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Series 1 - How I finish with > 80% battery at 10pm

M

margareedaville

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 15, 2016
16
14
Hey guys,
After different configurations each day for the last 2+ weeks, I've found my happy spot. So I'd like to share what I'm running and how I'm configured. My apologies if I've missed a configuration and also if someone else has found the same thing.
  • Face: Utility with two complications - Cardiogram and date&time.
  • General:
    • Accessibility: All defaulted
    • Background App Refresh: All off
    • Wake Screen: Off, 15 Seconds on tap to check
      • Cover with palm immediately after checking (very important habit to form)
  • Brightness: Lowest setting
  • Sound:
    • Silent Mode: On
  • Haptic Strength: Middle Setting
    • Prominent Haptic: Off

Summary: So basically, I start the day at 6:30am where all sound is turned off, haptic is at medium and background refresh is off. I think the key is that wake on raise needs to be off. Also, get into the habit of covering the screen immediately after looking at it. About 2-4 times an hour I'll get a text where I'll check to see who sent it. I'll read the text, or will check my calendar, but it's not excessive, especially if I know the message will require a lengthy discussion. Hope this configuration helps.
 
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That's all well and good, except you have extremely limited the functionality of the watch. I did none of that tweaking, and get through the day with roughly 40% battery remaining...

I don't understand why someone would buy a piece of tech, and then turn off all of the features that make it useful so they can get through the day with a ton of battery remaining. Just use it and charge it when necessary. I honestly don't remember ever charging my Watch except overnight, for over a year.
 
Last edited:
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margareedaville said:
Hey guys,
After different configurations each day for the last 2+ weeks, I've found my happy spot. So I'd like to share what I'm running and how I'm configured. My apologies if I've missed a configuration and also if someone else has found the same thing.
  • Face: Utility with two complications - Cardiogram and date&time.
  • General:
    • Accessibility: All defaulted
    • Background App Refresh: All off
    • Wake Screen: Off, 15 Seconds on tap to check
      • Cover with palm immediately after checking (very important habit to form)
  • Brightness: Lowest setting
  • Sound:
    • Silent Mode: On
  • Haptic Strength: Middle Setting
    • Prominent Haptic: Off

Summary: So basically, I start the day at 6:30am where all sound is turned off, haptic is at medium and background refresh is off. I think the key is that wake on raise needs to be off. Also, get into the habit of covering the screen immediately after looking at it. About 2-4 times an hour I'll get a text where I'll check to see who sent it. I'll read the text, or will check my calendar, but it's not excessive, especially if I know the message will require a lengthy discussion. Hope this configuration helps.
Click to expand...


Biggest saving was turning off wake on raise.
I'm always moving my wrist and arm but seldom need to constantly check the time.
That said I miss it but always end the day with 40-50 %
 
Here is what I do. I wear my as a 24x7 fitness tracker. I use Sleep Watch to track sleep which actually does a pretty good job of tracking sleep automattically

- I have the wake on wrist shut off as well
- background refresh is on
- notification is on for email text

So I work out at 5 am when I get up my watch is at about 91 percent. I put in DND and Airplane mode but use it to track sleep and silent alarm, once I am done and get home, I will place watch on charger to 100 percent while I am getting ready for work and getting kids going etc. Then leave for work around 730am and get home around 5 workout again for an hour ( battery is usually at 50 percent after this around 8pm, then throw it on charger again to 100 percent when I am I relaxing etc before bed.

It seems like a pain, but its a routine and works once you get used to it. The watch is only off the wrist when I dont need it anyways

I used to obsess about the battery but then figured out who cares, charge it when you can
 
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Here's what I do
Get up, take my watch off charge and put it on
Use it all day as much as I want / need to with all the settings left alone
Take it off when I go to bed and put it on back on charge

The only time it gets below 10% before I go to bed is if I run for more than an hour and a half using Runtastic (and in that case, a quick burst while I'm in the shower does the trick)

My phone is the same - gets taken off charge on a morning, used throughout the day and put back on charge at night: I leave everything on all the time (i.e. WiFi, Bluetooth, location services, background app refresh, etc) and I'd much rather just charge the things up every night than jump through hoops hoping I can get into a second day without charging them :)
 
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margareedaville said:
Hey guys,

  • Face: Utility with two complications - Cardiogram and date&time.
  • General:
    • Accessibility: All defaulted
    • Background App Refresh: All off
    • Wake Screen: Off, 15 Seconds on tap to check
      • Cover with palm immediately after checking (very important habit to form)
  • Brightness: Lowest setting
  • Sound:
    • Silent Mode: On
  • Haptic Strength: Middle Setting
    • Prominent Haptic: Off
Click to expand...

I'd just return the watch if I did what you did

Just have the mentality of charging it every night and use it as much as you want throughout the day, I still have NEVER had the watch die out on me and that includes 24hrs+ straight use
 
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margareedaville said:
Hey guys,
After different configurations each day for the last 2+ weeks, I've found my happy spot. So I'd like to share what I'm running and how I'm configured. My apologies if I've missed a configuration and also if someone else has found the same thing.
  • Face: Utility with two complications - Cardiogram and date&time.
  • General:
    • Accessibility: All defaulted
    • Background App Refresh: All off
    • Wake Screen: Off, 15 Seconds on tap to check
      • Cover with palm immediately after checking (very important habit to form)
  • Brightness: Lowest setting
  • Sound:
    • Silent Mode: On
  • Haptic Strength: Middle Setting
    • Prominent Haptic: Off

Summary: So basically, I start the day at 6:30am where all sound is turned off, haptic is at medium and background refresh is off. I think the key is that wake on raise needs to be off. Also, get into the habit of covering the screen immediately after looking at it. About 2-4 times an hour I'll get a text where I'll check to see who sent it. I'll read the text, or will check my calendar, but it's not excessive, especially if I know the message will require a lengthy discussion. Hope this configuration helps.
Click to expand...

