Battery icon on a Fitbit or Garmin watch: what does it mean?
On a Fitbit a red battery at the top of the clock face means the battery is critically low; on a Garmin it is the battery status during an activity.
What each maker says
- Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit — Battery critically low (Fitbit). Your Fitbit device’s battery is critically low; charge it. Google says the status icons at the top of the clock face disappear after 3 seconds, and you can see them again at the top of quick settings.
Source: Google Health Help Center (Fitbit): How do I navigate my Fitbit device? — Understand status indicators (checked 2026-09-29) - Garmin — Battery status. In the status bar during an activity, the battery icon shows the watch’s battery status.
Source: Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: GPS Status and Status Icons (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- A battery on its side, drawn as an outline. Fitbit shows it red with only a sliver of charge left; Garmin shows it in the status bar during an activity.
- Shown by
- Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit, Garmin
- On a phone
- Battery (plain, yellow or grey) at the top of a phone screen — what it means on an iPhone, Samsung Galaxy or Pixel.
Icons to compare
Sources
Each meaning above is taken from the watch maker’s own guide, fetched and read on the date shown. The drawing is ours; the real icon on your watch may be drawn a little differently and can change with software updates.
- Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit — Google Health Help Center (Fitbit): How do I navigate my Fitbit device? — Understand status indicators. Covers: Fitbit trackers and watches; the status-indicator list appears under each model; not dated on the page. Checked 2026-09-29.
- Garmin — Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: GPS Status and Status Icons. Covers: Forerunner 265 series; the same page is in the Forerunner 165, 965 and 970 and fēnix 7 and 9 manuals; manual version 9, June 2025. Checked 2026-09-29.