iPhone Finally Gets a Charging Timer: Is Apple Catching Up?
I remember back in 2015, plugging my Android phone in and seeing that little timer pop up, telling me exactly how long it would take to charge. It was a small thing, but incredibly useful. Meanwhile, my friends with iPhones were stuck guessing, with no such convenient feature. Fast forward a decade, and Apple is finally catching up!
Recently, while using my iPhone 16 with the iOS 26 beta, something caught my eye. After what felt like an eternity, Apple decided to add a charging timer! It’s a bit surreal seeing a feature I've enjoyed on Android for so long finally make its way to iOS. While it defaults to showing the time until an 80% charge, it's a welcome change from the guessing game we iPhone users have endured for years.
It's almost comical how long it took Apple to implement this. I mean, Android phones have had this since Android 5! We are talking about the era of the Galaxy S6 and Nexus 6P. However, it's better late than never, right?
However, iOS 26 isn't just about playing catch-up. It also introduces a new "Power Mode" that seems pretty promising. This isn't just the old Low Power Mode; it includes a toggle for "Adaptive Power." From what I can tell, Adaptive Power is designed to intelligently manage performance based on usage patterns, sort of like Android's Battery Health Assistance. While it's still in beta and a bit rough around the edges on my iPhone 16, I'm hopeful it'll improve.
I think that Power Mode will shine on the next iPhone 17 series, hopefully allowing users to squeeze more life out of those batteries. Although the iPhone batteries are still smaller than those found in many Android phones, this feature can minimize the battery anxiety for the users.
Will this make me switch back to using an iPhone as my primary device? Maybe not. But, now that iPhones are finally addressing battery life in a meaningful way, I'll feel much better about recommending them to my friends and family.
Source: AndroidAuthority