Why Is My Apple Watch Battery Draining Quickly? How to Fix Fast Batter

The Apple Watch is an incredible smartwatch, but battery life isn't one of its strongest suits. Since its debut, Apple has stuck with an all-day battery life of around 18 hours across all models, from Series 1 to Series 10.

However, it can be frustrating if your Apple Watch is draining faster than expected. Let's explore why this happens and how you can extend the battery life of your Apple Watch.

How Long Does an Apple Watch Battery Last?

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PITAKA Portable Apple Watch Charger

According to the Cupertino-based tech giant, the Apple Watch has an all-day battery life of up to 18 hours. This estimate assumes a mix of notifications, workouts, music playback, and other daily tasks.

In reality, battery life varies depending on settings, usage habits, and even the specific Apple Watch model you own.

Why Is My Apple Watch Draining So Fast? How to Fix It?

What if your Apple Watch doesn't last 18 hours? Does it mean there's something wrong with the battery, or are there ways to make your Apple Watch battery last longer?

Below we'll list and discuss the possible reasons why your Apple Watch battery dies so quickly and what you can do to fix it.

1. Pair Your Apple Watch and iPhone Again

First and foremost, disconnect your Apple Watch from your iPhone and pair them again. If your Apple Watch battery life is running faster than it should be, there may be an issue between the Watch and the phone. Repairing the connection could refresh the connection and resolve any underlying issues.

2. Update to the Latest watchOS

From time to time, Apple releases a new software operating system for the Apple Watch to add new features or fix minor bugs.

However, many users reported that their Apple Watch battery drains quickly, with some noticing an even faster drop after updating to watchOS 11. In some cases, the battery drops from 100% to 84% in less than an hour, and is completely running out of charge in just 8 hours. Fortunately, Apple has released watchOS 11.0.1 to fix this issue.

3. Turn Off 'Wake Screen on Wrist Raise'

If you are already familiar with optimizing the battery on your watch, you might know that the display is a massive contributor to battery consumption. The longer the display is on, the faster the battery drains. You don't want the screen to light up every time you reach for your coffee or use your hand to adjust your eyeglasses. Consider turning this feature off in Settings > Display & Brightness and manually tapping the screen when needed.

If you don't want to turn 'Wake Screen on Wrist Raise' completely, you can also limit the display wake time. Ten seconds is more than enough to take a quick look at the screen to tell time or check notifications.

4. Disable Always-On Display

What if the display is always on, even when the wrist is down? That, inevitably, will cause a more significant battery drain. Both the Apple Watch Series 5 and 6 come equipped with the Always On display feature, allowing you to keep an eye on your workout or notifications.

Apple took a step further recently – the screen of Series 6 is 2.5 times brighter when in Always On mode, ultimately consuming the battery further.

5. Lower Screen Brightness

Just as screen brightness affects your iPhone's battery life, the Apple Watch is no exception. There's no need to set the screen brightness of your Apple Watch to 100% unless you're using it outdoors in intense sunlight. Adjust it in Settings > Display & Brightness and set it to a lower level to save battery.

6. Use a Darker Watch Face

Black pixels use the least power on OLED screens since all the LEDs are off. In contrast, white consumes the most energy since LEDs have to light up. Using a darker, minimalist watch face will help increase your Apple Watch battery life.

7. Turn On Reduce Motion

While the only thing moving on an analog watch face is the hands, an Apple Watch digital screen is far more active, such as when you move the screen to access icons. Every movement on your screen requires power and battery consumption.

With Reduce Motion turned on, screen movements are limited, saving some energy, though not much. You can enable it under Settings > Accessibility > Reduce Motion on your Apple Watch or in the Watch app on your iPhone.

8. Close Apps You Are Not Using

Even when you're not actively using an app, they are still running in the background, consuming battery power.

Regularly closing apps that you're not using will increase your Apple Watch battery life. This may be particularly true of users who work out a lot and use an app to track exercise—opening the fitness app to start a run but forgetting to press End afterward.

To completely close the fitness app, press the End button on the app, or remove it from the Apple Watch background.

9. Turn On Workout Power Saving Mode

The heart rate monitor is a great tool to monitor one’s health. Some exercise programs use heart rate as the primary indicator to measure workout intensity, while some use other indicators such as calories burned, miles, etc.

When you're not working out or don't need to measure your workout heart rate, go to Settings > Workout > Power Saving Mode to turn it on.

10. Turn Off 'Hey Siri'

When the display is on, your Watch is listening and ready for those two magic words, "Hey Siri." While asking Apple's PA about the weather, or if it can play your favorite song is extremely handy.

If you rarely use this function, disable this feature under Settings > Siri & Search > Listen for "Hey Siri."

11. Limit Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh allows apps to update in the background, but this can consume unnecessary power. Disable it for apps you don't need in Settings > General > Background App Refresh.

Consider an Apple Watch Charger

If you use your Apple Watch a lot and want to use it in full swing, get a portable Apple Watch charger and take it with you.

The PITAKA Apple Watch charger is small and portable to carry. Its universal USB-port allows you to plug it into any USB-C powered device to charge up your watch. And the translucent design makes it stand out from other Apple Watch chargers.

Basic Rules for Maximizing Apple Watch Battery Life

Although there are plenty of other ways you can save your Apple Watch battery, to keep it simple, just stick to these two basic rules:

Get Rid Of What You Don’t Use.

Do you need that Activity Reminder that tells you to stand every hour when you have long meetings? Probably not. If you haven't used an app for three months, remove it or turn off Background App Refresh to prevent it from downloading content using data or Wi-Fi, which, subsequently, drains the battery faster.

Consider Conserving Your Battery In Different Occasions.

For example, when you are in a movie theater, turn on Theater Mode. When your Watch is running out of juice, turn on Power Reserve mode so you don't get stuck with a dead screen.

Contact Apple Support If It’s A Hardware Issue

Most of the time, it’s a software issue that drains your Apple Watch. If you've already updated to the latest software, checked every aspect of the system, and every app, and still can't solve the issue, it could well be a hardware issue. If this is the case, contact Apple Support or take your Apple Watch to your nearest Apple Store for more assistance.

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