Use Low Power Mode on iPad and Mac via iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey

Low power mode is finally available for iPad and Mac with the release of iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey, respectively. This feature has been available on iPhone for a long time and reduces background activity to extend battery life. While it works similarly on iPad, on Mac it makes different changes in the background to help extend battery life.

Low Power Mode on iPad with iPadOS 15

This energy consumption feature is not listed as one of the new features for iPadOS 15 on Apple’s website, but it is available in the first beta. You can enable the option by going to Settings > Battery on your iPad, and doing so will reduce background activity like background app refresh and mail refresh.

Low Power Mode on Mac with macOS Monterey

Apple has listed the new low power mode as part of the new features in macOS Monterey. The official explanation on the website is that this feature “reduces system clock speed and display brightness to extend battery life”, while in macOS, the setting toggle says that it optimizes your Mac to reduce energy consumption and operate more quietly. This feature would be quite useful on Intel Macs which can get very loud.

The low power mode setting is accessible by going to System Preferences > Battery and going to either Battery or Power Adapter settings. You can reduce power consumption even when our MacBook is plugged in.

It is also important to note that low power mode is only available for MacBook (Early 2016 and later) and MacBook Pro (Early 2016 and later). Apple does not mention iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro as supported Macs, even though it allows reducing your Mac’s energy consumption when plugged in.

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