Lightning bolt on a smartwatch: what does it mean?
The same bolt means different things: charging or low battery on an Apple Watch, charging on a Pixel Watch, and a connected power meter on a Garmin.
This shape means different things on different watches — check which maker’s line matches yours.
What each maker says
- Apple Watch — Green: charging. Red: battery low. A green lightning bolt means the Apple Watch is charging. A red lightning bolt means the Apple Watch battery is low.
Source: Apple Support: Check the status of Apple Watch (Apple Watch User Guide) (checked 2026-09-29) - Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit — Pixel Watch charging from empty. When a Pixel Watch with a flat battery is placed on its charger, a lightning bolt should appear after about 8 seconds, showing the watch has detected the charger. Google’s next steps: after about 35 seconds pressing the crown shows a low percentage, and after about 7 minutes the coloured G appears as the watch starts up.
Source: Google Pixel Watch Help: Fix a Google Pixel Watch that won’t charge (checked 2026-09-29) - Garmin — Power meter status. In the status bar during an activity, the bolt is the power meter (bike power) sensor. A flashing icon means the watch is searching for the sensor; a solid icon means it is connected.
Source: Garmin Forerunner 265 Series Owner’s Manual: GPS Status and Status Icons (checked 2026-09-29)
- What it looks like
- A zigzag lightning bolt with no battery around it. Apple draws it green when charging and red when the battery is low; on a Garmin it is a small black or white bolt in the status bar during an activity.
- Shown by
- Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit, Garmin
Telling it apart
On a Garmin the bolt only appears during an activity with a power meter paired — it says nothing about the watch’s own battery, which has its own battery icon.
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.
- Apple Watch — Apple Support: Check the status of Apple Watch (Apple Watch User Guide). Covers: watchOS 27, the version the guide opened on; not dated on the page. Checked 2026-09-29.
- Google Pixel Watch and Fitbit — Google Pixel Watch Help: Fix a Google Pixel Watch that won’t charge. Covers: Google Pixel Watch; software version not stated; 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.