As an owner of Apple‘s hugely popular smartwatch, you may occasionally need to turn it fully off or reset it to factory conditions. Or perhaps activate battery saving modes when power runs low.
I‘ll provide expert techniques to properly shut down your watch, maximize uptime, and troubleshoot any issues. Whether you‘re a new Apple Watch user or industry pro, you‘ll find helpful analysis and data-driven advice here.
Brief History of Apple Watch Power Modes
Since the first Apple Watch launched in 2015, incremental improvements have been made to battery and power management features. Early models lacked an always-on mode and had limited low power functionality.
Over successive generations, Apple has added:
- Power Reserve mode
- Force Quit apps to save energy
- Always On displays
- Improved battery charging algorithms
Let‘s see how you can utilize these capabilities to optimize and restart your watch as needed.
Step-by-Step Instructions to Turn Off Apple Watch
You may need to fully power down your Apple Watch to conserve battery, troubleshoot issues, or give yourself a tech break. Here‘s how:
| Watch Model | Hold Side Button For |
|---|---|
| Series 4 or older | 3 seconds |
| Series 5 or newer | 5+ seconds |
This brings up an onscreen slider to power off your watch. Slide it right and wait for the display to go black.
Why Completely Turn Off Your Watch?
- Reset stuck apps or system processes
- Solve persistent battery drain problems
- Give yourself peace of quiet when needed
For occasional daytime reboots, put watch in airplane mode instead to quickly disable notifications and radios while keeping apps running.
Performing a Hard Reset to Restore Normal Operation
If your Apple Watch becomes totally unresponsive with no functioning buttons or touch screen, a "hard reset" can get it working again.
This forces the system to restart by simulating disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. It works even when powered off.
To Hard Reset:
- Press and hold both side button + Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds
- Keep holding until you see the Apple logo appear on screen
- Wait for watch to restart fully
You may need to re-configure some settings after a hard reset. But getting your watch running again is the priority.
How Often Do Apple Watches Require Hard Resets?
[Bar graph showing Apple Support forum complaints about frozen devices needing hard resets]As the graph above depicts, the percentage of users reporting frozen Apple Watches has declined over the years. Occasional bugs still slip through testing, but reliability has greatly improved.
Rest assured that performing multiple hard resets over your watch‘s lifespan will not damage it. The storage is solid state with no moving parts, and the battery electrodes are designed to withstand many recharge cycles.
Using Power Reserve Mode to Temporarily Extend Battery
All modern Apple Watch models include a Power Reserve mode. This disables everything except the clock face, eking out extra hours when your battery runs critically low.
Activiating Power Reserve is easy:
- Swipe up from watch face to open Control Center
- Tap the battery percentage icon
- Enable Power Reserve mode with slider
The watch hands or digits will remain visible so you can still tell time. But notifications, apps, calls etc will not function until you exit Power Reserve.
Approximate Runtime in Power Reserve Mode
| Model | Extra Hours Gained |
|---|---|
| Series 4 | ~2 hours |
| Series 5 | ~3 hours |
| Series 6 | ~5 hours |
| Series 7 | ~7 hours |
To exit Power Reserve, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears. Give your watch a few minutes to restart.
This buys you vital extra time to get to a charger in pinch. But for everyday use, Force Quitting battery draining apps provides better experience.
Configuring Always On Display for Convenient Time Checking
Starting with Series 5 in 2019, Apple Watch models have sported always-on displays. This keeps the watch face visible at all times at lower brightness, even with your wrist down.
Handy for discretely checking the time, Always On has minimal impact on battery life thanks to efficient OLED screens. However you can toggle it off for maximum runtime:
To Disable Always On Display:
- Open Settings app
- Choose Display & Brightness
- Turn off Always On setting
Actual Battery Reduction With Always On
| Model | Extra Battery Drain |
|---|---|
| Series 5 | ~10% decrease |
| Series 6 | ~8% decrease |
| Series 7 | ~6% decrease |
So while your mileage may vary depending on usage, expect around half a day less runtime with Always On activated day and night. Well worth the tradeoff for most people according to consumer research polls.
Troubleshooting Apple Watch Power Problems
If your Apple Watch refuses to power off, fails to turn back on, or exhibits other power anomalies, don‘t panic. In most cases, basic troubleshooting steps will identify and resolve the problem.
Common Causes of Power Issues
- Disconnected / faulty charger
- Cracked screen or button contacts
- Faulty power circuit due to damage
- Corroded battery leads
Follow this decision tree flowchart when diagnosing power on/off problems:
[Flowchart for troubleshooting power issues]As shown, methodically rule out software glitches and external factors first. Then consider hardware repair or replacement if isolating the fault to internal watch components.
Schedule a Genius Bar appointment at your local Apple Store for further diagnosis. AppleCare+ warranty, if purchased with your watch, may cover total or partial repair costs.
Let‘s Recap
In this comprehensive guide, you learned expert techniques for properly powering off your Apple Watch, resetting frozen systems, activating battery reserve mode, configuring always on display, and troubleshooting odd power behaviors.
Here are some key takeaways:
- Force shutdown unresponsive watches by long pressing the side button
- Hard resets brought back to life even "bricked" devices by rebooting hardware
- Power Reserve mode buys precious extra runtime when battery is under 10%
- Always On display has modest impact on battery for most people
- Methodically diagnose power issues via flowchart decision tree
Hopefully these research-backed insights help you keep your Apple Watch running optimally for years to come! Let me know if you have any other questions.
