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One of the biggest criticisms of the Apple Watch from the start has been its battery life. Here’s how to use Low Power Mode which can double your battery life.
“Low Power Mode retains many core Apple Watch features,” said Deidre Caldbeck, Apple Watch product marketing manager, at the September 2022 Apple event. “Delivering maximum battery savings with the less impact on the user experience.”
Although not in the original betas of watchOS 9, Apple surprised users by announcing the feature at their Apple “Far Out” event in September 2022.
Here’s the background of Low Power Mode, which devices support it with watchOS 9, and how to turn it on — as well as what it turns off — to maximize your watch’s battery life.
What does low power mode do on watchOS
Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch works the same as Low Power Mode on the iPhone. The feature disables background features that are not important to you at this time.
Although it disables features that may be running in the background and using power, Apple has ensured that features that are still related to the primary use of the Apple Watch are still enabled and functional .
The main features that will be disabled when activating Low Power Mode would be: always-on display, automatic workout detection, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements, Irregular heart rate and rhythm, limiting WiFi connections and incoming notifications will be delayed as well.
Complications will update less frequently, making a phone call may take longer, some animations and scrolling may appear less smooth, and Siri may also take longer to press requests.
While the Apple Watch can use your iPhone for Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, when you’re away from your phone, the Apple Watch can enable connectivity even in Low Power Mode so you can do the things you want to do. This can lead to high battery consumption.
Disabling these features while enabling Low Power Mode will extend the Apple Watch battery for up to 36 hours of use from a full charge.
Low Power Mode is available on Series 4 and later models, they just need to be running watchOS 9.
How to enable low power mode
The low power mode activation is located in a very convent area and is very easy to activate and deactivate. Here’s how to turn on Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch.
- Swipe up on your Apple Watch to access Control center
- Press on Battery percentage
- Scroll down under the battery percentage information until you see the “Low power mode” to toggle
- Tap the to change at to light up Low power mode
- A message will appear indicating which features will be temporarily disabled to get a longer battery life. Scroll down and tap “To light up”.
- You can also select how long for which you want to enable low power mode. You can choose between 1 day, 2 days or 3 days.
Low Power Mode can also be used during a workout. Here’s how to enable it automatically.
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch
- Scroll down down until you see Coaching
- To light up Low Power Mode (this should be the first option)
As long as it’s on, your metrics – such as heart rate and pace – will still be measured.
Disabling Low Power Mode can be done at any time. To do this, you just have to press the switch as you did to turn it on.
The History of Low Power Mode
Low Power Mode has been included in the software of every device so far. The feature promises longer battery life by disabling background functions that may not be as important to you in times when you need to conserve as much battery as possible.
First introduced on the iPhone, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, promised that enabling the feature would extend battery life “by an additional 3 hours”. Low Power Mode was first introduced in iOS 9 in 2015.
Although it took a few years later, the iPad and Mac also incorporated the feature into their operating systems.
The iPad received Low Power Mode in iPadOS 14 – which was released in Fall 2020 – and can be enabled the same way you would enable the feature in iOS – through the Settings app.
The Mac got Low Power Mode in macOS Monterey – which was released in Fall 2021 – and can be enabled in the Battery section of System Preferences.
Low Power Mode can be enabled manually, through preset automations, or by asking Siri to enable the feature for you.
Keep saving
The biggest criticism the Apple Watch has received from the start has been its battery life. While Apple advertises all-day battery life on the Apple Watch, it depends on what you do with it to see if it holds up.
Low Power Mode pushes the battery inside the Apple Watch to last longer by disabling features that may not need to be used at the moment. Meanwhile, Apple still retains security features – like fall detection – even when Low Power Mode is enabled. It’s nice to see that the same basic experience is always enabled whether the feature is on or off.
Anyone with a compatible device can download watchOS 9 now for free to access Low Power Mode.