Apple Watch battery draining fast? How to extend its battery life

Your Apple Watch® can count your steps, find a great new restaurant, and even remind you when you've been sitting too long. Cool, right? When your device runs out of juice in the middle of your workout? Not so cool. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to increase your Apple Watch battery life.

At Asurion, we don't just protect your tech, we fix it, and teach you how to get the most out of your devices—whether you want to know how to speed up your phone or how long your laptop will last.

Here are our top Apple Watch battery-saving tips.

Check how long your battery is lasting

How long does an Apple Watch battery last? The answer may be more complicated than you think. It should run for up to 18 hours on one charge. But if you don't take care of your device—and let it sit in the hot sun, for instance—it won't last as long.

To view your battery usage and charging history to help you get a sense of how your watch is really functioning, just: Open Settings and go to Battery. You'll see your current charge level along with a detailed charging graph.

Update your Apple Watch

To help prevent battery drain on your Apple Watch and to get the latest bug fixes and security patches, always update your device to the latest version of watchOS®.

• To check for an update, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone® and go to My Watch > General > Software Update.
• If an update is available, connect your iPhone® to Wi-Fi, plug the charger into your Apple Watch (make sure it's charged to at least 50%), and update your device.

Reduce your wake screen time

Whenever you raise your wrist or tap the device to see the screen, your watch wakes up. This takes juice. You can conserve your battery by reducing wake time—try setting it to 15 seconds.

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. In the My Watch tab, tap Display & Brightness.
3. Tap Wake Duration, then Wake for 15 Seconds.

Turn off Wake on Wrist Raise

To stretch out your battery power even further, turn off the Wake on Wrist Raise feature. Then your watch will only turn on the screen when you tap it or turn the circular Digital Crown.

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. In the My Watch tab, tap Display & Brightness.
3. Slide the switch next to Wake on Wrist Raise to off.

Turn off some push notifications

Still wondering, “Why's my Apple Watch dying so fast?" Try turning off notifications for apps you don't use very often. Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. In the My Watch tab, tap Notifications.
3. Turn off notifications for selected apps.

Delete apps you don't use

Getting rid of apps you don't use can free up space and extend the battery life of your watch. Here's how to delete them:

1. On your Apple Watch, press the Digital Crown to see all your apps on the Home screen.
2. Touch and hold any app until the View Options screen appears.
3. Tap Edit Apps.
4. Tap the Delete button on the app you want to remove, then tap Delete App to confirm.
5. Press the Digital Crown.

Turn off Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh lets your favorite apps on your iPhone and Apple Watch talk to each other. For example, when music is playing on your iPhone, you can also control it from your wrist. This is a great feature, but it can also run down your battery. Try turning it off for apps you don't use:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. In the My Watch tab, tap General.
3. Tap Background App Refresh.
4. Tap the switch to turn off Background App Refresh, or, tap the switch next to a specific app to turn it off.

Turn on Reduce Motion

When you open or close apps on your Apple Watch, you often see bursts of animation and graphics. That's cool, but it also uses a lot of power. To boost your battery life, try turning on the Reduce Motion feature. Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. In the My Watch tab, tap Accessibility.
3. Tap Reduce Motion, and slide the switch to turn it on.

Turn off Siri

Siri®, the Apple voice recognition software, gives you directions, answers trivia questions, and helps you manage your calendar—all you need to do is talk to your device. Siri works well with your Apple Watch, but if you can live without this feature, you'll save battery life. Here's how to turn off Siri:

1. Open the Watch App on your iPhone.
2. In My Watch, tap Siri.
3. Under Ask Siri, tap the switch to turn off Listen for Hey Siri.

Turn off the heart rate sensor

Typically, you'll want your Apple Watch to monitor your heart rate when you work out to give you an accurate calorie count. But to preserve your battery, you can turn off the heart rate sensor during your next walk or run. Here's how:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Go to My Watch > Workout, then turn on Power Saving Mode.

Use a Bluetooth chest strap

Another way to extend the battery life of your Apple Watch is to use a Bluetooth® chest strap—this is a good idea for long workouts—instead of the built-in, battery-draining heart rate sensor.

To pair a Bluetooth chest strap with your watch:

1. Make sure the strap is in pairing mode.
2. On your Apple Watch, open Settings.
3. Select Bluetooth, then choose from the list of Health Devices.

Turn on Power Reserve Mode

Power Reserve Mode helps conserve your Apple Watch battery by turning off everything your watch does except show you the time. Here's how to turn it on:

1. Swipe up on the watch face to open Control Center on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap battery percentage.
3. Drag the Power Reserve slider, then tap Proceed.

Re-pair your Apple Watch and iPhone

If you've tried all these fixes and your battery is still draining too fast, try unpairing, then re-connecting your watch and iPhone. This will give your devices a fresh start to work together.

Check out our step-by-step guide for how to unpair and connect your Apple Watch to an iPhone.