Why is My tactix Bravo Watch Battery Draining Quickly?

Your watch can perform a variety of functions, and any function the watch performs will require some power from the battery. Some functions, and how often you use them, will require more battery than others. 

Why is My Watch Battery Draining Quickly?

If your watch has a shortened battery life, here are some troubleshooting steps we recommend.

1. Be sure that you are on the latest software . 

2. Perform a power cycle .

3. Fully charge your watch to see if the issue has been resolved.

4. If your watch continues to drain battery quickly, check any recently adjusted settings that could contribute to a higher battery use. For help adjusting watch settings, see the How Can I Get More Battery Life? section below.

How Can I Get More Battery Life?

If your battery is being used faster than expected, or not lasting as long as it used to, read the information below to learn about settings and features that have a greater impact on battery usage. 

Adjust Settings

The default settings for your watch were configured to balance performance with battery life. Changed settings may be the cause of increased battery drain. If you forgot the settings you changed, you can restore the default settings for your watch. For help see, Reset Default Settings .

NOTE: Settings for the options listed below are located in the watch menu. Not all watches will support all listed features. Refer to your owner's manual for feature compatibility, and exact setting location.

• Backlight: How bright the backlight is set, and how often it comes on, can use battery more quickly or less quickly. Having backlight set at 100% will use a lot of battery while the backlight is on. The manual backlight setting uses the least energy, and some settings, such as gesture, will use more battery.
• GPS: When enabled you will see a higher battery use, which is why GPS tracking is only activated during activities or navigation. 
• Bluetooth: 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.
• Connected Sensors: Additional connected sensors like HRM chest straps, power meters, or Bluetooth headphones all require additional power from the watch to stay connected.
• Watch Face: Some 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.
• Widgets: Some widgets update data when you select them, like weather. Widgets like Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass (ABC sensors) are always active.

Clean Charging Contacts

Garmin recommends using a Garmin charging cable, and making sure the charging contacts on the watch and charging cable are free and clear of debris. For instructions on how to clean the charging contacts, see - Cleaning the Battery Contacts on a Rechargeable Garmin Watch.

Update Software

Make sure your watch is up to date on software. We recommend using the Garmin Express™ program to make sure your software is the most current version - Using Garmin Express to Update Your Watch's Software.

Perform a Power Cycle

Significant battery use can sometimes occur if an activity or another feature is left running in the background. See “Stopping an Activity” in your owner's manual for steps on how to stop an activity on your watch.

Otherwise, you can try the following steps to perform a power cycle:

Turning the Watch Off

1. Hold LIGHT button.

2. Select Power Off.

The watch will power off.

Turning the Watch On

1. Hold LIGHT button for three seconds.

The watch will power on.