Extend Your Smartwatch’s Battery Life With These Tips (2023)

• Airplane mode: Turns off connectivity, together with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE,  and GPS/GNSS. You can flip these again on individually, or toggle Airplane mode off once more to show every thing again on. 
• Theater mode: Turns off your display screen quickly and holds notifications and incoming calls.
• Do Not Disturb: Turns off all notifications and incoming calls, however you’ll be able to often set exceptions for repeat callers, particular contacts, and alarms.
• Bedtime mode: Usually mirrors Do Not Disturb in turning off all notifications and incoming calls, with exceptions for repeat callers, particular contacts, and alarms. With Sleep mode on an Apple Watch, the display screen may even dim and present a simplified watch face.

Change Display Settings

The display screen is the most important drain in your smartwatch battery, however there are some things you are able to do to cut back how a lot energy it makes use of.

Apple Watch

• Go to Settings > Display & Brightness, and you may cut back the brightness, flip Always On show off, toggle Wake on Wrist Raise off, and select a shorter Wake Duration.
• You also can save a modest quantity of battery life by selecting a watch face that has a black background and minimal issues or animations.  You can lengthy press in your present watch face to cycle via choices, edit them, and choose them, however it’s simpler to browse choices in your iPhone within the Watch app on the Face Gallery tab.

Google Wear OS Watches

• Go to Settings > Display, and you may change Brightness, toggle Always-on display screen and Sunlight Boost off, and select a shorter Screen timeout. You also can go to Settings > Gestures to toggle Tilt-to-wake off.
• You also can avoid wasting battery life by selecting a watch face with a black background and minimal issues or animations. You can lengthy press in your present watch face to swipe via choices, edit them, and choose them. You can browse watch faces within the Wear OS app in your telephone.

Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS Models)

• Swipe down from the highest and faucet the Brightness icon to cut back brightness. Go to Settings > Display to modify Always On Display off and cut back Screen timeout.
• Changing to a easy watch face with a darkish background also can avoid wasting battery life. Long press in your present watch face and swipe or rotate the bezel to browse choices. It is likely to be simpler to open the Galaxy Wearable app in your telephone and browse on the Watch faces tab.

Reduce Notifications

A gentle stream of notifications will drain your smartwatch battery, so it’s price culling any that you just don’t really feel you want. Here’s how.

Apple Watch

• Open the Watch app in your linked iPhone and choose Notifications on the My Watch tab. You can tweak some settings on the high. Scroll down to search out particular person apps and determine what, if any, notifications you need them to ship to your Apple Watch. 

Google Wear OS Watches

• Open the Wear OS app, go to Settings > Notifications, and you may select to Block app notifications. You would possibly discover extra choices in your watch producer’s companion app (if there’s a separate one).

Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS Models)

• Open the Galaxy Wearable app, faucet Watch settings, after which faucet Notifications, and you may determine what notifications you wish to obtain.

Cut Connectivity

Photograph: Apple

You can all the time use Airplane mode to rapidly reduce all connectivity, however you may also reduce issues individually. Most smartwatches hook up with smartphones utilizing Bluetooth LE (Low Energy), which is the least power-hungry possibility.

Apple Watch

• Swipe up from the underside of the display screen, and you may faucet to show off Wi-Fi and Mobile Data. You also can go to Settings to show Bluetooth off.

Google Wear OS Watches

• Go to Settings > Connectivity, and you may flip Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth off.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

• Go to Settings > Connections, and you may flip Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth off.

Turn Off Voice

If you don’t use voice instructions along with your smartwatch, it can save you some battery life by telling it to not hear for voice assistant wake phrases. Here’s how.

Apple Watch

• Go to Settings > Siri and toggle off Listen for “Hey Siri” and Raise to Speak.

Google Wear OS Watches or Samsung Galaxy Watches

• Go to Settings > Google > Assistant and switch off “Hey Google.”

Samsung Galaxy Watch

• Open Bixby, go to Settings and switch Voice wake-up off.

Reduce Sounds and Vibrations

Smartwatches make numerous sounds and vibrations, and they’re usually superfluous. Turn them off or cut back the amount, and it can save you just a little battery life.

Apple Watch

• Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, and you may toggle off sounds and vibrations or cut back the amount. 

Google Wear OS Watches or Samsung Galaxy Watch

• Open Settings > Sound and vibration, and you may flip off numerous sounds and vibrations and cut back quantity ranges. 

Limit Background App Refresh

By default, lots of your apps are working behind the scenes to replace information, however this could drain your smartwatch battery, and also you probably don’t want each app to be continually updating (it’ll pull information once you open it anyway). Here’s methods to restrict background app refresh.

Apple Watch

• Open the Watch app in your linked iPhone, and faucet General > Background App Refresh to toggle it off utterly or toggle off particular person apps.

Google Wear OS Watches

• This is managed mechanically on Wear OS watches, however you’ll be able to restrict app permissions by going to Settings > Apps and notifications > App permissions (simply watch out, as some apps won’t work correctly in case you restrict their permissions).

Check Battery Usage

Working out what’s draining your smartwatch battery makes it simpler to repair. Check battery utilization, and you may study what modifications is likely to be efficient. Unfortunately, there’s no strategy to see this data on an Apple Watch, however you’ll be able to test battery well being in Settings > Battery > Battery Health. 

Google Wear OS Watches

• Open the Wear OS app or your smartwatch companion app in your telephone, and go to Settings > Advanced settings > Watch battery to see which apps are draining your battery.

Uninstall Apps

Any apps you don’t use must be uninstalled to make sure they don’t affect battery life. 

Apple Watch

• Press the Digital Crown to carry up the app display screen, faucet and maintain wherever, and select Edit Apps. Tap the X and Delete App to do away with any apps you don’t need.

Google Wear OS Watches

• Press the Power button, scroll down, and faucet Play Store, then My apps. Tap any app you wish to delete, scroll to the underside, and faucet Uninstall.

Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS Models)

• Go to the Apps display screen, faucet and maintain on the app you wish to do away with, then faucet Uninstall, then OK, or the Delete icon, then faucet the checkmark to verify.

Turn Off Other Features

There are more likely to be a number of different options and capabilities in your smartwatch that may be deactivated to avoid wasting battery life, so check out your gadget’s settings. On the Apple Watch, for instance, you’ll be able to go to Settings > Activity to show off reminders, or Workout to modify to Low Power Mode throughout exercises and toggle on Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings. Dig round within the settings and switch off something you don’t want or wish to use. 

Get a Charger and Portable Battery Pack

Photograph: Otterbox

If you’re not eager on turning off options, you’ll be able to all the time up your charging sport. An further charger in your bedside, desk at work, and even in your pocket or bag may make the distinction. Unfortunately, most smartwatches require proprietary chargers, however there are a number of choices for Apple Watch house owners, just like the OtterBox 2-in-1 Power Bank with Apple Watch Charger ($50) and the Satechi Quatro Wireless Power Bank ($100).

You can discover extra choices in our Best Apple Watch Accessories, Best Wireless Chargers, Best Portable Chargers, and Best Apple 3-in-1 Chargers guides.