Battery life by watch face and complication

[thatsmyfish]

After a few days my battery life has stabilized and I am looking to push back in the other direction. I have only used the calendar complication but today added battery, weather and activity. With 50 minutes of useage and 2 hours and 30 of standby I am already at 87%. (The 50 also seems high for this time of day - possibly the increased complication use?)

Are activity and battery complications less battery hogs as they don't tap into location services like weather?

Bottom line - if it dents my battery, I can pull the complications and use glances. But for convenience and given so many others seem to use them I wanted to ask.

 

[Dormammu]

After a few days my battery life has stabilized and I am looking to push back in the other direction. I have only used the calendar complication but today added battery, weather and activity. With 50 minutes of useage and 2 hours and 30 of standby I am already at 87%. (The 50 also seems high for this time of day - possibly the increased complication use?)

Are activity and battery complications less battery hogs as they don't tap into location services like weather?

Bottom line - if it dents my battery, I can pull the complications and use glances. But for convenience and given so many others seem to use them I wanted to ask.

I'm glad someone else is wondering the same thing.
I personally don't use any complications except for the date. Other than the date and time, there isn't anything I need to know every single time I look at my watch.
I did it partially to save battery (currently using the modular face), but I also enjoy the clean uncluttered look. And I didn't want to crowd my watch face just for the sake of displaying complications I don't have much interest in.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Yesterday I had everything fired up and walked into a store and glanced at the watch to see what the temperature was and the complication was helpful as I had my hands in my pockets, but that seems to be the hoggiest one!

 

[Rok73]

Personally, I tend to not overthink things.

Meaning: I use complications a lot and don't care too much about how many % one or the other complication/glance will use.

The battery on my 38mm has been awesome so far nevertheless. The lowest battery percentage after wearing it for 18 hours starting from 100% and using it a lot so far was 52%.

 

[thatsmyfish]

That hasn't been the case for me. On Day 1 it was dead after 13 hours, day two it made it 20, day 3 made it 18 hours at 50%, and last evening after 16 hours it was in single digits. It varies by activity. On work days I type and suspect the wrist movements trigger the screen. I pulled it off the charger exactly three hours ago and with complications on all morning (just turned off) I am at 86%.

I try to take it easy because I want 16 hours of normal use per day, but I don't find I can use it a lot and still have 50% left daily.

 

[ericgtr12]

I use the modular face with 4 complications, moon phase, temp, date & battery life. With basic use for notifications throughout the day, I have yet to see the battery dip below 50% before I recharge at bedtime. I have the 42 MM SS.

 

[thatsmyfish]

I wonder how much of it is variance between watches and by activity. If I am around the house I find my watch lasts much longer. At work, grabbing paperwork, typing, picking up the phone, moving around, etc.... I do wonder how much I am triggering the screen.

 

[BrettDS]

My guess would be that the watchface and complication selection don't have a significant impact on battery life. They're both only active when the screen is on and you're looking at the time, which is a pretty small percent of the day.

If we assume that some watchfaces and complications combinations use 20% more battery than others (And I'd be surprised if the number is really that high) and assume that the watchface is only active for 10% of time you're using the watch (and I think that's a pretty high estimate too. If you're using the watch for 18 hours, then that's 1.8 hours of just staring at the watch face), but even with those high numbers it would just be 2% difference over the whole day.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

You're only limited to so many complications (maximum of 5) so it's not like you can have as many as you want to the point that it severely affects the battery life. What are we comparing? 5 complications vs. none?

I do notice that glances don't update in the background. I have events and weather as complications and they're already updated when I swipe down to glances for these. However, Maps glance doesn't get updated until after I swipe to it.

 

[ZombiePete]

On work days I type and suspect the wrist movements trigger the screen. I pulled it off the charger exactly three hours ago and with complications on all morning (just turned off) I am at 86%.

I'm going on four hours now and I am at 96%; I am using the Utility watchface (got to have that seconds hand!) and have four complications active: Weather, Calendar, Date, and Sunrise/Sunset. I also sit at a computer all day typing; I have never seen typing activate the Watch face. Generally, outside of driving I have to make a deliberate movement to get the Watch to turn on (nothing insane, it just has to be generally a movement to look at the watch directly).

Today is even worse than normal at the office because our wifi is out and the cellular connection in our building is atrocious. I have been leaving my phone on my desk for quick errands around the office so that I can maintain my single bar of LTE (if I put my phone in my pocket it immediately and completely loses connectivity), which has stretched the limits of my BT connection. Even so, my Watch battery is holding up pretty damn well I'd say.

