Extend the battery life on Apple Watch

You can maximize battery life by turning on Low Power Mode or preventing apps from refreshing in the background.

Turn on Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode turns off certain features, such as Always On Display, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements, and heart rate notifications. Other notifications may be delayed, emergency alerts may not arrive, and certain cellular and Wi-Fi connections are limited. Cellular is turned off until you require it—when you stream music or send a message, for example.

For more information about the effects of Low Power Mode, see the Apple Support article Use Low Power Mode on your Apple Watch.

When the battery level drops to 10 percent or lower, your Apple Watch asks if you want to turn on Low Power Mode. To turn it on manually, do the following:

Press the side button to open Control Center.
Tap the battery percentage, tap Low Power Mode.
Tap Turn On or Turn On For, then choose a duration.

Return to the normal power mode

Press the side button to open Control Center.
Tap the battery percentage, then turn off Low Power Mode.

Prevent apps from refreshing in the background

When you switch to a new app, the app you were using doesn’t remain open or take up system resources, but it may still “refresh”—check for updates and new content—in the background.

Refreshing apps in the background can use power. To maximize battery life, you can turn this option off.

Go to the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
Tap General, then tap Background App Refresh.
Turn off Background App Refresh to prevent all apps from refreshing. Or scroll down, then turn off refresh for individual apps.

Note: Apps with complications on the current watch face continue to refresh, even when their background app refresh setting is off.

Helpful?

Apple Watch User Guide

Extend the battery life on Apple Watch

Turn on Low Power Mode

Return to the normal power mode

Prevent apps from refreshing in the background