How long should an Apple Watch last when OFF?

Question

Level 1

13 points

How long should an Apple Watch last when OFF?

This one is an SE, maybe 1.5 years old. I use it to listen to music while running, sometimes streamed or sometimes from download depending on the area and the connection. I do not use it for anything else. Yet often it seems when I want to go use it, it is dead.

I found that even if not plugged in the charger cable can wake it so I don't leave it like that any more.
I've started watching very carefully that when I turn it off it really turns off (or seems to anyway).
I use it maybe 2-3 times a week, sometimes charging in between but sometimes not, since it lives in my glove compartment.

So yeah I am wondering, if the watch is OFF how long should I expect it to last before it is dead?

(I can find a lot of stuff related to how long the watch lasts when ON but I don't care about that)

Posted on Feb 14, 2024 9:49 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

LD150

Level 10

99,577 points

Feb 15, 2024 12:46 AM in response to head_unit

Guidance from Apple for storage is to charge devices to 50% and check every 3 months, so I would expect a healthy to last for a year.

The two problems are:

The watch is never truly off because it has 'Find My when off' activated. You can bring up a tiny digital clock every so often if you press the crown to prove it still has some intelligence powered up.
Batteries can deveop short circuits caused by distortion of the internal lithium deposits during charging ('dendrites') even though the battery health maximum capacity is still way above 80%. This would typically lose 2% or more, up to 100%, charge per day. If you had one of those the watch could be un-chargeable after a week or two.

How to check your Apple Watch battery fo… - Apple Community

Healthy option charge it every day.

Reply