watchOS 9.3 battery drain under cellular/EU roaming

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Level 1

4 points

watchOS 9.3 battery drain under cellular/EU roaming

Just updated my Apple Watch SE 44mm cellular to watchOS 9.3 with the hope of fixing the battery drain issue that I started experiencing since watchOS 9. Unfortunately the problem still persists, showing around 10% battery drain per hour when cellular and roaming are activated. With cellular activated in my home country, battery life was normal, but while staying in foreign country with active roaming, the battery dies in <10 hrs and the issue stays there after returning to my home country.

I visited the genius bar and even got my old 5 months old unit replaced with a replacement unit with brand new battery. Didn't fix my issue at all. There must be something wrong with the software implementation.

Anyone is experiencing the same problem? Any ideas of fixing this?

Apple Watch SE

Posted on Jan 24, 2023 5:55 AM

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Answer 1

JJRASC

Community Specialist

Jan 25, 2023 3:54 PM in response to HAHAdao

Hello HAHAdao,

Thank you for posting to the Apple Support Communities.

Do you notice the same battery usage when your Apple Watch is connected to Wi-Fi? Cellular data and roaming features will typically require more battery power to keep your watch connected.

You can also implement these suggestions to increase the battery life and performance of your device: Batteries - Maximizing Performance.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

MVegas21

Community Specialist

Jan 30, 2023 8:23 AM in response to HAHAdao

Hi HAHAdao,

To best address this, reach out to Apple Support directly so they can look into this with you further. They can be contacted here: Contact Apple Support or by calling the most applicable phone number from this list: Contact Apple for support and service.

Regards.

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Answer 3

HAHAdao Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 30, 2023 7:35 AM in response to JJRASC

Thanks, when Cellular is turned off the battery drain is normal, about 60 to 70% per 24 hours.

With Cellular on, it drains around 15% each hour. So this should be normal?

If so, is it supposed to turn off cellular when it's not needed? I thought the watch would pull internet from the phone and not cellular even if it's turned on?

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watchOS 9.3 battery drain under cellular/EU roaming

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