We never knew we would be able to wear smartphones on our wrists until Apple launched its first Apple Watch on Sept 9, 2014, and created a new portal into its ecosystem. From checking notifications to monitoring heartbeat and taking ECGs, this watch is an all-rounder solution for everyone.
Since it’s capable of so many things, its usage is more, and as a result, users find their batteries draining fast. But this couldn’t be the sole reason for it. Sometimes some issues with the apps running in the background consume your battery faster. Hence, users ask, ‘why does my Apple watch die so fast?’.
Fortunately, we have found many possible reasons for it and decided to share them with you all. So, shall we begin the guide?!
4 Reasons – why does my Apple watch die so fast?
Despite its popularity and outstanding quality, the Apple watch consumes battery faster. However, if it’s no more working than a few minutes, it is something big and problematic. This is the point where your intervention is required. Before we hop onto the fixes, let’s first have a look at what reasons cause the Apple watch to die fast.
4 Reasons: why does my apple watch die so fast:
Reason 1: Software Update
Reason 2: Pairing Issues
Reason 3: Lifespan
Reason 4: Atmospheric Conditions
Fixes to stop Apple watch battery drain:
1) Re-pair it with your phone:
2) Limit wake screen time:
3) Disable wake screen on ‘Wrist Raise’:
4) Reduce Brightness:
5) Disable Push notifications:
6) Turn on ‘Reduce Motion’ toggle:
7) Disable ‘Hey Siri’
8) Update Apple watch’s software:
Reason 1 – Software Update
As soon as Apple releases new software, it recommends updating your device without any delay. Failure to do so will lead to issues like battery draining faster, phone slowing down, etc. therefore, keep yourself updated with the new releases for Apple watch battery improvement.
Reason 2 – Pairing Issues
While some may not believe it, the Apple watch REALLY requires more battery power if there is an issue with holding the connection. It is best to connect it to your phone instantly and to avoid any issue with pairing, keep your iPhone’s Bluetooth activated at all times.
Reason 3 – Lifespan
As devices age, the Apple watch, to be precise. Its battery life gets greatly affected. The same is the case with Apple iPhones. You must have noticed that when your phone ages, its battery life becomes shorter. If you find your Apple watch die-ing faster than usual, then maybe it’s because it is old now. While you can replace your battery with Apple, upgrading to a newer model is better.
Reason 4 – Atmospheric Conditions
Extreme weather and atmospheric conditions are not good for battery life. If you are living in a frigid or hot region and experiencing your battery acting up weirdly, you know that the outside weather is affecting your battery health. Also, Apple suggests keeping your device or watch “in ambient temperatures between 32°F to 95°F (0°C and 35°C).”
Fixes to stop Apple watch battery drain
After reading about it, we have come up with the following hacks to stop your Apple watch from consuming too much battery.
1. Re-pair it with your phone
Sometimes, due to software issues, you have trouble pairing your Apple watch with your iPhone and hence, your battery life continues to drain. To stop this from happening, you need to pair your Apple watch with your iPhone again by following these steps:
- Unlock your iPhone
- Find the ‘My watch’ option at the bottom of your screen and tap
- Find and tap your device
- Tap the ‘i’ icon
- Finally, tap ‘Unpair Apple Watch’ to finish the process
Once that is done, pair your phone with an Apple watch and make sure your Bluetooth and internet connection are on.
Now unlock your Apple watch and bring it close to your iPhone. Once the pairing is done, you will get a notification on your phone. Otherwise, you can tap ‘Start Pairing’ in the Apple Watch app instead.
2. Limit wake screen time
Wake screen usually drains a lot of battery time. The longer the screen is on, the faster it consumes the battery. Follow these steps to reduce the awake screen time of your Apple Watch:
- Unlock your iPhone
- Head to the Watch app
- Go to ‘General’
- Select ‘Wake Screen’
- Now choose ‘Wake for 15 seconds’ if it is set for longer time
3. Disable wake screen on ‘Wrist Raise’
So Apple Watch has this feature when you raise your hand, it wakes up, and of course, it consumes your battery. By turning it off, you can save that negative impact on your battery life, and your watch will go for long hours.
