The battery life of a smartwatch is one of the most important aspects to consider when buying one. You don’t want to be stuck with an unusable device if it dies before you can reach a charger.
There are several things you can do to extend the life of your smartwatch and save yourself from being inconvenienced by a dead battery. Here are some tips:
1. Turn off the always-on display
The always-on display feature means that your smartwatch’s screen remains lit up at all times, even when it is not in use. This can eat up your battery quickly, so it’s best to turn this setting off as soon as possible. Most smartwatches have an option that allows you to switch off the always-on display, but you may need to go into the settings menu and find it there instead.
2. Don’t use GPS or Wi-Fi when not needed.
Some apps may require GPS or Wi-Fi access to work properly, but most don’t need them at all times. So if you’re not using an app that requires these features, turn them off so they don’t drain your smartwatch’s battery unnecessarily.
3. Use a dark watch face or wallpaper
When you’re not using your smartwatch, switch to a dark display. A black background will automatically turn off the backlight, which is the biggest drain on your battery. On the Apple Watch, you can change your wallpaper by going to Settings > General > Wake Screen. For Android Wear watches, go to Settings > Display > Screen Mode and select “Always Off.”
4. Turn off automatic brightness
The automatic brightness feature is also a big drain on your battery life because it’s constantly trying to adjust the screen based on ambient light levels. If you turn off this feature, your watch will always be at full brightness until you manually adjust it yourself. On Android Wear watches, go to Settings > Display > Brightness Level and choose “Manual.” On Apple Watches, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap Auto Brightness Off/On as needed.
5. Turn off automatic updates and app refresh
A lot of smartwatches automatically update apps and software when they’re connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. This is convenient because it means that you don’t have to worry about manually updating them yourself. However, the downside is that these updates can take up a lot of battery power. If you want to save some juice, go into your device’s settings and turn off automatic updates for all apps except for those that are essential (like fitness apps).
6. Turn off the raise-to-wake feature
This feature makes it so that when you raise your wrist, the display will automatically turn on. It’s a nice convenience when you’re wearing it, but it definitely drains the battery. If you’re not using this feature at all, go into Settings > General > Activate on Wrist Raise and change it to OFF.
7. Turn off fitness tracking
If you’re using a fitness tracker on your smartwatch, turn it off when not in use. Fitness trackers take up a lot of battery power, so if you want to extend the life of your watch’s battery, minimize how often it’s running. You can do this by turning off fitness tracking when not in use or by setting up rules that disable certain features at certain times or locations. This will allow you to keep using other features while still limiting battery drain.
8. Turn off notification vibrations
Smartwatches are great for getting notifications on your wrist, but these vibrations can be very power hungry. If you leave your smartwatch on all day, it could be one of the biggest drains on your phone’s battery.To turn off these vibrations, go into the Settings app and tap Notifications & Actions. From there, tap “Vibrate when receiving alerts” to disable it. Now when you receive a notification on your wrist, it will only light up the screen — no need to vibrate every single time.
9. Stop Unnecessary Notifications
Notifications are a great way to stay up-to-date and in the know, but they can also be a big battery drain. If you’re looking to save some juice, then it’s time to turn off notifications on your smartwatch.
For Android users, go into the Wear OS app, tap Settings and then select Notifications. From here you can disable various apps from sending notifications to your watch.
For Apple Watch users, head into the Watch app on your iPhone and select Notifications. You’ll then be able to choose which apps will send alerts to your watch and which won’t.
10. Turn On Power Saving Mode
Most smartwatches have a “Power Saving Mode” option that reduces performance and disables some features, like notifications and GPS tracking. If you’re going out for a run or doing some other activity where being connected to your phone isn’t necessary, turning on this feature will help save power for when you really need it later on.
11. Use Theater Mode
If you’re not using your smartwatch for long periods of time, you can turn it into a dumb watch by enabling Theater Mode. This mode disables all functions except for the clock, so it won’t notify you of new messages or do anything else until you switch it back on again. To enable Theater Mode, go to Settings > Theater Mode on your watch and switch it on. If you want to disable Theater Mode later, just toggle off the feature in your settings menu.
12. Turn Off Voice Assistants
Many smartwatches come with voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant built in. These can be handy for asking the time or playing music, but they also use up a lot of power. If you’re not using them, turn them off by pressing down on the crown until it vibrates twice and then select “Turn Off Voice Assistants” from the menu that appears.
Why is my smartwatch battery draining so fast?
A lot of users experience the same problem with their smartwatch: the battery drains too fast. While this is a common issue, it can be fixed by following some simple steps.
The first thing to do is to check for any installed apps on your watch that might use up too much energy. If you have an older version of Android Wear, you will find an option called “App Standby” in the settings menu. This feature makes sure that only necessary apps are allowed to run on a regular basis. Make sure that all apps are in this list and that they are checked as active.
Another thing to look at is your watch’s brightness level. Brightness can drain your battery faster than anything else so make sure you set it at a reasonable level before going to sleep or leaving the house for work or school. You should also consider turning off auto-brightness if it doesn’t work correctly with your device and just manually adjust brightness according to your surroundings instead.
How long does a smartwatch battery last?
Smartwatches are great for staying connected and keeping up with the latest social media trends. However, they also require charging. Since you wear your smartwatch on a daily basis, it’s important to understand how long a smartwatch battery lasts.
The lifespan of a smartwatch battery depends on the model, but most last between one and two days between charges. Some can even go two weeks without needing to be recharged if you don’t use them too often.
Battery life varies from model to model, but it’s typically between 24 and 48 hours for most smartwatches with cellular connectivity. Those without cellular connectivity may last an average of four days or longer on a single charge.
