Device not starting In rare cases, your TomTom GO navigation device may not start correctly or may stop responding to your taps. First, check that the battery is properly charged. To charge the battery, connect your device to the car charger. It can take up to 2 hours to fully charge the battery.
On a new watch, with a fully charged battery your watch can be used for up to 10 hours of activities that need GPS reception, such as running and cycling. This time will decrease over time of use of the watch.
If you see a sudden decrease in battery life, try the following:
- Your watch and your phone may be trying to establish a Bluetooth connection without success, for example when you phone isn’t in reach. To check this, go to SETTINGS > PHONE > MANAGE > SYNCING and switch syncing off.
- Make sure you haven’t accidentally enabled night mode. Check SETTINGS > OPTIONS > NIGHT.
- Batteries deplete over time. This very much depends on individual use.
- Try a factory reset in the Settings of Sports Connect.
The battery uses charge more quickly when you do the following:
- Backlight
You use the backlight on your watch frequently or all the time.
The backlight can be switched on or off in SETTINGS > OPTIONS > NIGHT.
Tip: You can cover the screen with your palm briefly to temporarily turn on the back light unless you have enabled training that uses laps. - Bluetooth® accessories You can connect the watch to accessories, such as Wireless Sports Headphones, Heart Rate Monitor or Cadence Sensor.
Streaming audio to a wireless headset or speaker using Bluetooth® has a big impact on battery life. To extend battery life of the watch and headset, power down the headset when you’re not using it.
There is a big difference in how the watch uses battery charge with sensors. The watch uses much more battery charge while searching for a Bluetooth® sensor. Once the sensor is found and linked, there is hardly any impact on battery life time.
For optimal battery life during your activity, make sure the sensor is active and in range, and the sensor icon stops blinking and becomes solid before you start the activity. If you decide to not use a sensor during an activity, make sure it is switched off by pressing down from the Clock screen, then select SENSORS, then OFF. - Tracker You track your heart rate, activities or sleep on a 24/7 basis. Of these, 24/7 heart rate tracking has the biggest impact on battery life. Note: Activity tracking is not available on all watches.
- Beeping and buzzing
You use training options that generate a lot of beeping and buzzing. - Mobile sync
Your watch is set to sync with your mobile phone.There are three options under SETTINGS > PHONE > MANAGE > SYNCING- ON – This is needed to enable phone notifications and to automatically upload activities to your smartphone. Depending on how many applications you have open in the background, activities are synced without having to open the app.
- MANUAL – Activities are only uploaded once you wake up the watch by pressing down from the clock screen and you have the app open on your smartphone.
- OFF – This is the best setting for saving battery life. However, this will not allow you to sync your activities with your smartphone.
- Smartphone notifications
You enable smartphone notifications in SETTINGS > PHONE > MANAGE > ALERTS. This uses a permanent Bluetooth connection. The impact depends on various factors including what kind of smartphone you are using. This option is not available and greyed out if syncing is set to MANUAL or OFF.
When the watch is connected to the computer or a wall charger you are shown two different icons:
Charging but not yet full |
On power and fully charged |
Tip: Make sure you fully charge your watch before any important running, cycling or swimming activities.
A rechargeable battery is part of almost every GPS device, from mainstream automotive models to the wristwatch versions used by athletes. Except for those watches and a few other special-purpose devices, most GPS devices use the same standardized USB chargers you'd see with cellular phones, MP3 players, cameras and other electronics. For example, if you've put a TomTom navigator in your car, it would include a cigarette lighter adapter to provide power and battery charging.
About USB Adapters
The USB standard was established initially for use by computers and their related accessories. Its four-wire interface sends both a data signal and 5V power, enabling low-power devices to work without an additional power source. A normal USB port is limited to 500 milliamps of current, which will power many devices but is slow for charging. TomTom GPS devices and other portable electronics use smaller mini- and micro-USB connections, which add a fifth wire. By bridging the fourth and fifth wires with a resistor, manufacturers can increase the current to as much as 2.1 amps, providing faster charging for your electronics and providing ample operating power.
TomTom DC Charger
The standard adapter that comes with most TomTom devices is intended for use in your car, where it acts primarily as a power adapter for your day-to-day driving and navigating but also charges the built-in battery. The standard output for TomTom's DC adapter/charger cords is 1.2 amps, which ordinarily will provide a full charge in four hours or less. Some TomTom models have a special DC power adapter that incorporates a receiver and antenna for traffic data into the cord. The company also manufactures a high-speed dual car charger, which puts out 2.1 amps of power and can charge iPads or other higher-drain devices.
AC Chargers
There are times when charging your GPS in the car isn't a convenient option, so TomTom also sells AC chargers for most models. A few are specific to individual models or series, but the company's universal AC charger will accommodate most. It comes with a mini-USB connection permanently installed at the end of its cable, and uses a micro-USB adapter for GPS devices with the smaller connector. Like the car charger, it puts out 1.2 amps for charging purposes, and you can use it to power your TomTom while you plan or edit routes. It accepts 110V to 240V input, and can be used internationally with the appropriate AC plug adapters.
Computer USB Ports
It's also possible to charge your TomTom from your computer's USB ports. Some newer computers have special high-output USB charging connectors, which provide enough amperage to power or charge your TomTom. Conventional USB connectors are limited to 500 milliamps of current, and can charge your battery overnight but won't power the GPS. Some mini- and micro-USB cables are intended for data use only and won't charge your TomTom, so be sure to test your cables before you depend on them. Most cables look alike, so it's prudent to mark your charging cables with paint, colored tape or some other form of identification.
Video of the Day
Brought to you by Techwalla