Battery Life for Time and Time Steel

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Pebble Time's battery will last up to 7 days, depending on the number of notifications received per day, type of apps used, and the use of the backlight and voice replies.

Pebble Time Steel has a larger battery than any previous Pebble model and can last up to 10 days on a single charge, depending on the same factors above.
 
Battery Indicators
How to Charge Pebble
Extending Your Battery Life

Troubleshooting
 



Battery Indicators:

On both versions of Pebble Time, the battery life indicator can be found at the bottom left corner of the Settings icon in Pebble's main menu. It will be expressed as a percentage. However, you will also receive a notification reminding you to charge your Pebble Time when your battery is low. The notification will let you know approximately how far into the future your watch will last: until morning, the afternoon, etc.

If your battery is not lasting for more than 4 days, please make sure that you are charging your battery completely before reuse. Charging from a depleted state to a full battery should take approximately 3 hours. For more information, visit the Troubleshooting section below.

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How To Charge Pebble:

If your battery is low or completely depleted, you can recharge Pebble Time with our special USB cable, which is provided with every purchase. If you have lost your cable or would like to purchase a spare one just in case, they will be made available for purchase through our website once we have built up some excess stock. They will be listed under accessories and have free standard shipping.

If you need one sooner, please Contact Support.

Please note that the Pebble Classic charging cables are not cross-compatible with Pebble Time charging cables.


The cable connects magnetically with the charging port on the back of Pebble Time.

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Extending Your Battery Life:
If your battery life is not lasting as long as you'd like or need it to, we have a few suggestions to help your Pebble's battery last longer.

  • Set your backlight to Auto.
    This option will use the light sensor within your Pebble Time to prevent it from turning on in well lit areas. Please note that, with this setting, your backlight will still trigger for movement if you're wearing longsleeves over your watch. In that case, the next suggestion will be more conservative.
    To change this setting, on your Pebble Time please follow this path:
    Settings > Display > 
    Ambient Sensor - On

  • Turn off your backlight motion.
    If you are moving around a lot, you may be accidentally shaking your watch and triggering the backlight. Turning off the "Shake to Light" option will prevent this unnecessary drain.
    To change this setting, on your Pebble Time please follow this path:
    Settings > Display > Motion Enabled - Off

  • Turn off vibration
    By default, Pebble Time vibrates to let you know when you receive a notification. You can help extend your battery life by disabling the vibration in situations when you don't need it.
    To change this setting, on your Pebble Time please follow this path:
    Settings > Notifications > Vibration - Disabled

  • Use Quiet Time
    If there is a period of time when you do not require notifications (eg. at a special event), rather than shut down your Pebble Time or simply ignore the notifications, you can turn notifications off or limit them to phone calls. This prevents battery drain since Pebble Time will not be using vibration, or activating the backlight.
    You can set up a weekday or weekend schedule, for reoccurring periods of time when you shouldn't be disturbed, or make your watch calendar aware so it automatically quiets notifications during events. You can also toggle it on and off manually by pressing the back button for 3 seconds while your watchface is displayed. 
    To change this setting, on your Pebble Time please follow this path:

    Settings > Notifications > Quiet Time

  • Avoid ​Voice Replies
    To process and transcribe your voice input to text requires communication between your phone and Pebble Time. So battery life will be affected by voice use, and should be used sparingly if you need to stretch out your remaining battery life. However, we have limited SMS replies to 6 seconds of active recording to try and prevent unnecessary drain.

  • Avoid watchfaces that are animated, data-driven, or refresh frequently
    Watchfaces that require frequent updates to show the seconds passing or animation may cause your battery to drain quicker than more stable ones that only update once a minute. Similarly, some dynamic watchfaces that show things such as the weather, location information, etc. consume more power since they require the watch to be more responsive and communicate with Bluetooth

  • Delete "Companion apps"
    Using companion apps (apps on your phone that want to talk to Pebble Time over Bluetooth) will cause Bluetooth communication and drain the battery. If you would like to conserve your battery life, you may wish to delete any Pebble Time companion apps from your phone -- with the obvious exception the Pebble Time phone app.

  • Leave Bluetooth turned on
    If you turn off the Bluetooth on your phone, it will cause more power draw than leaving it on as the Pebble Time will be trying to connect. So please be sure to keep your the Bluetooth enabled on your phone.

  • Re-establish your Bluetooth connection.
    Occasionally, Bluetooth issues may cause a drain as your watch tries to re-establish a lost connection. To help avoid this, be sure to check on your connection periodically and reset it if you suspect an issue.
    For instructions to re-establish your Bluetooth connection with iOS, click here.

    For instructions to re-establish your Bluetooth connection with Android, click here.

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Troubleshooting
Not Charging / Turning On:
If you believe that you have an issue with your charging cable or charging port, we have a few troubleshooting suggestions that may solve your problem.

Please be sure to give it enough time to charge and turn on; occasionally, after a depleted battery, Pebble Time may take a while to wake up. We recommend charging Pebble Time for at least 3 hours and then trying to turn it on again by holding the Back button on the left side for 5-10 seconds. It also helps to try turning it on at least once while connected to the cable and once while it is detached.

Be sure to try multiple ports and outlets if Pebble Time does not initially indicate that it is charging, as some USB chargers (especially those with batteries built in, or those designed to charge iOS devices) will not reliably charge the Pebble Time, as it draws such little power.

If your cable is still not connecting properly with your Pebble Time, please try the following:

  • Polish the metal charging stations on the cable and on Pebble Time to make sure that there is not a coating or substance preventing the magnetic connection. You can use a pencil eraser to deoxidize and polish them.

  • Clean all four of the contacts up with (90% or higher) rubbing alcohol.  

  • The charging cable's contacts are spring loaded pins.  Depress each of them and make sure that they are popping back smoothly up to the same height relative to each other.


If the cleaning did not help, please Contact Support and we can set you up with a replacement cable. Please let us know that you have tried the troubleshooting from this page, and anything of note that may be a contributing factor. For example, are the pins or cable misaligned? Are there only certain circumstances when it doesn't work?

If you believe that the cable works but your Pebble Time is still not turning on (ie. there is an issue with the software on the Pebble), please
Contact Support through your Pebble Time mobile app so that our Support Team receives the data logs they need to diagnose the issue and prevent it from happening to anyone else.


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Low Battery Life

If you are still experiencing low battery life (less than 4 days) after trying the tips and troubleshooting listed above, please Contact Support through your Pebble Time mobile app so that our team receives the information they need to properly diagnose the issue. Do not skip the collection of the logs.

Our support team will be able to analyze your individual use patterns and provide specific tips or recommendations to increase the time between charges.

Please also include the title "Battery Life" and let us know that you have already tried the suggestions in this article.

Please also let us know:

  • How many notifications do you receive (approximately) on average in a day on your Pebble?

  • Have you noticed any interruption in notifications in the few hours before the battery dies?​​

And of course, if there is a hardware issue preventing you from being able to get the most out of your Pebble Time, we've got you covered under our warranty.

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