Low Power Mode is a lifesaver when your battery is dying — but iOS has an annoying habit: the moment your iPhone reaches 80% charge, it turns Low Power Mode off automatically. If you want it on all the time, you need a workaround. Here’s how to keep Low Power Mode always on with a Shortcuts automation that re-enables it the instant iOS switches it off — plus a manual trick as a backup.
Step-by-step: make Low Power Mode re-enable itself
- Open the Shortcuts app, tap the Automation tab at the bottom, and create a New Automation.
- Choose “Low Power Mode” as the trigger.
- Select the trigger “Is Turned Off” (make sure “Is Turned On” is unchecked) and tap Next.
- Add the action “Set Low Power Mode”, leave it on “Turn Low Power Mode On”, and tap Done. Set the automation to run immediately without asking.
- Turn Low Power Mode on once manually (Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode). From now on, whenever iOS switches it off — like at 80% charge — your automation flips it right back on. Apple Support documents Low Power Mode’s behavior, and 9to5Mac has covered this automation trick for power users.
The manual trick
Don’t want to use Shortcuts? When the “Battery sufficiently charged” notification appears at 80%, swipe left on it, tap View, then tap Enable Again. It’s a one-tap re-enable — less automatic, but no setup required.
What permanent Low Power Mode changes
A quick heads-up before you commit: keeping Low Power Mode on permanently limits background activity, mail fetch, background app refresh, some visual effects, and 5G in some cases. That’s the whole point — it saves battery by doing less. If you need full performance (gaming, video editing, navigation), disable the automation temporarily. MacRumors has a good breakdown of everything Low Power Mode affects.
More iPhone battery and cleanup tips
Pair this with other optimizations: read how to turn off all SharePlay features on iPhone and see which built-in iPhone apps you can delete to free up space and reduce background activity.
If it still doesn’t work
If Low Power Mode still switches off and stays off, check that the automation’s trigger is “Is Turned Off” — not “Is Turned On” — and that it runs immediately without asking. If you recently updated iOS, open the Shortcuts app once to let automations re-register. And remember: the automation only fires when the mode turns off; if something else (like a Focus profile) is toggling it, fix that trigger instead.
Frequently asked questions
Does this drain the battery faster?
No — quite the opposite. The automation itself uses negligible power, and keeping Low Power Mode on reduces background activity, which is what saves battery in the first place.
Will this work on iPad?
iPads don’t have Low Power Mode in the same form — it’s primarily an iPhone feature. This trick is designed for iPhone.
Conclusion
iOS insists on turning Low Power Mode off at 80%, but a two-minute Shortcuts automation overrules it forever. Set the “Is Turned Off” trigger once, and your iPhone will stay in battery-saving mode as long as you want — with the manual 80% notification trick as a backup. Just remember to pause the automation when you need full speed.
