Some days away from the home or office can seem like a constant battle against battery life: your phone is dying, your laptop is dying, and your smartwatch is dying. Despite all of the advances we’ve seen in tech in recent years, battery life doesn’t seem to be getting much beyond the standard 24 hours of use for a lot of devices.
Limited by the physical restrictions of their hardware, manufacturers are putting battery-saving tweaks into software instead, like the Low Power Mode you’ll find on the Apple Watch and the iPhone. These settings can actually make a difference, and they’re available on Wear OS, too.
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In Victoria Song’s Pixel Watch 2 review last year, she mentioned being impressed by the improved battery life compared to the original — but today, that 24-hour ceiling is still in place. With my own Pixel Watch 2, I’m usually anxious about running out of juice before the end of the day if I didn’t charge it overnight — though I have found a few ways to eke out extra battery life. I’llget into those below.
These steps apply to the Pixel Watch 2 with the latest Wear OS 4.0 installed. If you’re using a different Wear OS watch (like the OnePlus Watch 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6) these tricks should work the same way. You might find that the screens and menus you see vary in places because of the way different companies have adapted Wear OS.
Start with the screen
A lot of smartwatch battery drain is due to the screen, so it helps to have the display on as little as possible. Start by going to the Wear OS Watch app on your phone and tapping Watch preferences > Display and gestures to make changes.
- Reduce the screen timeout delay so the display turns off earlier after you’ve stopped interacting with it.
- Turn off the always-on screen option so the display isn’t using battery life when you’re not looking at it.
- Turn off the tilt-to-wake option — this can be handy for checking the screen, but it can also be activated accidentally, which uses battery power.
With the always-on screen and tilt-to-wake options turned off, you’ll need to tap on the screen to see the time or anything else. It’s a compromise, but just about every battery-saving measure is, one way or another.
You can also adjust the brightness of the screen by swiping down on the watchface and tapping the brightness icon (the sun symbol). There’s also an Adaptive Brightness option here, which adjusts the brightness for you, depending on the ambient lighting — this can save you battery life, but not as much as having the display dimmed permanently.
Choose a new watchface
Speaking of the screen, your watchface can make a real difference to battery life. It dictates how many pixels are illuminated, after all. Switching to a less busy, more minimal look is something you can try. Not only can you look for watchfaces with as little on screen as possible but you can also reduce the number of complications on each one.
- Tap Watch faces inside the Watch app on your phone.
- Swipe left and right to browse the watchfaces already set up. If you choose one of these, tap Edit to modify it (perhaps with fewer on-screen elements) or Use on watch to apply it to your wearable.
- Choose Add new to pick another watchface from the gallery. When one is selected, you can edit its colors and complications before tapping Add to apply it to your watch.
Tone down notifications
Having your watch buzzing and beeping all day can be a drain on battery life, so if you can do without some of these notifications — or at least have them be less audible — you can get extra time between charges.
- From the Watch app on your phone, tap Notifications.
- Tap See all apps from last seven days, then change the Most recent drop-down menu entry to All apps.
- Turn off the toggle switch for the phone apps you don’t want to hear from on your watch.
There are more features on your watch that you canedit. Swipe down on the main watchface, then tap the gear icon to get to Settings.
- Tap Apps & notifications from Settings to change which apps installed on your actual watch can send notifications.
- Under Sound and Vibration in Settings, you can control notification, call, and alarm volume and vibration levels. Dial these down to save battery life.
Watch settings
If you head into the Settings page on your watch by swiping down from the top of the watchface and tapping the gear icon, you can disable a few more features to reclaim some battery life. There are trade-offs in each case, which you might (or might not)be willing to put up with. However, they could come in handy if you’re running low on battery.
- Tap Location from Settings, then turn off Use location. This disables the GPS, so your watch won’t know where it is (for navigation, for example) if it’s not connected to your phone.
- Tap Connectivity from Settings, then Wi-Fi, then turn off Wi-Fi. With this off, your watch won’t be able to connect to Wi-Fi directly — everything will have to come through your phone.
- If you’re using an LTE watch, tap Connectivity, Mobile, and Mobile again, then Off. Your watch will no longer be able to get online via cellular networks.
- Tap Google from Settings, then Assistant, and disable “Hey Google.” You won’t be able to wake up Google Assistant with your voice with this turned off, though you can still press and hold the side button.
You might need a bit of trial and error to work out which features give you the biggest boosts in battery life and which features you can live without if it means less recharging — but you should find at least some of them helpful.
FAQs
To save battery, you can keep the screen dark for longer periods of time. A lot of smartwatch battery drain is due to the screen, so it helps to have the display on as little as possible. Start by going to the Wear OS Watch app on your phone and tapping Watch preferences > Display and gestures to make changes.