- Unlock your phone and go to the ‘My Watch’ app
- Head to ‘General’ and click ‘Wake Screen’
- Now turn the toggle off for ‘wake screen on wrist raise’
4. Reduce Brightness
If you keep your brightness full, you need to change your habit because it consumes too much battery of your device. Here’s how you can adjust the brightness of your smartwatch.
- Unlock your Apple Watch and open the Settings app
- Go to ‘Display & Brightness
- Next, you will see a small sun icon with an adjusting bar beside it, tap and move it to the back to lower your brightness.
5. Disable Push notifications
Like iPhones, Apple Watch allows its users to configure their device settings as per their liking. However, this can cause trouble if a particular setting doesn’t work for you. For instance, if you turn on the settings for push notifications, your battery health will drain more quickly. Here’s how you can disable it:
- Unlock your iPhone and go to the Apple Watch app
- Tap ‘My Watch’ and select the ‘Notifications’ option
- Now you will see all the apps that send notifications. Choose the ones you want to disable notification of and keep the rest on.
- Now tap ‘Custom’
- Lastly, turn on the ‘Notifications off’ toggle. Once done, you will no longer receive unnecessary notifications that wake up your screen and drain its battery.
6. Turn on the ‘Reduce Motion’ toggle
While it won’t save a lot of battery, it can still make a significant difference if done with other methods. If you own the latest Apple watch series model, you can turn off the effects and animations that mostly appear when you change the menu. Here are the steps to do that:
- Open ‘My Watch’ and tap ‘General’
- Tap ‘Accessibility’
- Tap ‘Reduce Motion
- Tap on the ‘Reduce Motion’ toggle to enable the feature.
You can also change the settings for Reduce Motion on your Apple watch as well.
- Unlock your Apple Watch
- Head to Settings
- Tap Accessibility
- Turn the toggle on for ‘Reduce Motion
7. Disable ‘Hey Siri’
When your Siri is enabled, that means your microphone is always on and on alert mode. While Siri is quite useful for some, it drains your battery fast. So if you think your battery life is more important, you can follow these steps to turn Hey Siri off.
- Open your Apple watch and head to Settings
- Tap ‘Siri’
- Turn off the toggle for ‘Listen for Hey Siri’
8. Update Apple watch’s software
Like we said above, not updating your software can lead to battery health issues. Software update not just improves battery life but also cleans up some glitches that might affect your Apple Watch’s battery life. Fortunately, you can update your smart watch’s software directly on it. Just follow these steps, and you’re done.
- First connect the watch to the Wi-Fi and then open Settings
- Go to General
- Tap Software Update
- You will instantly see an update if there is any available.
- Tap Install to start the installation
- Then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
If you wish to update the software via your iPhone, here is how you can do it:
- Unlock your iPhone and open ‘My Watch
- Head to General, find Software Update, and tap
- Tap install the latest software version to start the installation process
What effects Apple Watch’s battery the most?
While all the above reasons drain the Apple Watch’s battery, the major drain comes from the active display/screen. The longer it stays on, the quicker it drains the battery. If you own Apple Watch Series 5 or newer, your screen will always stay active by default.
Why does my apple watch die so fast at night?
Many Apple Watch users complain their battery drains faster at night, so what could be the possible cause for it? Well, you need to check a few things before putting your Apple watch on the side table and going to sleep. For instance, make sure the brightness is set to the lowest. Secondly, check if all the background apps are closed. Disconnect it from your phone and turn off the Bluetooth if you are sure you won’t need it all night.
Why is my apple watch dying so fast after update?
Software updates typically help devices to work more efficiently. If you notice your Apple Watch dying faster after an update, there must be another issue. Maybe your smartwatch is too old to support that new software and needs an upgrade. Or there may be some glitches while pairing your phone with the watch. Try to erase your watch connection from your phone and re-pair it from scratch. Hopefully, the above provided solution serves as a guide for the solution.
Conclusion
Most of your problems will be resolved by following the above methods. However, if none of them work, there’s a slight chance of some hardware issues. And unlike iPhones, Apple Watches can be extremely pricey to get repaired. Therefore, if you encounter such a problem with the smartwatch, it is better to get a new one.