Apple Watch or iWatch, whatever you’d like to call it, is the smartwatch brand that is on everyone’s wishlist. It did revolutionize the way we see and use wristwatches with its functionalities that no one thought a wristwatch is capable of. That’s not to say that Apple Watch is not imperfect, though. Because we tend to use our iWatch 24/7, we often end up opening a lot of app along the way. These applications continue to run in the background and could cause lags on the watch. Fortunately, by knowing how to turn off your Apple Watch to clear random access memory (RAM), you would be able to have your Watch running smoothly again.
In this article, we will go over the ways to turn off and on your iWatch (as mundane as that may seem). Additionally, we’ll give you a walkthrough on how to use Battery Reserve as an alternative to save power on your Apple Watch in easy steps.
Read also: Best Apple Watch Accessories to Complete Your Smartwatch
Inside This Article
Why Turn Off Your Apple Watch Once in a While?
Similar to smartphones, we tend to fill our iWatch with apps we think are necessary for our day-to-day life. Moreover, similar to our smartphones, when we close an app they often continue running in the background. When apps run in the background they leave fragments in caches that could build up and cause your device to lag over time. By running apps in the background, you may also inadvertently drain your battery faster. When this happens, your knowledge on how to turn off your Watch and its importance should come in handy.
The reason we should turn off our Apple Watches at least once a day is to clear the overuse and unnecessary use of random access memory (RAM). RAM is responsible for storing bits of data which enables the easy launching of apps in a nutshell. Fortunately, clogging due to excessive use of RAM is easily fixed by knowing how to turn off your Apple Watch. In the same manner, when apps crash or hang, this trick is also applicable as a fix.
Learn More About Apple Watch Series 7 Here
How To Turn Off Your Apple Watch?
It does not matter what series of the Apple Watch you are using. This process is pretty much similar across the board. Here’s how to do it:
- Locate the side button (not the digital crown) and press it for at least five seconds.
- Wait for the screen to display the command options then slide the slider to the right to turn off the device.
From here, give it at least 15 seconds before pressing the same side button and wait for the Apple logo to appear. Apple Watch should restart momentarily. In a way, this process is similar to turning off your iPhone or iPad.
How to Wake Up an Apple Watch?
You might be wondering what this walkthrough is for. You might even think it’s redundant considering we gave a walkthrough on how to turn off and turn on your iWatch above. The answer is turning on your Apple Watch is different from waking it up.
There is an option on your iWatch for the screen to display the time (digital or analog) when you put your wrist down for a number of seconds and the screen powering up to its full function when you raise your wrist. When you raise your wrist, that’s when you “wake up” your iWatch. Here’s a quick walkthrough of how to enable this feature.
- Open the Settings interface on your iWatch.
- Select Display & Brightness.
- From here, adjust the settings for “Wake on Wrist Raise” and “Raise On Crown Up”.
This configuration is also helpful if you wish to save battery power for your Apple Watch.
How to Enable Apple Watch Power Reserve?
An Apple Watch can run for up to 18 hours depending on how you use it. If worst comes to worst, you can activate the Power Reserve mode feature on your iWatch and use it for another 72 hours until you can plug the device into a power source and recharge. Here’s how to activate this feature when your watch notifies you your device is down to 10 percent:
- On the “Low Power” dialogue box, tap on the “Power Reserve” button.
- Tap “Proceed” to put your Apple Watch on Power Reserve mode.
Again, this should be a familiar setting if you are using an iPhone or iPad as you can do the same when your device displays the “Low Power” screen.
Taking an Extra Step
So you have already turned off your watch, but its performance is still sluggish. There should be a more serious problem to it that a simple reboot cannot fix. In this scenario, you may factory reset your Apple Watch. You should practice caution with this one, though, as it will delete everything on the device as if it is new. Otherwise, call the technician’s help.
