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Features that Affect Battery Life on Outdoor Wearable
If an outdoor wearable device is needing more frequent charging, it could be due to amount of usage or settings that have been changed.
Functions that Use Additional Battery
Backlight
Backlight: can be the biggest contributor to battery drain. How bright the backlight is set and how often it comes on can drain battery more quickly or less quickly. Having backlight set at 100% will drain a lot of battery while the backlight is on. The manual backlight setting uses the least energy, and some settings, like when the backlight comes on from a gesture, will drain more battery.
GPS
GPS: Can potentially contribute to large battery drain, which is why GPS tracking is only activated during activities or navigation.
WiFi
WiFi: The watch will download updates and upload step and other activity data through WiFi. When it is always active, it is continually searching for, and maintaining connections. The WiFi on the watch will connect through any open WiFi source, including many restaurants.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth: The drain created by Bluetooth is dependent on how many notifications come to the watch from phone, and how often the watch syncs with the phone. Occasional text notifications and use of other connected features will drain far less battery than continually receiving texts, answering the phone, running a music player, or getting weather updates.
Vibration
Vibration: Alerts that cause vibration or make sound use additional battery. Turning them off can extend the battery life of the watch.
Widgets and Connect IQ Apps
Widgets and Connect IQ Apps: The difference between Apps and Widgets is that widgets are always on. Some widgets update data when you select them, like weather. Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (ABC sensors) are always active. Connect IQ downloaded watch faces, apps, widgets, and data fields may draw more power depending on how many things they do or whether they use GPS positioning or not.
For instructions on enabling or disabling these settings, visit the "Customizing Your Device" section in your owner's manual.
- fenix 3 or fenix 3 HR
- fenix 5 Plus, fenix 5S Plus and fenix 5X Plus
- tactix Bravo
- D2 Bravo
- epix
- Descent Mk1
Some of the functions are redundant, for example; steps and activities are uploaded both through WiFi and the Bluetooth connection to the Garmin Connect Mobile application. If using the Garmin Connect Mobile app continuously then it may be a good idea to turn off the Auto Upload setting to help conserve battery power. The Storm Alert function of the Barometer when a smart phone updates local weather is another redundant battery drain.
If battery drain still continues after making some settings changes, try returning the watch to factory defaults and seeing how long the battery lasts without pairing it to smartphone again. If the battery lasts like it used to, then the battery drain would be the result of the choice of customized settings on the watch, or Bluetooth connected features.