Though watchOS 10.1 delivered some helpful new options for Apple’s fashionable wearable, together with Double-Faucet and NameDrop assist, it additionally arrived with a big draw back for a lot of of us.
Shortly after putting in the replace, quite a few Apple Watch customers reported exceptionally poor battery life — with a whole lot of feedback on Reddit, the Apple assist boards, and even dozens from our personal readers.
Whereas the issue hasn’t affected each Apple Watch person — I’ve a Collection 8 that’s performing in addition to it at all times has — it’s widespread sufficient to be a severe concern. There are additionally no actual workarounds for individuals who are encountering this downside, which regularly combines each speedy battery drain and overheating whereas charging.
The issue will be mitigated by working towards the standard battery-saving ideas, however these are a bandaid at finest for a difficulty that shouldn’t exist within the first place.
The excellent news is that it appears like Apple is properly conscious of this difficulty and already has a repair within the works — though there’s no phrase on when it’ll arrive apart from “quickly.”
The information comes from an inside service memo despatched to Apple Approved Service Suppliers that the parents at MacRumors obtained their fingers on. The memo is extremely obscure on particulars and appears meant mainly to reassure service suppliers that Apple is engaged on a repair in order that they, in flip, can advise clients who are available in reporting these issues.
For instance, nothing within the memo talks about why the difficulty is going on, nor what number of clients or completely different Apple Watch fashions are impacted.
The Drawback (and Doable Interim Options)
Primarily based on what we’ve seen, the reply to these final two questions is “so much.” There are a whole lot of posts within the typical on-line mediums, from the Apple Assist Neighborhood and MacRumors boards to X and Reddit. Since we reported on the difficulty final week, over 4 dozen of our readers have additionally weighed in to say they’re additionally experiencing the identical issues.
I take advantage of to cost My Apple Watch 6 in a single day. Now I’ve to cost it twice a day! I’ve to ensure I’ve a charger with me always! So irritating!!
Janet Battaglia, iDrop Information reader
The battery influence additionally seems to be no respecter of Apple Watch fashions, with experiences throughout all watchOS 10-compatible wearables, from the Apple Watch Collection 4 to the Apple Watch Collection 9 and each the first- and second-generation Apple Watch Extremely.
Some of us have reported success when switching away from particular watch faces — the brand new Snoopy one seems to exacerbate the issue for individuals who have encountered it. Nonetheless, it’s not essentially the trigger, as others — myself included — have been utilizing that watch face with out difficulty since earlier than watchOS 10 was even launched to the general public.
A number of different iDrop Information readers reported that uninstalling the third-party app Watch Faces by MobyFox solved the issue for them, whereas we’ve seen different experiences from our readers and elsewhere that their battery life went again to regular after unpairing their Apple Watch and setting it up as a brand new system.
When Will We See the Repair?
Sadly, the memo presents no timeline for when Apple will launch a repair apart from to say it’s “coming quickly.” This may almost certainly take the type of a watchOS replace — seemingly watchOS 10.1.1 or watchOS 10.2, relying on Apple’s timeline.
Apple is reportedly making ready an iOS 17.1.1 bugfix replace for the iPhone that’s stated to be “imminent,” based on 9to5Mac’s sources. Since iOS and watchOS releases sometimes arrive on the identical time, there’s likelihood we’ll see watchOS 10.1.1 alongside iOS 17.1.1, each of which might arrive as quickly as this week.
Whether or not watchOS 10.1.1 will repair the battery drain downside is one other matter. We’ll simply must hold our fingers crossed that Apple has recognized no matter is going on underneath the hood and labored it into this upcoming launch.