Apple Watch battery drain after a watchOS 27 update usually comes from background work the watch is still finishing, a setting that keeps the screen or sensors busy, or a weak connection to your iPhone. Most cases clear up without anything drastic.
The steps below run from the least disruptive fix to the most disruptive.
Battery Drain Often Settles Within a Few Days of Updating
After a watchOS update, certain update tasks keep running in the background. Give the watch several days before you judge battery life.
If the watch is working normally, charge it as usual and check again after a few days. Check Settings > Battery on the watch to see a graph of recent battery history and when it was last charged.
watchOS 27 Can Pause Features You Rarely Use to Save Battery
watchOS 27 can pause features you do not use often and sends a notification when it does. The features covered include gestures, Start Workout reminders and Raise to Speak for Siri.
If you notice a feature that stopped working, check whether one of these notifications explains it. Our guide to battery extension notifications covers how the feature works.
Six Settings Reduce Apple Watch Battery Use Right Away
| Setting | Where to find it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Low Power Mode | Press the side button, tap the battery percentage in Control Center, then turn on Low Power Mode | Turns off Always On Display, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements and heart rate notifications |
| Always On Display | Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On | Turns off the always-on screen |
| Background App Refresh | Settings > General > Background App Refresh | Stops apps refreshing in the background, either all at once or one by one |
| Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings | Settings > Workout > Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings | Reduces readings during outdoor workouts to extend battery life |
| Wi-Fi in place of cellular | Check the signal bars in Control Center | Uses less battery than cellular when the watch is away from your iPhone |
| Airplane Mode | Control Center | Saves battery in areas with a weak signal for a long time |
Low Power Mode turns off automatically when the watch charges above 80 percent. While it is on, notifications can arrive late and cellular and Wi-Fi connections are limited.
Apps with a complication on your watch face keep refreshing even with Background App Refresh turned off. Keep the watch within Bluetooth range of your iPhone as well, since that is the most efficient setup.
If you still see heavy drain, open Settings > Battery > Battery Health and temporarily turn off Optimized Battery Charging or Optimized Charge Limit.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 Have Extended Workout Mode
On Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, Extended Workout mode turns on Low Power Mode for the length of a workout. Some running metrics are unavailable while it is on. Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Run and Hiking also offer a Max Extended Workout option for the longest battery life.
A Restart or Force Restart Rules Out a Software Glitch
A restart is the next step when the settings above do not help. Your watch cannot restart while it is charging, so take it off the charger first.
- Press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.
- Tap the Power button, then drag the Power Off slider to the right.
- Hold the side button until the Apple logo appears to turn the watch back on.
If the watch does not respond, hold the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears. Restart your iPhone as well from Settings > General > Shut Down, then turn it back on by holding the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Battery Health Shows Whether the Battery Itself Is the Problem
Open Settings > Battery > Battery Health on the watch and scroll down to see Maximum Capacity. The number compares the battery to when it was new, and a low figure means the battery holds less charge than it used to.
Some Apple Watch models recalibrate and estimate maximum capacity more accurately after a software update, so the number can change after you install watchOS 27. The watch alerts you when capacity is significantly reduced, and Apple Support can check your service options from there.
Charge cycles, how the battery was cared for, cold temperatures and low charge in storage all affect battery capacity, and that applies whichever watchOS version you run.
Unpair and Re-Pair the Apple Watch Only After Everything Else Fails
Unpairing erases the watch and restores it to factory settings, so treat it as the last step.
- Keep the Apple Watch and iPhone close together and open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap My Watch, then All Watches.
- Tap the info button next to your watch and choose Unpair Apple Watch.
- Confirm the unpair, then choose to keep your cellular plan if you plan to pair again.
- Enter your Apple Account password to turn off Activation Lock, then tap Unpair.
Pair the watch again afterward and choose whether to restore from a backup or set it up as a new Apple Watch. For more help after the update, see our guide to common watchOS 27 problems and our list of 20 things to try after updating.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait before worrying about battery drain after updating to watchOS 27?
Wait several days after the update, because certain tasks related to it keep running in the background after the install.
How do I turn on Low Power Mode on an Apple Watch?
Open Control Center, tap the battery percentage and turn on Low Power Mode. It turns off Always On Display, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements and heart rate notifications, and it switches off by itself when the watch charges above 80 percent.
Why did watchOS 27 turn off a feature on my Apple Watch?
watchOS 27 can pause features you do not use often, including gestures, Start Workout reminders and Raise to Speak for Siri, to save battery. It sends a notification when it does.
How do I force restart an Apple Watch?
Hold the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
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