watchOS 9 Introduces New Low Power Mode on Apple Watch Series 4 and Later

Apple today announced that watchOS 9 will feature a new Low Power Mode on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer. When the Low Power Mode is enabled, the Apple Watch will be able to get up to 36 hours of battery life per charge.

Apple says Low Power Mode will temporarily disable or limit select sensors and features, including the always-on display, autostart workouts, heart health notifications, and more. Other features like activity tracking and fall detection will remain available.

The new Low Power Mode in watchOS 9 is separate from the Apple Watch's existing Power Reserve mode that only displays the clock when enabled.

Low Power Mode is just one of many new features that will be available on the all-new Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE, which are available to pre-order starting today and will launch on September 16. Other new features for the Apple Watch Series 8 include a body temperature sensor focused on women's health and car crash detection.

As for the new high-end Apple Watch Ultra, Apple said a new battery optimization feature will be available later this year that allows the device to get up to 60 hours of battery life per charge. It sounds like this feature will be separate from the Low Power Mode.