The Pixel Watch 4 has solid battery life for a Wear OS watch, particularly the 45mm model. But if you’re looking to stretch out its lifespan — both for short-term gains and long-term battery health — there are a few simple settings to familiarize yourself with!
One key reason I gave the Pixel Watch 4 a glowing review is its improved battery life, paired with faster charging. The 45mm model easily lasts two days in ideal conditions and performed very well in my battery test, handling GPS workouts or LTE streaming with ease.
Because of this, I tend to use Watch 4 settings that drain its battery faster for a better user experience. But for those of you who’d prefer the opposite, and want to maximize your Pixel Watch 4 battery life — particularly as its capacity fades with time — these are the simple tricks and downgrades to make the Watch 4 last longer per charge.
Turn on Battery Saver mode
I’ll start with the obvious setting that you probably know about already. Swipe down from the main watch face view to see a battery icon with a percentage. Tap it, say Don’t show this again, then tap the check mark. Now, tapping the battery button triggers Battery Saver mode immediately.
You now have an instant way to put the Watch 4 in a more efficient state, with limited background activity, delayed notifications, and disabled always-on display (AOD). If toggled on at 100%, Battery Saver makes the Watch 4 41mm and 45mm last up to 40 or 72 hours, respectively.
This mode triggers automatically at 15%; you can’t change the threshold, so you’ll have to remember to check for yourself if you want to trigger Battery Saver earlier in the day.
Disable AOD and adjust your display timeout settings
Google estimates that the Pixel Watch 4 41mm and 45mm last 30 and 40 hours with AOD active, respectively; it doesn’t say how long they’re supposed to last with AOD turned off, but you’ll get a few extra hours, at least, and those hours will add up to fewer charge cycles over time.
I prefer using AOD so I can glance at my wrist for info without needing tilt-to-wake, and it makes the watch look more stylish. But if you can accept losing those perks, open the watch settings, tap Display, then toggle Always-on screen off.
In this same menu, you can adjust your screen timeout window from the default 15 seconds to 10 seconds, which will reduce power usage subtly over time.
There’s also the Go to watch face delay setting: With a longer duration like “after 1 minute,” the Watch 4 will keep your current menu or app open for a minute even if the screen dims, but this consumes extra battery. Instead, choose something shorter like “After 15 seconds,” or even “Immediately,” which prolongs its capacity but (annoyingly) makes you navigate back to an app if you’re distracted.
Lastly, adaptive brightness is on by default, as it should be, but a final battery-saving option is to tap the Brightness setting, toggle it off, and then tap the – button to make the lowest brightness the default. You won’t benefit from the Watch 4’s 3,000 nits, but it’ll last longer than a day.
Disable sound/vibrations and tilt-to-wake
I’ll emphasize again that I wouldn’t do this, necessarily, but for maximum Watch 4 capacity, disable tilt-to-wake so that you only wake the display by tapping it or rotating the display. Go to Settings > Gestures and toggle Tilt-to-Wake off.
Side note: You may want to disable Gemini Raise to Talk in the same menu, simply because that’s another tracked gesture that activates the display and mic. Either that, or lower the voice and motion sensitivity so it’s less likely to trigger accidentally.
Next, you’ll have to decide whether you prefer your notifications accompanied by sound or vibrations. I’m not certain which is more efficient, but it’s best to disable one of them, then lower the intensity of the other.
First, go to Settings > Sound and tap Mute ring & notifications, or lower the volume for ringing, notifications, alarms, media, and calls. Then, go to Settings > Vibration and either toggle Vibration & haptics off or lower the intensity for Ring, Notification, and Alarm vibrations. You can also disable “interactive haptics,” or the subtle whirr when you turn the crown or tap display options.
Use Adaptive Charging (and be smart about when you charge)
The Pixel Watch 4 has Adaptive Charging enabled by default. Essentially, Google learns your habits so that, if you tend to charge your watch overnight, it anticipates when you typically wake up and waits to hit 100% until that time — helping preserve capacity in the long run.
As I covered in my Pixel Watch 4 beginner’s guide, you should go to Settings > Watch preferences > Modes and toggle Sync across watch and phone on; then, in your connected phone’s settings, go to Settings > Modes > Bedtime > Bedtime Routine and set a schedule; this should make it easy for Google to adapt the watch’s charging schedule, and also auto-limit background activity at night if you leave it off the charger.
Useful as this is, Adaptive Charging won’t kick in if, for example, you use the Watch 4 for sleep tracking and charge it during the day. In that case, Google sends a 100%-charged notification to your phone when the Watch 4 is ready, but you need to be alert for it.
Google has a “Battery Defender” tool that kicks in if you leave your Pixel Watch on the charger for 4+ days, but that’s already too long to wait!
You also want to make sure you don’t let the Pixel Watch 4 hit 0% too often, or stay dead, as letting its battery stay drained has a negative impact on long-term capacity. If you know you’re not going to be wearing the Watch 4 for a while, for whatever reason, go to Settings > System > Power off while it’s at or near full capacity.
Avoid using LTE when possible
As I found during my Pixel Watch 4 battery test, streaming music over cellular to my wireless earbuds consumed 18% of the Watch 4 45mm battery in one hour — or 28% with both LTE music and GPS.
When I streamed a predownloaded playlist, it used 12% per hour. Over time, that’ll add up to a couple of extra hours of capacity; plus, you can assume the LTE power drain would be much higher on the smaller 41mm model.
My point is simple: If you bought the 4G LTE Watch 4, try not to use the cellular capacity often, unless you’re willing to recharge it immediately after your activity. It toggles on automatically if you’re away from your phone or home wi-fi, but if you ever need to make your Watch 4 last longer, go to Settings > Connectivity > Mobile > Mobile and switch LTE off.
AI on your wrist
The Pixel Watch 4 isn’t as long-lived as a traditional Fitbit, but it’s significantly better than older Pixel Watches, and not just for battery life and charging speed. Gemini Raise to Talk, the brighter domed display, and satellite SOS will satisfy long-time Pixel Watch fans.
