Galaxy Watch 5 Battery Drain: Fixes and Optimization
If your Galaxy Watch 5 battery drains faster than expected (under 40 hours for 40mm or under 50 hours for 44mm), these solutions will help identify and fix the issue.
Expected Battery Life
Normal battery performance for reference.
| Model | Typical Use | Light Use | Heavy Use | With AOD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40mm | 40-48 hours | 48-60 hours | 24-36 hours | 24-28 hours |
| 44mm | 50-60 hours | 60-72 hours | 30-40 hours | 30-36 hours |
If your battery drains significantly faster than these ranges, troubleshooting is needed.
Quick Fixes
Try these first—they resolve about 50% of battery drain issues.
- Restart watch: Press and hold Home button Tap Restart
- Disable Always-On Display:
SettingsDisplayAlways On DisplayOff - Lower brightness: Set to 40-50% or enable Auto
- Close background apps: Press Home button twice Swipe to close all
- Check for software updates:
SettingsSoftware update
Major Battery Drains
The biggest consumers of battery life.
Always-On Display (30-40% impact):
Disabling AOD extends battery by 12-20 hours. Navigate to Settings Display Always On Display Off
Screen Brightness (10-20% impact): Set brightness to 40-60% or use Auto. Swipe down Tap brightness icon Adjust
Continuous Heart Rate (5-15% impact):
Change to every 10 minutes: Samsung Health Settings Heart rate Every 10 minutes
Raise to Wake (10-15% impact):
Disable if not needed: Settings Display Wake-up gesture Off
Other Common Causes
Additional factors that drain battery faster than expected.
Stuck GPS: If GPS icon shows when not working out, restart the watch. GPS drains 8-12% per hour.
Too Many Notifications:
Limit notifications to essential apps in Galaxy Wearable Notifications
Third-Party Apps:
Check battery usage: Settings Battery Battery usage. Uninstall apps using excessive battery.
Poor Bluetooth Connection:
Watch constantly searching for phone drains battery. Ensure phone is within range and Galaxy Wearable has battery optimization disabled.
Recent Software Update: Battery normalizes 3-5 days after updates as the watch optimizes. Wait before troubleshooting further.
Optimal Settings for Maximum Battery
Configure these settings for best battery life.
- Always On Display: Off
- Brightness: 40% or Auto
- Heart rate: Every 10 minutes
- Raise to wake: Off (use Tap to wake instead)
- Wi-Fi: Auto (not Always on)
- Notifications: Limited to essential apps
- Background apps: Close regularly
With these settings, expect 50-60 hours (40mm) or 60-72 hours (44mm).
Power Saving Mode
Enable when battery is low to extend remaining life.
Swipe down from watch face Tap battery icon Enable Power saving
Power Saving Mode disables AOD, reduces brightness, limits background activity, and can double remaining runtime.
Factory Reset (Last Resort)
If all else fails, factory reset often restores normal battery life.
- Backup first:
Galaxy WearableSettingsBackup and restore - Reset:
SettingsGeneralResetFactory data reset - Re-pair with phone and test battery before reinstalling apps
When to Contact Support
Seek Samsung support if:
- Battery drains 0-100% in under 12 hours with minimal use
- All troubleshooting steps failed
- Battery is swelling (watch feels puffy)
- Watch gets extremely hot during normal use
Most Effective Action
Disabling Always-On Display provides the single biggest battery improvement—adding 12-20 hours of use. If you only make one change, start there.
See Also: How Long Does Battery Last|How to Charge Galaxy Watch 5