Anyone have an idea of how much power the Hey Siri setting takes?
Hmm … I don’t think that’s the right question.
The first question: are you running out of battery? If not, you’re suffering from premature optimization and should ask your doctor about the latest miracle drug from your favorite multinational pharmaceutical megacorporation.
If you have an Ultra and you’re running out of battery … your problem isn’t “Hey Siri.” Your problem most likely is that you’re forgetting to charge it when you jump in the shower.
And if you’re “off-grid” for more than a couple days, either you’ve forgotten to turn on low-power mode or you have unrealistic expectations from the device.
In all seriousness, the Ultra is the first watch from Apple where almost nobody using the device in a reasonable manner has to worry about eking out every last drop of battery.
Yes, yes — there are very vocal special snowflakes who hike the Appalachian Trail wearing nothing but bearskins and a smartwatch, and the watch dies on them after 60 hours into a 64-hour marathon sprint the whole length of the trail. And there are others who are disappointed that they can’t talk non-stop on the phone while on an all-day tour of the Manhattan subway system with GPS always on to tell them which station they’re at.
My case is much more typical, I should think. I have all the features turned on — AOD, “Hey Siri,” auto-detect workouts, high heart rate alerts, the works. Many days I’m putting in an half-hour bodyweight workout plus an hour or more total of multiple outdoor walking workouts (just walking from one end of campus to the other — but it counts, right?). I’m not shy about leaving my phone behind; nor am I shy about making calls with the watch. Even when I have my watch with me, it’s almost always in the backpack and I’m using the watch for phone-type things (like messaging, calendar, navigation, etc.).
I put the watch on the charger before I get in the shower and put it back on my wrist after I’m done shaving and the like.
And I don’t think I’ve ever seen the battery lower than 20%. Ever. Usually, it’s charged to 80% - 95% after the shower, and it’s down to 40% - 60% the next day.
So why should you, I, or anybody else care how much battery “Hey Siri” uses?
Do you worry about how much gasoline your car’s stereo uses?
b&