Apple

Apple Watch Series 8 reportedly getting a new Low Power mode

Is this enough of a reason to upgrade?

by
Joe Rice-Jones
June 28, 2022

Image: Unsplash

During WWDC 2022, Apple showed off its in-development operating systems. That included watchOS 9, which will be powering the Apple Watch Series 8. What wasn’t mentioned was the rumored Low Power Mode, and now we know why.

A new report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman talks about the Low Power Mode. His take is that Apple didn’t mention it at WWDC this year because it won’t be a standard feature for watchOS 9. Instead, it will be hardware-specific.

That means you’ll have to buy an Apple Watch Series 8 to get the Low Power Mode. This differs from the current Power Reserve Mode in watchOS, because it lets you continue using apps.

We expect it will work similarly to the Low Power Mode in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Turning that on pauses most background tasks like sync and reduces device performance. This has an overall positive effect on battery life.

Currently, when an Apple Watch user turns Power Reserve Mode on, the only thing shown is the time. Then when you’re back to a charger, you must reboot the Watch to continue using apps again.

If true, Apple’s decision to lock Low Power Mode to only the Apple Watch Series 8 is a strange one. Sure, it does provide a compelling reason to upgrade.

That said, the S8 chip powering the Series 8 is supposedly the same specifications as the S7, from last year’s Series 7.

It also has the same specifications as the S6 used in the Series 6. Unless Apple has added something extra, there should be no reason the Series 6 or Series 7 Apple Watch can’t use the new mode.

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