Apple Watch Ultra: How to Get Up to 60 Hours of Battery Life

Apple Watch Ultra models recently got new low-power settings that can extend the battery life up to 60 hours on a single charge. This article explains how it works and how to set it up.

When Apple released the Apple Watch Ultra in September, one of the things they talked about was how it had the best battery life of any Apple Watch, lasting up to 36 hours with normal use. It was pretty big news, since Apple Watch Series models have only ever had up to 18 hours ("all day") of battery life when used normally.

Apple Watch Series 4 and later models got a new Low Power Mode with watchOS 9, which also gives up to 36 hours of battery life. In the fall, Apple said it would add more low-power settings to the Apple Watch Ultra, which would give it up to 60 hours of battery life.

Since then, Apple has released watchOS 9.1, making good on the company's promise to let Ultra owners get even more use out of their watches. Follow the steps below to turn it on, but before you can use the new feature, make sure your Apple Watch Ultra has watchOS 9.1 or a later version.

Go to General > Software Update in the Watch app on your iPhone. If you aren't already up to date, wait for the update to show up, then tap Download and Install. Make sure your Apple Watch has at least 50% charge and is connected to its charger while the update is happening.\

Get 60-Hour Battery Life on Apple Watch Ultra

To get the longer battery life, Ultra models must first be set up to take less heart rate and GPS readings during workouts. Here's how to make that possible. (Note that these settings are also available on the Apple Watch Series 8 and the Apple Watch SE second generation, but Apple has not said that they will make the battery last longer than the 36 hours that the system-wide Low Power Mode does.)

1. Launch the Settings app on your Apple Watch Ultra.
2. Scroll to the bottom and tap Workout.
3. Toggle on the switch next to Low Power Mode.
4. Below "During Low Power Mode," toggle on the switch next to Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings.

Apple says that with the above settings turned on, Low Power Mode only saves battery life when walking, running, or hiking. It does this by limiting GPS and heart rate readings to once every minute and every two minutes, respectively, and by turning off alerts, splits, and segments. In other words, this means that you'll need to turn on Low Power Mode even when you're not working out to get the full 60 hours of battery life.

When set up this way, Ultra users can expect their smartwatch to last "up to" 60 hours on a single charge. Apple says that this number is based on 15 hours of exercise, over 600 time checks, 35 minutes of app use, 3 minutes of talk time, and 15 hours of tracking sleep over the course of 60 hours.