iOS 26 Update Won't Cost Political Fundraisers Half a Billion Dollars

Political fundraisers feared iOS 26 would cost them half a billion dollars, but Apple has clarified that the feature improvement won't change the default behavior. The update moves the unknown sender inbox to a more accessible location and separates messages that are inferred to be spam. Fundraisers who opt-in to the upgraded feature will see legitimate messages without junk messages getting in the way, and those who upgrade from iOS 18 will only be automatically enabled if they already used message filtering.

Apple's upcoming iOS 26 introduces a significant enhancement in iPhone battery life with the introduction of Adaptive Power Mode. This AI-powered feature is designed to intelligently extend battery life by making subtle adjustments to device performance, without significant user intervention [1].

Adaptive Power Mode: How it Works

Adaptive Power Mode operates continuously in the background when battery usage is higher than usual. It makes small performance tweaks such as slightly dimming the display brightness and allowing some tasks to "take a little longer" to complete. These adjustments are automatic and based on monitoring battery usage patterns [1].

Device Compatibility and Requirements

Adaptive Power Mode is not universally available across all iPhone models. It requires Apple Intelligence, which limits its availability to newer devices including the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models, and the upcoming iPhone 17 (expected launch in September 2025) [1]. The feature is not compatible with iPhone 14 Pro models or earlier due to the lack of necessary AI processing capabilities.

Potential Impact on Battery Life

Early reports suggest that Adaptive Power Mode could potentially double iPhone battery life by intelligently adjusting performance. This significant improvement in battery longevity could be a game-changer for iPhone users who struggle with battery life issues [1].

Technical Considerations

The exclusivity of Adaptive Power Mode to newer iPhone models is likely due to the advanced processing capabilities of the A17 Pro and A18 chips. These chips are better optimized to handle the AI-powered tasks required for this feature [1].

Availability and Release

iOS 26 is currently available as a public beta, with the full release expected in the fall of 2025. The Adaptive Power Mode feature is turned off by default and needs to be enabled by users in the settings [1].

Political Fundraisers and iOS 26

Political fundraisers had initially feared that iOS 26 would cost them half a billion dollars, but Apple has clarified that the feature improvement will not change the default behavior. The update moves the unknown sender inbox to a more accessible location and separates messages that are inferred to be spam. Fundraisers who opt-in to the upgraded feature will see legitimate messages without junk messages getting in the way. Those upgrading from iOS 18 will only be automatically enabled if they already used message filtering [2].

References

[1] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/i-os-26-introduces-ai-powered-adaptive-power-mode-for-extended-i-phone-battery-life-18691/
[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/wearables/ios-26-beta-hints-at-bigger-display-for-apple-watch-ultra-3/articleshow/123141348.cms