Apple Watch features a battery with a promise of 18 hours of battery life or up to five hours of outdoor training with GPS and LTE for the model with smartphones. However, actual battery life varies according to user profile, network, configuration, and other factors. In general, the Apple watch should last a full day away from the outlets. Users who wish to optimize the battery life of the device to the maximum can make some adjustments and disable unused functions to save power. Check out the following 8 tips on how to make the Apple Watch battery last longer.
Turn off the heart rate sensor
During running or walking exercises, Apple Watch uses the heart rate sensor to monitor the user’s heartbeat. You can disable the feature to save battery power, especially if the exercise is of long duration. In this case, according to Apple, the calculation of calorie-burning may not be accurate.
- Step 1: In Apple Watch, unlock the clock and press the Digital Crown button to access the menu. From there, open the settings app.
- Step 2: Now open the “Work out” app settings and activate the “Power Saving” feature.
Disable Background App Refresh
By default, Apple Watch allows applications to perform tasks in the background. The feature lets apps update and download information even when the clock is not being used, but this makes the device need to run several processes at once and use more power.
- Step 1: To disable background updates, access the watchOS settings and go to “General”. From there, open “Background App Refresh”.
- Step 2: Deactivate “Background App Refresh” to prevent any app from performing tasks in the background. You can also slide the screen up to disable the feature for specific applications.
Deactivate the wake-up screen option when lifting the wrist
Apple Watch, by default, lights the clock screen when lifting your arm. If the user moves his/her hands a lot, the screen is activated frequently and the battery life may be affected. To disable the feature, access the watchOS settings and open “General”. Go to “Wake Up Screen” and finally disable “Wake Screen on Wrist Raise”. When you want to light the screen, just touch it or press the Digital Crown.
Disable the Always On Display
From Apple Watch Series 5, the screen is on all the time. Although Apple promises the same battery life as previous versions, the feature usually consumes a lot of power and, if disabled, can extend the battery life. You can disable the function by accessing the “Screen and Brightness” settings. In “Always On”, deactivate the option of the same name. This way, just lift your wrist to light up the screen or touch it if you have also deactivated this feature.
Disable the App’s notifications
Apple Watch leaves the factory with the function to mirror all iPhone notifications (iOS) on the clock screen. However, in addition to damaging the battery life, this can be an inconvenience for the user depending on the number of notifications. In this case, the tip is to deactivate the notifications of unwanted applications and leave only the necessary ones. By doing this, deactivated apps continue to display the notifications on the mobile’s screen.
Enable the Power Reserve mode
Apple Watch has a power reserve mode that allows you to extend battery life. The feature disables all intelligent features of the device except the time display. To enable power reserve, touch the battery percentage on the main Watch screen or access the battery settings in the settings. Now slide the “Power Reserve” button to the right and confirm “Proceed”.
Keep the software up-to-date
Apple Watch software is constantly updated to receive new features, bug fixes, and improvements that can increase battery life. Updates are free and can be installed from the clock app, on the iPhone (iOS), or by the device itself.
Keep iPhone Bluetooth on
According to Apple, disabling Bluetooth on the iPhone increases the battery consumption of the Apple Watch, because in this case the data will be transmitted over Wi-Fi. For a connection with lower power consumption between devices, always keep Bluetooth activated. You can check whether your phone’s Bluetooth is active by accessing the Bluetooth settings, in the Settings app, or in the iOS control center.
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