. Until then, Adaptive Power is your best bet to stretch battery life without giving up performance.

Also Read: How to dial down the ‘Liquid Glass’ on iOS 26