EDIT:

I try to take it easy because I want 16 hours of normal use per day, but I don't find I can use it a lot and still have 50% left daily.

Are you trying to end the day with 50% battery life? Just curious if so, then why?

 

[thatsmyfish]

I'm at 82% and at this rate will be at 80% by the four hour mark. That said, that equates to 5% per hour which is 20 hours of use, which exceeds what Apple promised. I don't want to go to the Apple Store for only getting 20 hours when you get 100 when they only promised 18? To those reading this what are your stats.

 

[ericgtr12]

You're only limited to so many complications (maximum of 5) so it's not like you can have as many as you want to the point that it severely affects the battery life. What are we comparing? 5 complications vs. none?

I do notice that glances don't update in the background. I have events and weather as complications and they're already updated when I swipe down to glances for these. However, Maps glance doesn't get updated until after I swipe to it.

I've noticed that the weather complication often updates as I look at it, same when I look at the glance.

 

[thatsmyfish]

EDIT:



Are you trying to end the day with 50% battery life? Just curious if so, then why?

I'm not. While that would be nice and let me wear it overnight, I have no problem with the watch dying at the end of a full day with normal use. I was saying I could not have a hectic day of active use and see 50% at the end of 16-18 hours. It's disconcerting when others are implying they're using theirs into the ground and can't get it under 50 if they tried.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I've noticed that the weather complication often updates as I look at it, same when I look at the glance.

True, my point is that the complications are constantly updated, whether it activates on wrist raise by accident or you get various notifications regardless of whether you're actively checking the complications. I wasn't suggesting a true background update like iPhone. On the other hand, glances for which you don't have complications do not update until you swipe to them, as opposed to the flip side.

Nevertheless, you can only have a maximum of 5 complications and IMO not using them at all just to save a few battery percentages defeats the purpose of having the Apple Watch. Might as well ditch it for a dumbwatch.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Agreed. I genuinely do not understand how some people are getting far and away better battery life. Most announcements of battery life are hinged on below normal use. Today, with four complications going, I am at 1 hour 17 minutes of use and nearly five hours of standby and am at 78%. Carrying that forward, with normal use, I can expect about 20 hours, which exceeds what Apple promised me. It is just jarring to hear people say alongside that that they are using theirs constantly and am seeing tremendously better battery life.

Because you know if I go to the Genius Bar they will insist that none of you exist.

 

[Armen]

I'm not. While that would be nice and let me wear it overnight, I have no problem with the watch dying at the end of a full day with normal use. I was saying I could not have a hectic day of active use and see 50% at the end of 16-18 hours. It's disconcerting when others are implying they're using theirs into the ground and can't get it under 50 if they tried.

Can you give us a summary of your daily routine?

- Do you use Wifi at work? If not, do you have poor cell signal?
- What do you use the watch for during the day? Do you exercise a lot? Get a lot of e-mails? Lots of notifications?

The reason why I'm asking is I have all sorts of complications activated on my watch and it goes 18 hours with 33-50% battery still left. I even tried turning the brightness on to max to see if I could get it around 20% and still no go.

 

[ericgtr12]

It seems like if it's used just to view notifications and glances periodically throughout the day, battery life will be great. However, I can see where heavier use of apps could drain it pretty quick, personally, I just see it as an extension for the iPhone (which I barely pickup now) so it's a perfect fit.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Can you give us a summary of your daily routine?

- Do you use Wifi at work? If not, do you have poor cell signal?
- What do you use the watch for during the day? Do you exercise a lot? Get a lot of e-mails? Lots of notifications?

The reason why I'm asking is I have all sorts of complications activated on my watch and it goes 18 hours with 33-50% battery still left. I even tried turning the brightness on to max to see if I could get it around 20% and still no go.

At work I have no wifi. There are pockets of poor cell signal but I don't have an issue where my office is. I use the watch mainly for notifications and responses. I'll use Siri dictation in the car sporadically. I tend to take a 30 minute walk-mid day (have not yet today) and will use workout while I do. Screen brightness to minimum.

And now I am curious. What is yours?

 

[BrettDS]

Agreed. I genuinely do not understand how some people are getting far and away better battery life. Most announcements of battery life are hinged on below normal use. Today, with four complications going, I am at 1 hour 17 minutes of use and nearly five hours of standby and am at 78%. Carrying that forward, with normal use, I can expect about 20 hours, which exceeds what Apple promised me. It is just jarring to hear people say alongside that that they are using theirs constantly and am seeing tremendously better battery life.

