I use GPS only (not with GLONASS, which will drain battery further). I keep Bluetooth and wifi off except when syncing. But the GPS/GLONASS are not used in pool swimming mode. ARe you using Open Water Swim mode in the pool? Oh, another big factor is the back light. Make sure it is not set to turn on with wrist turn as that happens repeatedly during freestyle and is a large drain.
I use Pool Swim Mode for pool and Open Water Mode for open water. But drain is comparable.. so I guess it s not coming from GPS.
How do I turn bluetooth off? (Note that my watch is not paired to any smartphone)
If I go to Wi-Fi, I have
Status: ON
AutoUpload: OFF
Since I actually prefer to sync manually with the wi-fi in my apt, just when i want it so.
Would this drain a lot of battery? I tend to say no, since outside activities (ie swimming, since i am mainly swimming right now) the drain is very reasonable.
System/Backlight/DuringActivity is set to:
KeysAndAlerts: ON
Gesture: ON
TimeOut: 15 Secs
Brightness: 70%
I will try to set Gesture to OFF before the session. That's what you're suggesting, right?
I cannot tell you if the light is on during my swimming session, because i did not pay attention to it and because i am swimming in an outdoor pool with plenty of sunlight..
It s a bit extreme though, isnt it? I mean, in the worst case scenario my backlight stays turned no stop for an hour. Would that alone justify a 20% drain?!?
Wifi and bluetooth don't use huge amounts, but I generally keep mine off unless I am syncing without a cable since its all additive. GPS + GLONASS turned on could take some more, and backlight some more, possibly a lot if actually on most of the time (15 sec would prob keep it on constantly in swilling). I keep my gesture off most of the time and use the light button when needed. It is set to 7 sec. Heart rate would also greatly reduce it, Also note that some watch faces, widgets and apps also drain the battery in the background even when not in use. I'd try deleting and shutting down everything to see what you get and then add things sequentially to determine the main culprit.
Hi Andy - BINGO. I completely turned off backlight during activities and 1h pool session took 3% of my battery...
I ll try to see what happens if i let the watch in stand by untouched on a table but with backlight turned on. It should drain at least 15%, otherwise numbers do not add up.....
Yeah, the light is a huge drain. I set the watch so that the light does not turn on even when I scroll through the menu, and just press the light button to manually light it temporarily when needed (and shut off manually to further save battery). Otherwise the next suggestion would have been to set your GPS to smart record (default) rather than every second. Although the latter might be more accurate (but I haven't experienced that), the fit files become much larger and I imagine writing every second uses more power. However, it would not explain the pool drain (no GPS). Good luck!
do not worry - no need to look any further. The problem was - as i said - the light. Thanks A LOT! I would have never ever thought about it.
Btw i did try to keep my 70% backlight on for an hour while i was home (no activity at all)... and indeed it took 15% of my battery. I dont know if that s normal, but it s consistent with what i was seeing in the pool and at sea.
