One of the novelties of watchOS 9, which is now available to everyone, is the Apple Watch low power mode. Unlike the previous system, this new mode allows you to extend the clock’s battery without literally sacrificing all its functions. Until now, if you activated the mode to save battery, the only thing you had available was to check the time, and it also forced you to restart the Apple Watch to remove it.
However, Apple has included a new, more efficient and practical system for those times when the battery is essential. It’s not that intrusive, and it actually allows the Apple Watch to be almost fully functional.. Although some features are disabled, most are still available.
Apple has published a document explaining what features are available with the new Apple Watch battery saver. On the one hand, by activating this mode you can make the battery of the watch last up to 36 hours on a single charge, as long as the optimal conditions are met. In the case of the Ultra, those hours go up to 60 hours.
What is lost when activating the low power mode of the Apple Watch
Whenever you turn Low Power Mode on, watchOS automatically turns off these features:
- Screen always active (if you have it configured).
- Heart rate notifications for irregular rhythm, high heart rate and low heart rate.
- Heart rate measurements in the background.
- Blood oxygen measurements background.
- Reminders to start a workout.
Additionally, Low Power Mode also disables the following features when your iPhone is not nearby:
- Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
- Incoming phone calls and notifications.
How to turn on low power mode on your Apple Watch
Every time you activate low power mode, an information screen appears. You can activate it punctually or for a longer time: Apple allows you to choose between 1 day, 2 days or 3 days. Activating the new low consumption mode is very simple, and it is done directly from the clock:
- Touch and hold the bottom of your Apple Watch screen. Wait for Control Center to appear, then swipe up.
- Tap the battery percentage button.
- Turn on low power mode.
However, you can also activate the low consumption mode from the configuration options:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Scroll down, and look for Battery.
- Turn on low power mode
Although it can be activated, as we say, manually, when the battery of the Apple Watch drops to 10%, an alert will appear asking if you want to activate the low consumption mode. And unlike the previous system to save battery, low power mode automatically turns off when battery is 80% chargedunless you decide to have it activated for several days.