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iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey bring Low Power Mode to iPad and Mac, here’s how to enable it

Apple announced iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey earlier this week at WWDC 2021, but we keep discovering new features that weren’t mentioned by the company during the event. This year, iPad and Mac users will finally get a Low Power Mode to save battery life, just like on the iPhone.

Low Power Mode was introduced on the iPhone with iOS 9 as a way to reduce the device’s power consumption to extend its battery life. It automatically slightly lowers the screen brightness, disables background updates, and turns off some visual effects.

Users can enable this option whenever they want, and the system itself prompts the user to turn it on when the battery level is below 20%. With iOS 14.0 beta 1 last year, Apple enabled Low Power Mode on the iPad for the first time, but then the feature was removed in beta 2 and never came back — until now.

Both iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey bring Low Power Mode to the iPad and Mac as an official new feature, so users of these devices will now ​be able to quickly save some battery life by enabling this option.

Low Power Mode on iPad

To enable Low Power Mode on an iPad model running iPadOS 15, the process is exactly the same as on the iPhone. All you need to do is go to the Settings app, tap the Battery menu, and then enable the Low Power Mode option.

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You can also add the Low Power Mode toggle in the Control Center for easy access or even ask Siri to turn on this option on your iPad. Once you turn on Low Power Mode, the battery level indicator will turn yellow instead of white.

Low Power Mode on Mac

The process for enabling Low Power Mode on a Mac running macOS Monterey is a bit different than on the iPhone and iPad. First, open the System Preferences app and click on the Battery option. Then click on the Battery menu in the right-side panel and enable the Low Power Mode option.

Interestingly, on the Mac, you can choose whether to enable it only when using the MacBook unplugged or also while plugged in by going to the Power Adapter menu.

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At least in macOS Monterey beta 1, there’s no shortcut to enable Low Power Mode on the Mac, not even an indicator to show that it’s enabled.

iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey are currently available to developers as beta releases, while public beta versions will be available in July. Both updates will be released to all users this fall.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.