Apple Watch Battery Draining Fast? Try These Fixes

Common causes

• Using cellular instead of Wi-Fi
• A weak Wi-Fi or cellular signal
• Playing audio through the watch’s built-in speaker
• Apps refreshing in the background
• Background tasks that continue after a watchOS update
• An aging battery that holds less charge than when it was new

Step-by-Step Solutions

Start with the quick checks at the top, which don’t turn anything off, then work down to the settings that trade features for battery life.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check your battery level and history

   The Battery screen shows how the charge has gone down since you last charged.

   Press the side button to open Control Center and see the battery percentage. For more detail, open the Settings app on your watch and tap Battery. The Battery screen shows the remaining percentage, a graph of the recent history of the battery charge and when the battery was last charged.

   To keep an eye on the level at a glance, add a battery complication to your watch face.

   Good to know

   With watchOS 27, your watch can also extend battery life by pausing features you don’t use often. An Extending Battery notification tells you which feature was paused, and you can tap the Settings button in it to turn the feature back on.

2. 2

   Step 2: If it started after a watchOS update, wait a few days

   Some update tasks keep running in the background after watchOS installs.

   You can use your watch right after a watchOS update, but certain tasks related to the update continue in the background and might affect battery life.

   If battery life has dropped since you updated, wait a few days and then check again.

3. 3

   Step 3: Keep your watch near your iPhone

   Your watch is most efficient when it has a Bluetooth connection to the iPhone it’s paired with.

   You can use many features without your iPhone nearby, but when battery life is a priority, keep your watch and iPhone within range of each other.

   When your iPhone isn’t nearby, your watch can connect to Wi-Fi, or to cellular if your watch supports it. Wi-Fi uses less battery power than cellular, so use Wi-Fi when you can. Your watch joins Wi-Fi networks your iPhone has used before automatically. To join another, open Settings on your watch, tap Wi-Fi, then choose a network.

4. 4

   Step 4: Avoid weak signals or use Airplane Mode

   Wi-Fi and cellular connections use less power where the signal is strong.

   Away from your iPhone, try to use a Wi-Fi network with a strong signal, or use cellular in an area with good coverage. To check your signal, press the side button to open Control Center and look at the top of the display for a small blue Wi-Fi icon or a green cellular icon. Their bars show the signal strength.

   If you’ll be somewhere with weak Wi-Fi or no cellular coverage for some time, turn on Airplane Mode to save battery.

5. 5

   Step 5: Listen with headphones, not the watch speaker

   Playing audio through the built-in speaker can drain the battery more quickly.

   Newer Apple Watch models can play audio through the built-in speaker. For the best battery efficiency, listen through AirPods or another Bluetooth audio device instead.

6. 6

   Step 6: Turn off Always On

   Turning off the Always On display can increase battery life, without turning on Low Power Mode.

   With Always On, the time stays visible along with your watch face, notifications and other information. It is on by default on Apple Watch Series 5 and later, Apple Watch SE 3 and Apple Watch Ultra and later.

   To turn it off, open the Settings app on your watch, tap Display & Brightness, scroll down and tap Always On, then tap Always On to turn the feature off.

   Good to know

   Low Power Mode also turns off Always On, so you don’t need to change this setting if you plan to use Low Power Mode.

7. 7

   Step 7: Limit background app refresh

   Apps can still refresh in the background after you switch away from them, and that can use power.

   Open the Settings app on your watch, tap General, then tap Background App Refresh. Turn off Background App Refresh to stop all apps from refreshing, or scroll down and turn it off only for individual apps.

   Good to know

   Apps with complications on your current watch face keep refreshing even when their background refresh setting is off.

8. 8

   Step 8: Turn on Low Power Mode when you need more time

   Low Power Mode reduces the power your watch uses by turning off or limiting some features.

   Press the side button to open Control Center, tap the battery percentage button, then turn on Low Power Mode. You can also open the Settings app, scroll down, tap Battery and turn it on there. Choose Turn On, or Turn On For to keep it on for 1, 2 or 3 days. A yellow circle icon appears at the top of the screen while it’s on.

   Your watch also asks whether you want to turn on Low Power Mode when the battery goes down to 10%. It turns off by itself when the battery is charged to 80%, unless you chose a number of days.

   Low Power Mode turns off features such as the Always On display and background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements. When your iPhone isn’t nearby, it also turns off Wi-Fi and cellular connections and incoming calls and notifications, and missed calls and notifications are retrieved once an hour.

   For workouts, open Settings, tap Workout, then tap Low Power Mode to have it turn on whenever you start a workout in the Workout app. On supported models, you can also tap Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings in the same place, so your watch takes fewer readings during outdoor walking, running or hiking workouts while Low Power Mode is on.

   Good to know

   Other notifications may be delayed and emergency alerts may not arrive in Low Power Mode. If you open an app that needs a data connection while your iPhone isn’t nearby, Wi-Fi or cellular turns on, which can use a lot of battery.

9. 9

   Step 9: On a long day, pause battery optimization

   Optimized Battery Charging and Optimized Charge Limit protect the battery over time, and you can turn them off when you need the most charge.

   These features help maintain your battery’s maximum capacity over its lifespan. When it’s important for your watch to last as long as possible between charges, open the Settings app, scroll down and tap Battery, then tap Battery Health. Turn off Optimized Battery Charging or Optimized Charge Limit, then choose Turn Off Until Tomorrow or Turn Off.

   Good to know

   Turning off Optimized Charge Limit can increase wear on your battery and reduce its lifespan.

10. 10

    Step 10: Check Battery Health

    Like all rechargeable batteries, your watch battery holds less charge as it ages.

    Open the Settings app on your watch, tap Battery, then tap Battery Health, and scroll down to Maximum Capacity. The percentage compares your battery’s capacity with when it was new. As a battery ages, it holds less charge, so your watch needs charging sooner.

    Your watch alerts you when battery capacity is significantly reduced. If Battery Health shows Battery Needs Service, see the section below.

    Good to know

    A new watch can show slightly less than 100 percent, depending on how long it was between when it was made and when it was activated. Some models also recalibrate and estimate maximum capacity more accurately after a software update.

Frequently Asked Questions