Filipe Espósito
WWDC 2022 begins next week with the opening keynote on Monday, and well
finally get to see the next versions of Apples operating systems. Among all
the rumors for watchOS 9, theres one that caught my attention a new low
power mode for the Apple Watch. And in fact, I do think that the Apple Watch
should have a smart low power mode.
Power Reserve
Some of you may think wait a minute, the Apple Watch already has a low
power mode. Sort of. From the very beginning, Apple Watch featured a Power
Reserve mode, which can be enabled at any time by the user and is suggested
when the battery level reaches 10%.
According to Apple, Power Reserve mode can extend the Apple Watch battery
for up to 72 hours. While this may sound too good to be true, theres a
catch when it comes to this feature.
Unlike the Low Power Mode option that you find in iOS and macOS, Power
Reserve is much more aggressive and is intended for emergencies, when you
really dont have enough battery power to keep your watch powered on. Once
you enable Power Reserve, Apple Watch goes into a special mode where it just
shows the time and thats it.
With Power Reserve enabled, the watch disables all its connections, sensors,
and smart features, acting as a basic watch to preserve battery power. Its
almost as if the Apple Watch is running an alternative operating system with
no features at all.
This makes sense for emergencies, but the Power Reserve mode has some
drawbacks. Since Power Reserve works apart from watchOS, you cant even
touch the screen or raise your wrist to see the time. The only way to see
the time is by clicking on the side button, and it takes a few seconds
before the watch responds to the command.
Its clearly a feature that wasnt created to be used in everyday life.
Feature request: Apple Watch should have a smart low power mode. When the
rumors of a new low power mode in watchOS 9 first came out, I wondered what
Apple could do to improve something as simple as a low power mode.
Personally, I think there are two implementations that Id like to see on
the Apple Watch.
First, watchOS could have a Low Power Mode toggle that works similar to
whats in iOS. With the option turned on, Apple Watch would pause background
activities, reduce screen brightness, and also decrease CPU performance to
consume less power. This wouldnt extend the battery life for days, but it
would be enough for those times when youre not home yet but want to make
sure you have your watch with you for longer.
A second option could be a smart version of the current Power Reserve mode.
However, instead of turning off the Apple Watch completely, it could lock
the user into a single watch face while also suspending its wireless
connections and some of its sensors but still letting the user tap the
screen to quickly check the time and return to normal mode.
Usually, battery is not a problem for me as I find it ok to recharge my
Apple Watch every night. But there are special occasions, like when Im
traveling, where I dont use all the features of the Apple Watch and Id
prefer to use it with a low power mode enabled. If Im going to spend 15
hours inside an airplane, I dont need all the sensors and connections
turned on, but I also dont want to lose all the Apple Watch features.
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