With the release of watchOS 9, Apple introduces a long-requested feature for the Apple Watch: Low Power Mode! This mode helps your watch’s battery last longer before you need to charge it. The downside is that some features might not work, are limited, or take longer.

Low Power mode also replaces the older and restrictive Power Reserve Mode, so you won’t see both low power and power reserve modes on your Apple Watch.

When you turn Low Power Mode on, you should finally be able to get all-day use out of your Apple Watch!

Apple claims that an Apple Watch Series 8 can get up to 36 hours of battery life per charge when using low power mode (older models see a boost, too), and for the Apple Watch Ultra, up to 60 hours of battery life per charge! Wow!

If you use Low Power Mode on your iPhone or iPad to save battery life on it, it’s very similar on the watch.

So let’s dive into all the details for this new watchOS 9+ feature.

First off, since Apple introduced this feature in watchOS 9, it’s only available for Apple Series 4 and above, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra.

Low Power Mode is unavailable on watches that run watchOS 8 and below, including the Series 3. For these watches, you can continue to use Power Reserve Mode.

Turn on Low Power Mode by swiping up to Control Center, tapping on the battery percentage, or going to Settings > Battery. It’s that easy!

You then have three options: Turn On, Turn On For…, and Dismiss.

At this time, there’s no way to set a manual timer or set it for less than one day, like for an hour or to or when you leave a specific location.

Low Power Mode automatically switches off whenever you charge your watch to 80% or more.

You can also turn it off manually via Control Center and Settings > Battery by toggling off Low Power Mode!

Low Power Mode extends your watch’s battery life by turning off certain features like the always-on display. It also limits a few of your watch’s background sensor readings and how often your watch connects to cellular and WiFi networks. 

When we say background readings, that means you can still take measurements on-demand for things like blood oxygen and heart rate. However, your watch does not keep these features on all the time, only when you manually tap the app to take a measurement.

These features include Background heart rate measurements, Workout Detection, Heart Rate Notifications, Irregular Rhythm Notifications, and Blood oxygen measurements. However, features like fall detection and activity tracking work as usual.

Since Low Power Mode affects network connections, your Apple Watch attempts to retrieve notifications once an hour rather than continuously when it’s not in Bluetooth range of your paired iPhone. 

That means you still get notifications, including any push notifications from third-party apps, on your Apple Watch, and they arrive in real-time when you are in the range of your iPhone.

However, if you aren’t in range of your phone, they may be delayed on the watch since it is not continuously connecting to WiFi and cellular.

So don’t turn on low power if you aren’t in range of your paired iPhone, and you need to see your notifications without any delay!

Once you turn on low power mode for your Apple Watch, you see a couple of indicators that this mode is active.

You don’t need to wait until your watch’s battery is critically low to turn on low power mode. In fact, it’s better to anticipate when you might need it.

If you know that you have a long day ahead without access or an opportunity to charge your watch, turning on low power is a good proactive idea. 

Plus, you can always turn it off temporarily for times when you want access to all the features and then turn it on again once you don’t need all that access.

For example, toggle low power mode on when you are working at your desk, watching a tv show or movie, or spending time on other jobs and activities where you don’t need constant communication. 

Then, if you hit the gym or go out for a run, toggle low power off, so you get full access to the sensors as well as workout detection.

I intend to use low power mode on the watch just like I do on my iPhone–to proactively extend the battery life when needed!

There is a huge difference between Low Power and Power Reserve Modes!

Power Reserve only allows you to see the current time in a stripped-down watch face on your Apple Watch and nothing else. When your watch is in Power Reserve, it cannot communicate with your iPhone or any network (cellular or WiFi), and you cannot interact with the watch or access any of its apps and features. 

Low Power lets you see your usual watch face, and you can use most of the apps and features as normal, with the exception of turning off always on display and limiting a few health features and their corresponding sensors (background heart rate, blood oxygen, heart health notifications.) It’s a great way to extend your battery AND still use the watch!

I am grateful that Apple finally offers a low-power mode for Apple Watch. For me, the power reserve mode was not very useful since it does not allow any interaction with the watch at all!

With this mode, I can stretch out the battery without sacrificing all the functions and features I regularly use on my Apple Watch! 

I think low power is a nice addition and makes sense since it’s already available on iPhone and iPad.

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