The Apple Watch has turned into an integral part of our daily lives. With that said, though, it still remains a perishable product in one sense of the word, as your battery can run out at any instant.
While Apple hasn’t really improved the Watch’s capacity in any sense of the word over the years, they’ve introduced features like Fast Charging and Power Reserve to help alleviate some of the trouble.
With that said, though, you might’ve accidentally turned on Power Reserve Mode or just can’t seem to find how you can turn it off. Well, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do just that.
What Is Power Reserve Mode In Apple Watch?
As the name suggests, Power Reserve mode lets you preserve your Watch’s power. However, it takes all of the smartness outside of it. In essence, you can only view the current time when in this mode. Your Apple Watch will not be able to communicate with your iPhone in any sense of the word.
Moreover, features like Always On Display, notifications, emergency calls, Apple Pay, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth will cease to function until Power Reserve Mode is turned off.
How To Turn On Power Reserve Mode On Apple Watch?
There are two particular ways Power Reserve mode can be activated on an Apple Watch. Here’s a quick look at both of them:
Automatic Method
As soon as your Apple Watch hits 10%, you will be prompted as to whether you’d like to enter Power Reserve Mode or not. After your Watch hits 3-5%, your Watch will automatically activate this feature whether you want it to or not.
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Manual Method
Here’s how you can manually turn on Power Reserve Mode at any amount of battery percentage:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch
- Scroll down to Battery
- Scroll down to Power Reserve
- Slide the Power Reserve text from left-to-right
- After doing so, you’ll be greeted with a prompt, tap on it and you’ll enter Power Reserve Mode
How To Turn off Power Reserve Mode on Apple Watch?
If you are reading this part, chances are that you’ve entered Power Reserve Mode and just can’t seem to get your Watch function back to normal.
Firstly, you need to make sure that your Watch is charged to at least 15%. If not, Power Reserve Mode will not be deactivated even if you follow the steps we’ve mentioned down below. With that said though, here’s what you need to do:
- After Power Reserve Mode is turned on, hold the Side Button until your Watch restarts
- After your Watch restarts, it should be back to normal
Note: If nothing happens after you press the Side Button, you’ll need to charge your Watch. Generally, if your Watch still does not turn on, charge it up to 30% then give it a try.
How Much Battery Does Power Reserve Mode Save?
While there isn’t an exact estimate provided from Apple, we’ve been able to get a fairly accurate estimate on how much power saving you can expect. While an Apple Watch at 10% might just last 20-30 minutes, it can last more than 4-5 hours on Power Reserve Mode.
So, in theory, while completely useless in terms of functionality (other than seeing the time of course), your Apple Watch can run for a few days in Power Reserve Mode. So, if you really just need your Watch to tell you the time (how dare you?!), you can use the above-mentioned feature.
All in all, Power Reserve Mode remains a handy future that is relatively under-utilized by most users. While turning it off can feel like a chore, it still helps you get some extra juice out of your dying battery which can turn out to be quite useful when you have no idea what the time is.
Related Articles:
Can You Overcharge An Apple Watch?
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Does Apple Watch Always On Display Drain Battery?
I bought my first smartwatch in 2018 and have been wearing one ever since. It might get frustrating at times to receive 100 notifications a day. That's why we need to know how to make the best of them and how to use them to improve our daily lives, not the other way around. I write about the newest smartwatches, I create top picks, and I write helpful guides and simply explain complicated things.