How do I improve battery life on wear OS? ›
To save battery, you can keep the screen dark for longer periods of time. A lot of smartwatch battery drain is due to the screen, so it helps to have the display on as little as possible. Start by going to the Wear OS Watch app on your phone and tapping Watch preferences > Display and gestures to make changes.
How can I improve the battery life of my smartwatch? ›
Lowering the screen brightness will drastically improve the battery life of your smartwatch. If your smartwatch has an auto-brightness mode, leaving it on may actually save you more battery by toning it down when not needed. 3) Disable GPS: Consider turning off the GPS on your watch if and when you don't need it.
How do I extend the battery life on my Fossil smartwatch? ›
To improve battery life, you can:
- Uninstall apps that are consuming too much battery or RAM and not being used.
- Turn off Bluetooth® when not in use. ...
- Adjust brightness to the lowest setting or use Automatic brightness.
- Turn off GPS when not in use. ...
- Turn off Wi-Fi when not in use. ...
- Turn off vibrate mode if not used.
The screen is the biggest drain on your smartwatch battery, but there are a few things you can do to reduce how much power it uses. Go to Settings > Display & Brightness, and you can reduce the brightness, turn Always On display off, toggle Wake on Wrist Raise off, and choose a shorter Wake Duration.
Why is my Google watch battery draining so fast? ›
The battery of your watch may be draining fast due to:
1. This may occur if the number of screen wake-up times increases when you raise your wrist in special scenarios. 2. The power consumption of your watch may increase when you enable Auto heart rate monitoring.
What is the battery saver on Wear OS? ›
Set Battery Saver to turn on automatically
Your watch can automatically turn on Battery Saver when your battery level is at 10% or less. If your screen is dim, tap it to wake up the watch. From the top of your watch's screen, swipe down.
What is longest battery life on a smart watch? ›
In addition, the device has been built to satisfy MIL-STD-810H standards, so it beats out even the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 2. OnePlus states the watch will last for 100 hours in Smart Mode, 48 hours with heavy use, and up to 12 days in power-saver mode.
What is the lifespan of a smart watch battery? ›
Smartwatch batteries are generally smaller and have a shorter lifespan compared to those in smartphones, but they can still last for several days or even weeks depending on the model and usage. One of the main factors that can affect the durability of a smartwatch is the level of wear and tear it experiences.
What is the maximum life of a smart watch? ›
You may well get two to five years of use out of a smartwatch, or even more, depending on the manufacturer and model. But, ultimately, longevity needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Put your smartwatch into sleep mode when not in use. The screen will turn itself off after a while when not in use, but you can save even more battery if you put your smartwatch into sleep mode immediately when you're ready to stop using it.
Will Fossil change my watch battery for free? ›
4. TWELVE MONTH GOODWILL BATTERY GUARANTEE If your watch needs a battery replacement within 12 months of your purchase, we will replace it free of charge! 5. FOUR WEEK SERVICE PROMISE Many of our watch components are imported, and this can take time.
Why is my watch battery not lasting? ›
Your watch might be draining faster due to features like Background App Refresh or Always On being enabled. Enabling Low Power Mode during workouts or all the time can prolong your battery life.
Should you charge your smartwatch to 100? ›
To properly store your smartwatch, it's important to fully charge it and then turn it off before putting it away. This will help preserve the battery and ensure it's ready to go when you're ready to use it again.
Why is my battery draining so fast without using it? ›
Keeping your screen brightness at a high level constantly will quickly deplete your battery. Many apps consume power even when you're not actively using them. They do this by still running and updating in the background. Social media apps, mail syncing, location services and certain games are prime culprits.
Does smartwatch Bluetooth drain battery? ›
Smartwatches do not affect phone battery life almost at all. only thing using phones battery when having a smartwatch connected to a phone is the Bluetooth.
How can I make my Samsung watch battery last longer? ›
Check 2. Activate the Power saving mode
- Turn off Always On Display.
- Turn off Wi-Fi.
- Limit CPU speed.
- Decrease brightness by 10%.
- Limit background network usage.
- Limit background location.
- Limit background syncing.
- Reduce screen timeout to 15 seconds.
One of the main reasons for battery drain is apps running in the background. When you use an app, it continues to run in the background even after you have closed it. This can significantly drain your battery life. To fix this, go to your device's ⚙︎ Settings > Battery > check which apps are using the most battery.
How can I improve my Galaxy Watch 5 battery life? ›
Uninstall apps that are consuming too much battery or RAM and not being used. Turn Bluetooth® off when not in use. If off, certain apps or services may not work properly. Adjust brightness to the lowest setting or use Auto low brightness.
How do I recondition my Android battery? ›
Recalibrating the battery on Android is very simple, just follow these steps:
- Charge the device to 100% and leave it charging for another one or two hours, without using it.
- Disconnect the charger and use the smartphone normally, until it reaches 0% and turns off.
- Charge it again to 100%
