One of the most annoying problems plaguing Apple Watch 4 owners is abnormal battery drain. These issues can be quite difficult to fix, but we will guide you to possible solutions for you to try before contacting Apple for assistance.
We haven’t seen widespread complaints about Apple Watch 4 battery life in 2023, but some users say their watch’s battery is draining faster than usual, either suddenly or after a software update.
Apple Watch battery life issues are quite common, especially on older models like the Apple Watch 4. Many people have been using the device since 2018 when it was first released.
If you start noticing severe battery drain on your Apple Watch 4, you will want to try to fix the problem right away. In this guide, we’ll show you some fixes that can help your battery life issues right away.
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These are the fixes that worked for us (I’ve had the Apple Watch 4 since 2018) and they can help you fix your battery problems in just a few minutes.
Restart Your Apple Watch 4
The first thing you should do before taking any further steps is a quick reboot. Turn your Apple Watch 4 off, wait a minute, and then turn it back on.
If your Apple Watch 4’s battery is still draining faster than you think, continue to the next steps.
Update Your Apple Watch 4
Apple will regularly release new watchOS software updates for the Apple Watch 4. Point updates (xxx) usually focus on fixing bugs, while milestone upgrades (xx) usually offer a mix of features and fixes.
The company may not cite battery life fixes in a watchOS 9 update’s changelog, but new firmware always has the potential to alleviate battery drain issues.
Apple Watch 4 will migrate to watchOS 10 this fall, meaning owners will have access to another year of powerful software updates.
Update Your Apps
Make sure your Apple Watch 4 is set to automatically download app updates. This will help make sure your device is running the latest version of an app that can help prevent battery drain. Here’s how you can check if it’s turned on on your device:
Manage Screen
Managing your Apple Watch 4’s screen properly is key to preserving battery life and preventing unnecessary battery drain. Here are a few important things to keep in mind.
First, if you keep your watch’s screen at maximum brightness all the time, it will drain the battery. Make sure you keep the brightness at an appropriate level for your environment. There are two ways to adjust the screen brightness of your Apple Watch 4:
If you prefer to adjust the brightness from your iPhone, you can do that too. To do this, follow these instructions:
If you don’t need your Apple Watch 4’s screen to turn on every time you adjust your hands/wrist, turn off the “Wake on Wrist Raise” function. You can do this from your iPhone or the Apple Watch itself.
On the same screen, you can also turn off the Wake on Crown Rotation setting if you want to make sure the screen doesn’t turn on when you turn the digital crown.
Turn off Background App Refresh
Background Refresh is a feature used to keep apps on your Apple Watch updated with the latest data. If left on, it can drain your device’s battery, so we generally recommend turning it off unless you really need it. Here’s how to do this:
On iPhone, you can see a list of apps that you have given permission to use this functionality. If you want to keep Background App Refresh available for some apps but don’t want to use it for others, you can scroll down the list of apps and make a selection.
Use Low Power Mode
Your Apple Watch 4 comes with a Low Power Mode, which is useful for workouts. It saves battery life by limiting the sensors and Wi-Fi on your watch. Here’s how to enable it:
You can also turn on Low Power Mode from the Battery section of the Apple Watch 4’s Settings app.
Adjust Haptic Feedback
You may also want to set up haptic feedback on your Apple Watch 4. You can adjust the strength of alerts on your Apple Watch or iPhone. You can also turn them off completely.
Optimize Battery Charge
As your Apple Watch 4 ages, its battery starts to run low and can’t hold a charge right out of the box. This is natural, but there is a way to help protect the battery from deteriorating so quickly.
This will help reduce battery aging by learning from your daily charging routines.
Unpair your Apple Watch 4
If none of the above work, you can try to unpair your Apple Watch 4 from your iPhone. This process will take time to complete and should only be used as a last resort.
If you want to go with this, you will Check out Apple’s detailed guide. It will hold your hand throughout the entire process.