How to Enable Low Power Mode Automatically on iOS

Your iPhone or iPad has a built-in feature called Low Power Mode that helps conserve battery when it gets low. By default, it automatically offers to turn on when your battery level hits 20% and again at 10%. It then automatically turns itself off once you’ve charged your device to 80% or higher.

But what if you want Low Power Mode to turn on automatically at a different time, or a higher battery percentage, or based on something else entirely? You can do that using the Shortcuts app and its Automation feature. This allows you to customize when Low Power Mode gets enabled, giving you more control over your battery life. I set mine to come on automatically at 50% battery so I don’t even have to think about it.

What is Low Power Mode and Why Automate It?

Low Power Mode reduces background activities like downloads and mail fetch, lowers some visual effects, optimizes performance, and decreases the screen auto-lock time to 30 seconds (by default). It’s great for stretching out your remaining battery.

Automating it lets you:

• Enable it at a higher battery percentage (like 40% or 50%) to conserve power earlier.
• Turn it on at a specific time of day (e.g., every evening).
• Activate it based on your location (e.g., when you arrive at work or leave home).
• Turn it on when you open a specific app that drains battery quickly.

Prerequisites

• An iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or later.
• The Shortcuts app installed (it’s a free, built-in app from Apple).

How to Create an Automation to Enable Low Power Mode Automatically

We’ll create an automation that triggers when your battery reaches a certain level. This is a very common and useful way to automate Low Power Mode.

1. Open the Shortcuts App: Find and tap the ‘Shortcuts‘ app icon on your Home screen.
2. Go to the ‘Automation’ Tab: At the bottom of the Shortcuts app screen, tap the ‘Automation‘ tab (it looks like a clock face).
3. Create a New Personal Automation:
   • If this is your first automation, tap ‘Create Personal Automation’.
   • If you already have automations, tap the ‘+’ icon in the top right corner, then select ‘Create Personal Automation’.
4. Choose Your Trigger: This screen lists all the things that can start your automation. Scroll down and tap on ‘Battery Level‘.
5. Configure the Trigger:
   • Use the slider to select the battery percentage you want the automation to trigger at (e.g., 50%).
   • Choose the condition: ‘Equals’, ‘Rises Above’, or ‘Falls Below’. For turning on Low Power Mode as the battery drains, select ‘Falls Below’ [your chosen percentage].
   • Tap ‘Next’ in the top right corner.
6. Add the Action: Now you tell the automation what to do when the trigger happens.
   • Tap ‘Add Action’.
   • In the search bar, type “Low Power Mode”.
   • Tap on ‘Set Low Power Mode‘ in the search results.
7. Configure the Action: The default action is usually “Turn Low Power Mode On”. Make sure it says ‘Turn Low Power Mode On‘.
   • Tap ‘Next’.
8. Review and Disable ‘Ask Before Running’ (Optional but Key!)
   • This is a crucial step if you want the automation to happen without you having to tap a notification every time.
   • On the summary screen, look for the option ‘Ask Before Running’.
   • Toggle this switch OFF.
   • A confirmation box will pop up explaining that the automation will run automatically. Tap ‘Don’t Ask’.
   • Below that, you’ll see an option for ‘Notify When Run’. You can leave this on if you want a notification telling you the automation ran, or toggle it off for a completely silent automation.
9. Tap ‘Done’: In the top right corner, tap ‘Done‘ to save your new automation.

That’s it! Now, the next time your iPhone or iPad’s battery level falls below the percentage you set, Low Power Mode will automatically turn on.

Exploring Other Triggers

Instead of ‘Battery Level’, you could choose a different trigger in Step 4 to enable Low Power Mode automatically:

• Time of Day: Set a specific time for Low Power Mode to turn on (e.g., 10:00 PM).
• Arrive/Leave: Turn on Low Power Mode when you arrive at or leave a specific location.
• App: Turn on Low Power Mode when you open a particular app.
• Charger: Turn on Low Power Mode when you disconnect from power.

The steps for adding the ‘Set Low Power Mode On’ action (Steps 6 and 7) remain the same regardless of the trigger.

Automation to Turn Low Power Mode OFF (Optional)

You might also want to create a second automation to turn Low Power Mode off automatically at a point other than the default 80%. For example, you could turn it off when:

• Battery Rises Above 80% (if you want it to stay on longer than the default).
• You connect to power.
• A specific time of day.

To do this, create a new Personal Automation (Steps 1-3), choose your desired trigger (Step 4), but in Step 7, configure the action to say ‘Turn Low Power Mode Off‘. Remember to toggle off ‘Ask Before Running’ if you want it fully automated.

Managing Your Automations

You can see all your created automations by tapping the ‘Automation‘ tab in the Shortcuts app.

• Tap an automation to edit it.
• Swipe left on an automation and tap ‘Delete’ to remove it.

Using the Shortcuts app’s Automation feature gives you flexibility to enable Low Power Mode automatically on your iOS device exactly when you want it, helping you manage your battery life more effectively than the default settings alone.