Learn how to manage your Apple Watch’s Background App Refresh with just a few taps.
Just like your iPhone, your Apple Watch also has a feature called Background App Refresh, which helps apps search for new content even if you’re not using them. While this feature is handy, it might also help reduce your Apple Watch’s battery life faster.
Fortunately, you can manage Background App Refresh with just a few taps.
What Is Background App Refresh?
Background App Refresh is a feature you can find in most Apple devices, including your Apple Watch. This feature helps apps on your device check for updates and new content even if you aren’t using it.
For instance, even if you aren’t actively using the Instagram app at the time, you can still get notifications because the app is constantly looking for new updates in the background.
And while constantly searching for updates is a good idea, this might reduce your battery life pretty quickly. Not to mention that checking your notifications is an unproductive tech habit you should try to get rid of.
How to Manage Your Apple Watch’s Background App Refresh
Not every app needs to search for updates constantly, which is why it’s best to manage Background App Refresh to whatever fills your needs. You can manage your Apple Watch’s Background App Refresh on your Apple Watch and your iPhone like this:
How to Manage Background App Refresh From Apple Watch
- Press the Digital Crown to go to your Home Screen.
- Tap the Settings icon.
- Scroll down and select General.
- Scroll down again and tap Background App Refresh.
- You can disable Background App Refresh to stop using this feature or scroll down and disable any app you want.
- When you’re done, exit the Settings app.
How to Manage Background App Refresh From iPhone
- Open the Watch app.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and select Background App Refresh.
- Toggle Background App Refresh off to disable it or select the apps you want to disable individually.
Master Your Apple Watch
Managing Background App Refresh is a great way to save battery life on your Apple Watch, and it may also help you quiet down some annoying notifications, so you can focus on what’s important throughout your day. There’s no right answer here, so test this feature and manage your apps however you want.