Don't get it .. what's the point?

You are still going to have to charge it anyway at some point.

I wish the mods would open up a separate forum for all of the battery-life obsessed. Personally, I don't ever worry about it. There are way too many battery life threads for a device that gives pretty much the manufacturer spec'd battery life. Whether you get 18-hours or 22-hours on a charge, you are still going to have to charge it about every day.

Is it really that difficult to find 1.5 hours or so a day to lay it on the charging puck (like when getting ready for work, or watching TV in the evening, or sitting quietly at your desk, or when sleeping .. if you don't use sleep tracking). Do that, and you don't ever have to use a crippled watch.
 
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I have all my functions on, 10 apps in the Dock, a few walks with out the phone 30 40 minute total. 30 minute plus work outs. After 10 hours I am down to 60%, 16 hours later over 20% left. That will work.
 
I use my watch all day every day, including overnight to track my HR. After 24 hours I typically still have 30-40% left. It's not hard to find an hour to charge the thing ever 24-36 hours.
 
I have a series 0 and my only quibble is when I really go for it on a hike whilst on the 'Outdoor Walk' setting and spend 8 hours plus going and it starts moaning at that point that it needs a nap and sometimes I get the full workout and sometimes it falls earlier.

I would really love to hear what the GPS does to this in Watch version 2 does because I tend to rely on a Garmin eTrex 30 that isn't even 1/3 down in that period and I can switch to another pair of AAs if I really have to.

Not really comparing the combined features of my Apple Watch to a mission specific device but there's a point that the AW becomes viable for a full replacement and I'm skeptical that V2 does it.

Oberservations...?
 
Put my Series 1 on at 6:30 am and it's now 9:45pm (over 15 hours).

I have all settings at default and was sending digital touch messages on and off through the day, plus checking email and messages. Used now Playing app on my Watch to skip and rate Apple Music streaming from my phone to my stereo.

Currently at 31% battery, and that's more than enough for me.

Good too know there are some optimizations if needed....
 
I keep everything on except background refresh and I have 40%+ at the end of the day.
 
Yesterday I went to bed with 50% left.
I received about 30 notifications (whatsapp, imessage etc.), replied to a few messages, took a phone call for a couple of minutes and monitored my heartbeat during a 20 minutes outdoor activity.
Two nights ago I left it in airplane mode and unplugged it since it was charged by the time I got to sleep and the morning after it had 75% left. On that day I wore it until it powered off and the day after I consumed only 50% so I guess there was something draining battery on background.
I think the best thing to do is charge it during the night and wake up with a full battery and enjoy the Watch throughout the day
 
AWS2, put on for 10 hours, 68% battery left.
No third party apps installed and background App Refresh off. Rest of settings untouched.
This is 3% per hour.

I'm sorry but it's hard to believe that some people have super-atomic batteries on their watches.
 
nuvvanda said:
AWS2, put on for 10 hours, 68% battery left.
No third party apps installed and background App Refresh off. Rest of settings untouched.
This is 3% per hour.

I'm sorry but it's hard to believe that some people have super-atomic batteries on their watches.
Click to expand...


I am seeing about 3% an hour with medium usage. More for heavy usage.
 
What does App Refresh actually do for some apps like Alarm, Timer, Wallet, World Clock? Frankly I don't see a reason to keep those on. For me, Activity, Breathe, Calendar, Heart Rate, Home, Maps, Messages and Phone are my only essential ones.
 
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I'll stick to finishing the day with 40-50% with full functionality after a 16-18 hour day thanks.
 
So I wanted to see how many here would reply facetiously or who would actually like to share and appreciate the idea of economizing the battery.

Now that we're past that, let me continue. How often do you travel? Maybe you're spending the night (or two) at a girlfriend's house and don't want to show up with cords like a true nerd you might be. My ultimate point here is that if you had to, you can possibly get many days out of one charge. But those who want full functionality all day from a wearable device - you're right.. I agree with you 100%, but only if I had no life, and that I spent all day looking down at this thing instead of looking up, noticing what's going on around me.
 
Quite honestly I don't need my watch to notify me of every single thing that happens on my phone. So, Im all for limiting what I see and if that benefits the battery then so be it. Im in my phone less so thats all that matters to me.

I full appreciate your post.
 
margareedaville said:
So I wanted to see how many here would reply facetiously or who would actually like to share and appreciate the idea of economizing the battery.

Now that we're past that, let me continue. How often do you travel? Maybe you're spending the night (or two) at a girlfriend's house and don't want to show up with cords like a true nerd you might be. My ultimate point here is that if you had to, you can possibly get many days out of one charge. But those who want full functionality all day from a wearable device - you're right.. I agree with you 100%, but only if I had no life, and that I spent all day looking down at this thing instead of looking up, noticing what's going on around me.
Click to expand...
Your way of using the watch sounds way more complicated and time consuming than using it normally without giving every interaction with it a second thought. But hey, nice way ridiculing everyone with "no life", who have paid for their watches and want to use them accordingly. :rolleyes:
 
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