Because you know if I go to the Genius Bar they will insist that none of you exist.

I think one big difference that hasn't been discussed here is the size of the watch. The 38mm watch has a smaller battery than the 42mm watch. My wife has a 38mm watch and she was at 21% when we went to bed last night and my 42mm watch was at 42%, plus I had actually started using mine an hour or so before she did in the morning.

If you have a 38mm watch, that may be why you're getting less battery life than others. Screen brightness is another big battery life it. If you have your brightness turned all the way up I think that would make much more of an impact than the watch face or complications. My wife and I keep ours on the lowest setting.

 

[Armen]

At work I have no wifi. There are pockets of poor cell signal but I don't have an issue where my office is. I use the watch mainly for notifications and responses. I'll use Siri dictation in the car sporadically. I tend to take a 30 minute walk-mid day (have not yet today) and will use workout while I do. Screen brightness to minimum.

And now I am curious. What is yours?

Here's my summary:

- Complications I use: Weather, stocks, calendar, activity
- Apple watch off the charger at 6:30am
- At work I'm on cellular 100% of the time 2-3 bars Verizon coverage
- I'll walk to get coffee, walk to get lunch but don't use the workout app (HRM is not active)
- I will get e-mail notifications and messages throughout the day that I respond to.
- I get home around 5pm and use the workout app for a 30min walk. HRM is actively checking my heart rate.
- around 10:30-11:00pm I will go to sleep with at least 33-55% battery left.

Out of curiousity have you tried unpairing/wiping the watch and starting over to see if that makes a difference?

Sometimes out of boredom I'll even use the most animated watch faces (mickey, jelly fish, astronomy) and that still doesn't have a significant impact on battery

 

[thatsmyfish]

I think one big difference that hasn't been discussed here is the size of the watch. The 38mm watch has a smaller battery than the 42mm watch. My wife has a 38mm watch and she was at 21% when we went to bed last night and my 42mm watch was at 42%, plus I had actually started using mine an hour or so before she did in the morning.

If you have a 38mm watch, that may be why you're getting less battery life than others. Screen brightness is another big battery life it. If you have your brightness turned all the way up I think that would make much more of an impact than the watch face or complications. My wife and I keep ours on the lowest setting.

42, lowest setting.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I think one big difference that hasn't been discussed here is the size of the watch. The 38mm watch has a smaller battery than the 42mm watch. My wife has a 38mm watch and she was at 21% when we went to bed last night and my 42mm watch was at 42%, plus I had actually started using mine an hour or so before she did in the morning.

If you have a 38mm watch, that may be why you're getting less battery life than others. Screen brightness is another big battery life it. If you have your brightness turned all the way up I think that would make much more of an impact than the watch face or complications. My wife and I keep ours on the lowest setting.

Apple's battery performance claims are based on test results from the 38mm Watch, and they have the vague statement "A 42mm Apple Watch typically experiences longer battery life." However, I haven't seen any comparison tests specifically comparing the two in terms of battery life in a controlled setting, but it'll be interesting to see the numbers.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Here's my summary:

- Complications I use: Weather, stocks, calendar, activity
- Apple watch off the charger at 6:30am
- At work I'm on cellular 100% of the time 2-3 bars Verizon coverage
- I'll walk to get coffee, walk to get lunch but don't use the workout app (HRM is not active)
- I will get e-mail notifications and messages throughout the day that I respond to.
- I get home around 5pm and use the workout app for a 30min walk. HRM is actively checking my heart rate.
- around 10:30-11:00pm I will go to sleep with at least 33-55% battery left.

Out of curiousity have you tried unpairing/wiping the watch and starting over to see if that makes a difference?

Sometimes out of boredom I'll even use the most animated watch faces (mickey, jelly fish, astronomy) and that still doesn't have a significant impact on battery

I haven't! I may give that a shot. Out of curiosity, anyone here with a 42 getting battery life comparable to mine?

 

[Armen]

I haven't! I may give that a shot. Out of curiosity, anyone here with a 42 getting battery life comparable to mine?

Mine is a 42 SS.

 

[thatsmyfish]

Here's my summary:

Out of curiousity have you tried unpairing/wiping the watch and starting over to see if that makes a difference?

Dumb question. I did a reset. Is there a way to load activity info from my phone back onto the watch?