Background app refresh is a feature type that requires intelligent management. If you don’t take control, fast battery drain will shake your Apple Watch. Fortunately, managing background refresh for apps on the Apple Watch is pretty straightforward. So, if you have noticed an unexpected battery drain on your watchOS device or you want to take necessary action in advance, follow along to customize your Apple Watch apps for background app refresh.
How to Manage Background Refresh for Apps on watchOS
Background app refresh plays an important role in keeping the app running smoothly. While there is no denying the fact that it has been quite helpful in improving the user experience, it remains one of the most power-hungry features.
Just like iOS, watchOS allows you to enable/disable background app refresh for a specific app on your Apple Watch. If you want to turn your smartwatch off completely to conserve battery life, there’s also a way to do it thanks to the “Home” switch.
What is the problem? While it’s not a catch per se, keep in mind that apps with current watch face complications will still refresh on the Apple Watch even if the background app refresh settings are disabled. That’s all, let’s get started!
Enable/Disable Background App Refresh Using the Watch App for iPhone
- Hungry watch app on your iPhone.
2. Now, My Watch tab selected in the lower left corner.
3. Next, tap on it. General.
4. Next, tap on Refresh apps in the background.
Next up, you should see a list of all the apps on your Apple Watch that have access to background app refresh. Now you can turn off the switch right next to each app you don’t want to refresh in the background
I recommend disabling the switch for each app you don’t use often, and keeping the toggle on for apps you use more often.
Also, there is a main background app refresh button in the top center. If your Apple Watch is draining a lot of battery or you want to reduce unnecessary battery consumption, turn off this main toggle.
Turn off/on Background App Refresh on Apple Watch
- start Settings app On your Apple Watch.
2. Now, tap on General.
3. Next, tap on it. Refresh apps in the background.
4. Next or turn off toggle for a specific app or disable background app refresh altogether on your smart watch.
Easily Manage Background App Refresh on Apple Watch
That is all! Now that you know how to take control of background app refresh on Apple Watch, make the most of it to avoid unnecessary battery drain issue. Depending on your needs, you can disable it entirely or allow only individual apps to refresh in the background. Also, be sure to check out our article on common Apple Watch problems and their fixes. You will get loads of tips to help you solve common problems and improve user experience.
