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How to Keep Low Power Mode Enabled Permanently on Your iPhone

Oct 17, 2020

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Apple’s Low Power Mode is essential for making an older iPhone’s battery last longer. Normally, iOS turns off Low Power Mode automatically when your iPhone charges to 80% capacity. But you can use a Shortcuts automation to keep Low Power Mode enabled forever. Here’s how.

First, open the Shortcuts app, which Apple added as a default app in iOS 13. If you can’t find it on your Home screen, swipe downward with one finger in the middle of your screen to open Spotlight. Type “Shortcuts” in the search bar, then tap the “Shortcuts” icon.

In Shortcuts, tap the “Automation” button at the bottom of the screen.

If you already have an automation listed here, tap the plus (+) button first, then tap the “Create Personal Automation” button to add a new automation. If you don’t see any automation listed, tap the “Create Personal Automation” button.

In the “New Automation” panel that pops up, scroll down until you locate “Low Power Mode.” Tap it.

Next, we’ll define the conditions that make the automation take place. Select “Is Turned Off” with a checkmark, and make sure “Is Turned On” is not selected. Then, tap “Next.”

Now we’ll define the action that takes place when the automation condition is met. Tap “Add Action.”

In the panel that appears, search for “low power,” then tap “Set Low Power Mode.”

When the “Set Low Power Mode” action appears, it will default to “Turn Low Power Mode On.” Leave it that way. This is the only action we need, so tap “Next.”

On the next overview screen, tap the “Ask Before Running” switch to turn it off. If left on, Shortcuts will pop up a message every time the automation is triggered, which can get annoying very quickly.

When a confirmation dialog pops up, tap “Don’t Ask.”

After that, tap “Done,” and your automation will be set.

Every time Low Power Mode gets turned off (either by you or automatically by iOS), Low Power Mode will automatically switch back on. To get it started, you’ll need to manually activate Low Power Mode in Settings (Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode) or with a Control Center shortcut. Your iPhone will then stay in Low Power Mode indefinitely.

RELATED: How to Quickly Turn on Low Power Mode on Your iPhone

How to Disable the Low Power Mode Automation

After using the automation for a while, you might notice that it’s no longer possible to turn off Low Power Mode the usual way, as it automatically just switches back on again. But fear not: It’s easy to disable the automation, so you can turn off Low Power Mode again. Here’s how.

First, open “Shortcuts” and tap the “Automation” button at the bottom of the screen. In the list of automations, tap the “When Low Power Mode is turned off” automation you created.

On the details screen for the automation, tap the “Enable This Automation” switch until it is turned off. This will disable the automation.

After that, tap “Done.” With the automation disabled, Low Power Mode can be toggled manually as usual. If you ever want to turn the automation back on, just revisit the automation in Shortcuts and flip the “Enable This Automation” switch to on.

Finally, it’s worth noting that as of iPadOS 14.0, the iPad does not include Low Power Mode. That might be added in a future update, however. For now, this automation only works on the iPhone.