All Apple Watch models running watchOS 7 or later include a Battery Health feature called Optimized Battery Charging that extends the total battery life of your Apple Watch by learning from your habits and waiting to finish charging all the way up until you need your ‌Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Ultra 3up hero 220907 Full Bleed Image
Apple Watch Ultra can last up to 36 hours on a single charge – the longest battery life of any Apple Watch – and to extend battery life even further, Apple Watch Ultra offers even more intelligent battery charge optimization with something called Optimized Charge Limit.

On by default when you set up your Apple Watch, Optimized Charge Limit use on-device machine learning to analyze your daily usage and determine when to charge to an optimized limit and when to allow a full charge. The feature changes dynamically depending on how you use your Apple Watch Ultra. For example, based on usage patterns, your watch might charge to 100% on some days, and less on others.

When Optimized Charge Limit is active, an open charge ring is displayed when you connect your Apple Watch Ultra to its charger. It's possible to charge your watch beyond the optimized limit by following the steps below.

watch

How to Charge Apple Watch Ultra Beyond the Optimized Charge Limit

  1. Make sure that your Apple Watch Ultra is connected to its charger.
  2. Tap the watch display to wake the charging screen, then tap the circle with the green or yellow charging icon.
  3. Tap Charge to Full Now.

How to Disable Optimized Charge Limit

If you want your Apple Watch Ultra to fully charge every time its placed on the charge, disable Optimized Battery Charging by following these simple steps.

  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch Ultra.
  2. Scroll down and tap Battery.
  3. Tap Battery Health.
  4. Toggle off the switch next to Optimized Charge Limit.
  5. Choose Turn Off Until Tomorrow or Turn Off.

Help Optimized Charging Identify Locations

Optimized charging is designed to activate only in locations where you spend the most time, such as your home and place of work. The feature doesn't turn on when your usage habits are more variable, such as when you travel.

To help your Apple Watch Ultra identify situations where Optimized Charge Limit shouldn't be used, turn on the following location settings in the Settings app on your Apple Watch Ultra:

  • Privacy -> Location Services -> Location Services
  • Privacy > Location Services > System Services > System Customization
  • Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations > Significant Locations

The location information for this feature remains on your watch and none of it is sent to Apple.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 2
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

AMagicianNamedJOBs Avatar
32 months ago
It would be great if Apple could just give us an option “don’t charge above 80%” and leave it there. I use Al Dente on the Mac but “optimized” charging has never worked consistently for me on Watch or iOS.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
32 months ago

My experience with this feature on iPhone and Mac is that, at least for me, it does nothing. I always find my devices charge to 100% as soon as I plug-in and stay fully charged all night. I have left my MacBook plugged-in for a month straight and charge was limited to 80% after week at fully charged but it only lasted a night and next morning the laptop was at 100% for another week.
I now use Aldente on MacBook, have setup automations on iPhone to manage this and disabled optimised charging on both devices.
This is a different feature (on the Ultra.) Optimized battery charging should never give you 80% battery in the morning...it just changes charging time so that it charges straight to 80%, then waits until an hour or so before it thinks you will need the device, then charges the last 20%. It'll only work if you have a semi-fast charger (Otherwise on a 5w charger you need all night to charge.) It also needs a decent amount of time to figure out your schedule (For example, my new iPhone isn't doing it yet as I've only had it for a week) because the primary objective is for you to have a full battery in the morning, the secondary objective is to improve battery performance in the long run.

On the Ultra, this new feature will only charge to 80%, since the battery life already lasts 2 days. Basically, Apple Watch users are already accustomed to charging every night, so this feature should greatly increase the longevity of the Ultra battery since those users may never need the full 100% charge.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jim Lahey Avatar
32 months ago
If the vanilla optimised charging is any indication of what to expect from this, it will break the second you dare deviate from any routine. A welcome addition but I don’t know why they can’t also give users the option to rigidly cap their maximum charge in the sprit of AlDente. We don’t all need ‘machine learning’ to babysit our decision making.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
richie510 Avatar
32 months ago
I welcome this new feature, and hope that Apple extends it to other products, the first targets should be the high battery capacity iPhones. These "machine learning" battery features a great for a large number of users who really don't pay that much attention to these kinds of things.

Still, there should be a power setting to not charge past 80% on all Apple devices, and a setting to not charge past 80% at "this" location. Typically, I think "this" location should be my home, but let me choose.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xkam1x Avatar
32 months ago
My experience with this feature on iPhone and Mac is that, at least for me, it does nothing. I always find my devices charge to 100% as soon as I plug-in and stay fully charged all night. I have left my MacBook plugged-in for a month straight and charge was limited to 80% after week at fully charged but it only lasted a night and next morning the laptop was at 100% for another week.
I now use Aldente on MacBook, have setup automations on iPhone to manage this and disabled optimised charging on both devices.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M33-1 Avatar
32 months ago
Another feature by a company in a blackout state trying to control your power charging that best fits their viewpoint. Turn it off asap if it’s on.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...