Have you noticed your Apple Watch‘s battery life decreasing recently? Do you find yourself having to charge it more frequently to power through the day? As an Apple technology specialist and avid smartwatch user myself, I totally understand the frustration of seeing your wearable‘s battery drain faster before it‘s time.
The goal of this comprehensive troubleshooting guide is to provide readers like you with reliable expert-backed techniques on precisely monitoring your Apple Watch‘s battery level so you can take steps to optimize its performance and lifespan.
Why Apple Watch Battery Level Matters
While Apple indeed makes great strides improving battery capacity with each annual update, real-world usage still takes a toll with prolonged and intense use over time.
As you can see in the table below, regular usage factors like notifications, workout tracking with GPS/LTE cellular, display brightness, background app refresh all drain battery faster – reducing run time per charge:
| Apple Watch Series | Battery Capacity | Apple‘s Advertised Battery Life | Real-World Runtime Based On Usage Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series 8 | 308.8 mAh | 18 hours of "mixed usage" | 12-60 hours |
| Series 7 | 308.8 mAh | 18 hours of "mixed usage" | 12-60 hours |
| Series 6 | 303.8 mAh | 18 hours of "mixed usage" | 12-54 hours |
| Series 5 | 296 mAh | 18 hours of "mixed usage" | 12-48 hours |
Additionally, research shows repeatedly discharging to 0% and charging to 100% degrades lithium-ion batteries‘ maximum capacity over time. Most Apple Watch batteries maintain decent capacity for 2-3 years before performance drop-off.
So checking your battery level helps identify if it‘s draining faster than normal. You can then tweak settings to extend runtime per charge or replace battery if capacity has faded considerably.
Top 3 Techniques to Check Your Apple Watch‘s Battery Level
Wondering exactly how to view your Apple Watch‘s current battery percentage and monitor discharge rate? Here are the 3 simplest tried and tested methods:
1. Open Control Center
This is the go-to way for instantly checking battery status.
Follow these steps:
- Wake your Apple Watch display with a tap if inactive.
- Firmly press down on the bottom edge of the display to trigger Control Center.
- Swipe up to reveal the full Control Center menu.
In the top-right area, you‘ll clearly see both the percentage of battery charge remaining and a battery icon indicating level.
This allows you to check battery level within seconds without navigating away from your current watch face or app.
2. View Battery Icon When Charging
If your Apple Watch is currently charging, checking current charge status is simple:
- Look in the top left area of watch face.
- Tap the green lightning bolt charging icon.
- A battery percentage pops up, allowing you to track charging progress.
As I often work long hours in front of my computer with my watch charging within view, I use this method to glance at increasing charge without unplugging device.
So if your watch is charging, no need to stop to check!
3. Add Battery Complication to Watch Face
For an always-on battery level indicator without swiping to Control Center, add the native Battery complication:
- On your paired iPhone, open the Watch mobile app.
- Tap the Face Gallery and select your current Apple Watch face.
- Tap Edit, then scroll down and add the Battery complication from the list.
- You can drag to place it in your desired watch face location.
Once enabled, simply raise your wrist and you can instantly view current battery percentage without any extra taps!
Some third-party watch faces like Activity Digital also have dedicated battery status areas for convenience.
So that covers the top 3 ways to check battery level on your Apple Watch! Very simple right?
Now let‘s get into pro tips on preserving your battery‘s maximum capacity…
Optimize Your Apple Watch Battery Health & Lifespan
While checking battery percentage is important, extending your smartwatch‘s battery lifespan requires going a bit further with some optimization best practices:
Turn On Optimized Battery Charging
I highly recommending toggling this on in Apple Watch settings, which you can easily do by:
- Opening the Watch app on your iPhone
- Tapping Battery, then Battery Health & Charging
- Scrolling down and enabling Optimized Battery Charging
This feature learns your daily charging routine and waits to finish charging past 80% until necessary to prolong battery health.
I‘ve tested it personally over months and still get through my typical day without issue. The slower overnight charging is gentler on your watch‘s battery.
Adjust Display Brightness & Settings
The Apple Watch display drains a considerable portion of battery when active. Try these adjustments:
- Lower brightness below mid-level when indoors/at night
- Enable Auto-Brightness so display dims automatically when not needed
- Turn off Always On Display mode if enabled
- Choose a basic watch face without active animations or complications
I prefer the classic plain Numerals Duo face on my Series 5 watch to save power.
Change Notification & Background App Settings
It‘s easy to get bombarded with non-essential notifications on your wrist. Cull this list selectively disabling prominent battery drainers.
Force quitting apps like social media when not actively in use can also help. Restrict Refresh and background app activity where possible, especially for third-party apps.
FAQs – Apple Watch Battery Issues & Performance
Q: Why has my Apple Watch battery life decreased lately?
A: As mentioned earlier, lithium-ion batteries lose maximum capacity after 300-500 discharge cycles typically. Frequent full discharges, high ambient temperatures, and running resource-intensive apps/features accelerates fading capacity.
Q: How often should I check Apple Watch battery level?
A: Ideally once daily when you remove it for charging overnight. Additionally, periodically checking during daytime or workout use will help identify if battery is draining abnormally fast.
Q: My Apple Watch dies well before 18 hour mark. What should I do?
A: If it‘s a newer model, try unpairing and repairing watch with iPhone to reset battery calibration. Update to latest OS version. Toggle off battery draining features like AOD, background app refresh. Lower brightness levels. If issue persists, battery replacement may be needed.
Q: What‘s the typical Apple Watch battery lifespan?
A: With regular charging habits to 80% instead of 100%, avoiding exposure to high heat, most Apple Watch batteries maintain over 80% of original capacity for 1000+ charge cycles lasting 2-3 years before replacement needed.
Let Your Apple Watch Power Through Your Days
I hope you found this ultimate troubleshooting guide useful for keeping your Apple Watch‘s battery in optimum shape! Remember to check battery percentage routinely using the quick methods outlined. Combining active battery monitoring with the battery-preserving best practices can help your watch last comfortably through days without charging anxiety.
Have any other Apple Watch battery tips or questions? Let me know in comments!
