Time flies, and smartwatches become more feature-rich and attractive every year, but battery life remains a major issue. Traditional watches can’t compete on functionality, but you rarely have to worry about them stopping ticking. Smartwatches often run out of High quality smart watch battery at the end of a busy day or when you forget to charge them before leaving home. But don’t worry! These tips will help you save battery life on your smartwatch and save time.
Most smartwatch battery-saving tips amount to turning off a feature, but there isn’t much point in having a smartwatch if you turn off all smart features. We recommend that you pick out the tips that apply to you and how to use your smartwatch , and then skip the rest. You might also want to dive into our guides on the best smartwatches , the best fitness trackers , and how to sell your old smartwatch if you find something you want. We also have similar tips for saving smartphone Smart Watch Battery life .
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Use power saving modeApple Watch shows low power mode feature
Most smartwatch manufacturers have built-in power-saving modes that can be used when the battery is low and the next opportunity to recharge is far away. These modes typically turn off some standard features and may include some individual prompts we outline below. Here’s how to activate battery saver mode on some popular smartwatches.
apple watchSwipe up from the bottom and tap the battery percentage, or go to Settings > Battery to turn on Low Power Mode.This mode turns off the always-on display, reduces connections and notifications, and limits various sensor measurements.You can choose to turn it on indefinitely (until it turns off again) or turn it on for a set period of time (one, two or three days).
Google Wear OS watchesSwipe down and tap the battery icon, or go to Settings > Battery to turn on battery saver mode. (For older Wear OS watches, this might be Settings > System > Battery).This mode turns off the always-on display, reduces connections and notifications, disables vibration and location services, and reduces background data.Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS models)
Swipe down and tap the battery saver icon or go to Settings > Smart Watch Battery and turn on Battery Saver.This mode turns off the always-on display, disables wake gestures, and reduces screen brightness, screen timeout, connectivity, location services, background data, and CPU speed.Use airplane, theater, do not disturb, or bedtime modesApple Watch shows quick settings menu with airplane mode highlighted and text instructions on how to turn it on…
Photo: AppleMost smartwatches have additional modes designed for specific scenarios, but they can also save battery life, and they can be a good option if battery saver modes are too harsh for you. This is what they do.
Airplane Mode: Turns off connections, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE, and GPS/GNSS. You can turn these features back on individually, or turn airplane mode off again to turn them all back on.Theater Mode: Temporarily turns off the screen and keeps notifications and incoming calls.
Do Not Disturb: Turns off all notifications and incoming calls, but you can generally set exceptions for repeat callers, specific contacts, and alarms.Bedtime mode: Generally the same as Do Not Disturb mode, turning off all notifications and calls except repeat callers, specific contacts, and alarms. In sleep mode on Apple Watch, the screen also dims and displays a simplified watch face.Change display settings
The screen is the biggest drain on your smartwatch’s battery, but there are things you can do to reduce its drain.
apple watchGo to Settings > Display & Brightness and you can lower the brightness, turn off Always-on display, turn off Wrist Raise to Wake, and choose a shorter wake duration.
You can also save some battery life by choosing a watch face with a black background and minimal complexity or animations. You can long-press on the current watch face to cycle through the options, edit them, and select them, but it’s easier to browse options in the Watch app on the Watch Face Gallery tab on your iPhone.Google Wear OS watchesesGo to Settings > Display, and you can change Brightness, toggle Always-on screen and Sunlight Boost off, and choose a shorter Screen timeout. You can also go to Settings > Gestures to toggle Tilt-to-wake off.
You can also save some battery life by choosing a watch face with a black background and minimal complications or animations. You can long press on your current watch face to swipe through options, edit them, and select them. You can browse watch faces in the Wear OS app on your phone.Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS Models)Swipe down from the top and tap the Brightness icon to reduce brightness. Go to Settings > Display to switch Always On Display off and reduce Screen timeout.Changing to a simple watch face with a dark background can also save some Samsung Galaxy Watch battery life.
Long press on your current watch face and swipe or rotate the bezel to browse options. It might be easier to open the Galaxy Wearable app on your phone and browse on the Watch faces tab.Reduce NotificationsAPPLE VIA SIMON HILLA steady stream of notifications will drain your smartwatch battery, so it’s worth culling any that you don’t feel you need. Here’s how.Apple WatchOpen the Watch app on your connected iPhone and select Notifications on the My Watch tab. You can tweak some settings at the top. Scroll down to find individual apps and decide what, if any, notifications you want them to send to your Apple Watch. Google Wear OS Watches
Open the Wear OS app, go to Settings > Notifications, and you can choose to Block app notifications. You might find more options in your watch manufacturer’s companion app (if there is a separate one).Samsung Galaxy Watch (Wear OS Models)Open the Galaxy Wearable app, tap Watch settings, and then tap Notifications, and you can decide what notifications you want to receive.Cut Connectivity
Apple Watch displaying the quick settings menu with WiFi highlighted and text instructions on how to turn it on or off
PHOTOGRAPH: APPLEYou can always use Airplane mode to quickly cut all connectivity, but you can also cut things individually. Most Apple smartwatches battery connect to smartphones using Bluetooth LE (Low Energy), which is the least power-hungry option.Apple WatchSwipe up from the bottom of the screen, and you can tap to turn off Wi-Fi and Mobile Data. You can also go to Settings to turn Bluetooth off.
Google Wear OS WatchesGo to Settings > Connectivity, and you can turn Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth off.Samsung Galaxy WatchGo to Settings > Connections, and you can turn Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth off.Turn Off VoiceIf you don’t use voice commands with your smartwatch, you can save some smartwatch battery life by telling it not to listen for voice assistant wake words. Here’s how.Apple WatchGo to Settings > Siri and toggle off Listen for “Hey Siri” and Raise to Speak.Google Wear OS Watches or Samsung Galaxy WatchesGo to Settings > Google > Assistant and turn off “Hey Google.”Samsung Galaxy WatchOpen Bixby, go to Settings and turn Voice wake-up off.
Reduce Sounds and VibrationsSmartwatches make various sounds and vibrations, and they are often superfluous. Turn them off or reduce the volume, and you can save a little Smartwatches battery life.