What To Know
- While turning off the always-on display is a great start, there are other ways to maximize your Garmin Vivoactive 4S’s battery life.
- You’ll need to actively wake the display by pressing a button or flicking your wrist to check the time or your stats.
- Can I schedule the always-on display to turn on and off at specific times.
If you’re a proud owner of the Garmin Vivoactive 4S, you’ve likely been impressed by its sleek design and advanced features. However, the always-on display, while convenient, can sometimes drain your battery faster than you’d like. Fortunately, turning off this feature is a simple process. This guide will walk you through the steps, providing a comprehensive solution to your battery life concerns.
Understanding the Always-On Display
The always-on display is a handy feature that keeps your watch face visible even when you’re not actively using it. This eliminates the need to flick your wrist to check the time or your stats. However, this constant illumination comes at a cost – battery life.
Why Turn Off the Always-On Display?
There are several reasons why you might want to disable the always-on display on your Garmin Vivoactive 4S:
- Extended Battery Life: The most significant reason is to conserve battery power. By turning off the constant display, you can significantly extend the time between charges, especially if you’re a heavy user.
- Reduced Screen Burn-In: While newer AMOLED screens are less susceptible to burn-in, it’s still a potential concern. Keeping the display constantly on can increase the risk of screen burn-in, particularly with static elements like watch faces.
- Enhanced Privacy: Some users prefer the added privacy of having the display off when not actively using the watch. This prevents others from seeing your notifications or personal information displayed on the screen.
Turning Off the Always-On Display: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Access the Settings: From the watch face, swipe down from the top of the screen to access the quick settings menu.
2. Navigate to System Settings: Scroll down the quick settings menu and tap on the gear icon to access the system settings.
3. Find Display Settings: Within the system settings, locate and tap on the “Display” option.
4. Disable Always-On: In the display settings, you’ll find an option labeled “Always-On Display.” Toggle this option off to disable the always-on display.
Tips for Conserving Battery Life
While turning off the always-on display is a great start, there are other ways to maximize your Garmin Vivoactive 4S’s battery life:
- Adjust Brightness: Lowering the screen brightness can significantly reduce battery consumption.
- Reduce Notifications: Turning off unnecessary notifications can save battery power. You can customize which apps are allowed to send notifications to your watch.
- Disable Wrist Gestures: While convenient, wrist gestures to wake the screen consume battery. Consider turning them off if you’re not heavily reliant on them.
- Use Battery Saver Mode: For extreme battery conservation, enable the battery saver mode. This mode reduces functionality and display brightness to extend battery life.
Understanding the Trade-Offs
While turning off the always-on display offers benefits, it’s important to consider the trade-offs:
- Reduced Convenience: You’ll need to actively wake the display by pressing a button or flicking your wrist to check the time or your stats.
- Missed Notifications: You might miss important notifications if you’re not actively looking at your watch.
- Potentially Less Appealing: The watch face will be completely dark when not in use, which some users might find less appealing.
Making the Right Choice for You
Ultimately, the decision of whether to keep the always-on display enabled or disabled is a personal one. Consider your usage patterns, battery life needs, and personal preferences to make the choice that best suits you.
Beyond the Basics: Additional Considerations
- Watch Face Selection: Some watch faces are designed to be more battery-efficient than others. Choose watch faces that are less complex and have minimal animations.
- Software Updates: Garmin regularly releases software updates to improve battery life and performance. Make sure your watch has the latest software update installed.
- Third-Party Apps: Some third-party apps can drain your battery quickly. Consider disabling or uninstalling apps you don’t use frequently.
Living with a Darker Watch Face
While it might take some getting used to, you’ll likely find that using your Garmin Vivoactive 4S without the always-on display is a seamless experience. The increased battery life and peace of mind you gain will outweigh any minor inconvenience.
Questions You May Have
Q: Can I schedule the always-on display to turn on and off at specific times?
A: Unfortunately, the Garmin Vivoactive 4S doesn’t offer a scheduling feature for the always-on display. It’s either on or off.
Q: Does turning off the always-on display affect the accuracy of my heart rate sensor?
A: No, turning off the always-on display doesn‘t affect the heart rate sensor‘s accuracy. The sensor operates independently from the watch’s display.
Q: Is it possible to have the always-on display only show the time?
A: No, the always-on display doesn‘t allow for partial display content. It’s either fully on or fully off.
Q: Will turning off the always-on display significantly impact the watch’s performance?
A: No, turning off the always-on display won‘t affect the watch’s overall performance. You’ll still be able to use all the features and apps as usual.
Q: Is there a way to customize the brightness of the always-on display?
A: No, the Garmin Vivoactive 4S doesn’t offer separate brightness settings for the always-on display. The brightness of the always-on display is linked to the overall screen brightness setting.
