How To Check Your Apple Watch's Battery Health

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By Shikhar Mehrotra/Sept. 5, 2022 1:33 pm EDT

Apple Watch is one of the most popular smart wearables in the world, according to Counterpoint Research, . It not only offers an excellent user experience, thanks to watchOS, it is also fairly accurate when it comes to health monitoring. With every version, Apple has improved the wearable with new features and functionality to the extent that users have a hard time keeping track of them. However, just like the iPhone, regular usage of the Apple Watch can wear out the battery. If you have been using an Apple Watch a while, you might have noticed a slight drop in your device's battery life.

It could occur due to regular usage, when storing the Apple Watch for a long time, or after an operating system update. Although it could be from a malfunction, you might want to check your Apple Watch's battery health before jumping to conclusions. It is easy to understand what the Apple Watch battery health means once you confirm the maximum battery life your Apple Watch can offer, understand the battery health feature, and learn few ways to maximize battery life.

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Before checking the Battery Health of your Apple Watch, you should check the maximum battery life that your device can offer. The latest Apple Watch Series 7 can last up to 18 hours on a single charge. The 18 hours include up to 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of active app usage on the watch, and 60 minutes of workout with music playback. The GPS models offer 18 hours of Bluetooth connection with an iPhone (via Apple). The GPS + Cellular models provide a total of four hours of LTE connection and 14 hours of Bluetooth connection with an iPhone.

The company mentions that the Series 7 can last up to one and a half hours on an LTE call, has 11 hours of playback from its storage, and offers up to eight hours of streaming via LTE. Last but not least, if you use your Apple Watch Series 7 for outdoor workouts with GPS and LTE, it could last up to six hours. For those with an Apple Watch SE, the total battery life that the company promises remains 18 hours; however, music playback from storage, streaming over LTE, indoor and outdoor workout hours are fewer than that of the Apple Watch Series 7 (via Apple).

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Although you don't need to check your Apple Watch's health regularly, keeping track of it is a good idea, especially if you're facing issues like random shutdowns or your charge lasts a lot less time than it used to. In that case, it is time to check the maximum battery capacity, which is the main battery health indicator on the Apple Watch.

The steps involved in checking battery health on an Apple Watch are similar to that on the iPhone. To check the maximum battery capacity on your Apple Watch, press the crown button to open the app drawer and head to the Settings menu (via idropnews). Tap on Battery and then select Battery Health. Here, you will find the maximum battery capacity as a percentage. If it is above 80%, you need not worry, as your Apple Watch's battery is doing okay. However, if the battery health is less than 80%, regardless of the time you've owned the watch, you should visit an Apple Store to get it replaced.

Ideally, the maximum battery capacity of a new Apple Watch should be 100%. However, Apple does mention on its website that due to the time difference between when its products are manufactured and when you purchase them, the maximum capacity may be short of 100%. Once you've purchased the Apple Watch, you can expect a 1 to 3% drop every month.

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As you charge a battery-operated device over and over, the battery loses its maximum charge holding potential, leading to depleted battery life. Apple explains this very elaborately on one of its support pages. It mentions that Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch 5 and later models come with mechanisms "that help reduce performance impacts that may be noticed in certain conditions such as battery with a low state of charge, a high peak power situation, or a chemically aged battery."

The battery inside Apple Watch is no different. It is designed to deliver a certain number of hours on a single charge, but as the Apple Watch ages, so does the battery inside it. Usually, you won't be able to tell the difference until its maximum capacity decreases significantly. Still, with the battery health feature on the Apple Watch, you can monitor the maximum capacity any day. In other words, the battery health feature on Apple Watch and other Apple devices is an indicator that informs users about the state of batteries in their devices.

Apple

There are a few things that can help maximize the battery life for an Apple Watch. First, Apple suggests everyone run their smartwatch on the latest version of watchOS. Further, you can switch to the Low Power Mode while running with your Apple Watch. The company also recommends users pair an external Bluetooth chest strap with their watch, especially during long workouts. This will save the watch's battery and simultaneously provide users with desired statistics. Another feature that could help maximize the battery's lifespan is Optimized Battery Charging. When enabled, the feature learns about your usage patterns and limits charging to 100% by delaying charging past 80%.

If you are someone that wears your Apple Watch to work and do not want the screen to turn on every time you lift your wrist, you can activate the Theater Mode or disable the Wake Screen on Wrist Raise feature. Either way, you will decrease the screen-on time and increase the effective battery life. Additionally, you can also view and monitor the battery usage information. Last but not least, Apple suggests you keep your iPhone's Bluetooth on for power-efficient communication between the Apple Watch and your iPhone.