iOS 26 AI Battery Management Feature May Launch With iPhone 17 Air

Apple's rumored AI-powered battery management feature may not be announced at WWDC as part of iOS 26, with Apple potentially launching the tool in tandem with the release of the iPhone 17 Air in September. That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who made the prediction while hosting a Discord chat over the weekend.

iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature
Gurman reported in May that Apple plans to use AI to help you better manage your iPhone's battery life. iOS 26 will have an AI-powered battery management option that will analyze how you use your device and make adjustments where possible to cut down on battery usage.

According to the report, the battery option will be included in the Apple Intelligence suite of features, with Apple drawing on battery data that it has collected from users over time. The battery mode will be able to cut the power draw of apps and other system features based on device usage, and it will also include a Lock Screen indicator that shows how long it will take an ‌iPhone‌ charge.

Gurman has previously acknowledged that the new battery management tool was designed with the super-slim iPhone 17 Air in mind, but this is the first time he has suggested the feature may not arrive until the device is released later in the fall.

Apple's new ultra-thin ‌iPhone‌ doesn't have as much space for a battery inside, and some rumors have suggested that the ‌iPhone 17 Air‌'s battery will not be up to par with the battery life of other iPhone 17 models. Apple plans to improve ‌iPhone 17 Air‌ battery life with the AI optimizations, though the feature set will be available for all iPhones that are able to run iOS 26.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

F23 Avatar
9 months ago
"Hey Siri how long until fully charged?"

Setting a timer for 45 minutes, expect some rain tonight.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kottu Avatar
9 months ago
This function will not work on older phones (including iPhone 16) as it needs a dedicated chip on the battery. ”It is the most sophisticated chip in the world with 1 trillion transistors and own neural engine with 24 teraflops calculating speed. We call it Apple B1”
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluecoast Avatar
9 months ago

"Hey Siri how long until fully charged?"

Setting a timer for 45 minutes, expect some rain tonight.
'Here's what I found on the Internet:'
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BarrettF77 Avatar
9 months ago
If this turns out to be true I am officially done with this brand. The did jack and **** for iPhone 16 users and hailed it as AI central. And if a Mac from 10 years ago can tell me how long it will be full but a iPhone 16 pro cannot, this is not the brand for me.

Sad this is what it takes now for Apple to get its customers to upgrade.

Guess this may backfire by us selling our stuff off and going to Android. What a trash brand they have become.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lindros2 Avatar
9 months ago
Physics > AI
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mazz0 Avatar
9 months ago
They should use “AI” to generate marketing guff about “AI” features. Assuming they don’t already.

Seriously, if this has a greater than 5% effect on battery life I’ll eat my hat*.

*I don’t own a hat.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)