In 2022, the company introduced a new Low Power Mode when it launched Urtla, and now it has extended the time between Apple Watch charges with watchOS 9 and later.
Previously, the Apple Watch had Power Reserve mode, which turns off any functions except your ability to tell the time and turns your smartwatch into a regular watch so you can connect it to a charger.
This mode is different, it's very similar to the iPhone's low power mode, and when enabled you'll still be able to use your Apple Watch, but some power-hungry features will be turned off or restricted to conserve battery, Theverge reports.
On the Apple Watch, Low Power Mode disables the always-on display and limits sensor readings like background heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, and (be aware that it also disables irregular heartbeat notifications as well as high and low heart rate notifications the heart.)
Low Power Mode also limits LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity. Although you will still be able to send messages or make calls from your watch, it will only bring notifications once every hour. As a result, you may miss timely text messages and emergency alerts.
However, if you're in the middle of a workout, don't worry — your heart rate and GPS won't be affected. There is also another option that reduces heart rate and GPS sampling but is not currently available.
This mode is a great option if you have an old Apple Watch but aren't looking to upgrade (since battery life is often the reason people buy new watches). However, your mileage may vary, and battery life depends heavily on individual use. The health of your watch's battery is also a factor, you can't push the low power mode too much unless the battery has deteriorated significantly over the years.
As with the iPhone version, you'll automatically be prompted to turn on Low Power Mode once your battery power reaches 10%, but some people, especially those using Urtlas, may want to be more intentional about how they use this feature, for example if they share In Ironman and they need at least 12 hours or so of GPS and activity tracking. On the Urtla and Urtla 2, Apple says Low Power Mode can extend battery life by up to 60 hours.
First things first again, to use Low Power Mode, you'll need watchOS 9 or later (currently, we're using watchOS 10, but it will still work on watchOS 9 if you don't like how the latest version updated your Apple Watch interface.) This also means you'll need at least a Series 4, and if you have an older watch and think this feature is worthwhile, you may want to consider upgrading.
However, assuming your Apple Watch has compatible software, perhaps the quickest way is through your watch's Control Center.
• If you're still using watchOS 9, swipe up to access it. In watchOS 10 you'll need to press the Side button, then find and tap the Battery percentage box.
• You should see a reading of how much battery you have left, tap the Low Power Mode toggle to turn it on. You'll then see an explanation of which features are turned off in this mode, which will appear every time you turn it on.
• From there, you can tap On or On for the former enables the mode for an indefinite period, and the latter will give you the option to turn it on temporarily for one, two, or three days.