On Apple Watch models running watchOS 7 and later, Apple includes a Battery Health feature that's similar to the one found on iPhones and iPads running iOS 11.3 and later.

apple watch se gen 2
In basic terms, Battery Health provides information about the state of the device's battery and includes an option called "Optimized Battery Charging," which is designed to extend the total battery life of your Apple Watch.

When enabled, Optimized Battery Charging learns from your personal device habits and waits to finish charging all the way up until you need your ‌Apple Watch.

For example, if you regularly charge up your watch at night while you're asleep, the device may opt to limit its charging to the 80 percent mark, and then wait for an hour or so before you wake up to charge the remaining 20 percent.

This keeps your watch at an optimal capacity for battery health by reducing the amount of time that it's sat on the charger at 100 percent charged, which can reduce its life over time.

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.

Make Your Watch Fully Charge Before It's Scheduled to Do So

You can make your watch charge to full before it's scheduled to do so by following these steps.

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

charge watch to full

How to Turn Off Optimized Battery Charging

Optimized Battery Charging is enabled by default on an Apple Watch running watchOS 7. If you need your Apple Watch fully charged sooner than normal and you want to disable Optimized Battery Charging, follow these simple steps.

  1. Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to bring up the App View.
  2. Select the Settings app.
  3. Scroll down and select Battery.
    settings

  4. Scroll down and select Battery Health.
  5. Tap the switch next to Optimized Battery Charging to turn it to the grey OFF position.
  6. Tap Turn Off or Turn Off Until Tomorrow.
    settings

To re-enable Optimized Battery Charging on your Apple Watch at any time, simply repeat the above steps and toggle the switch to the green ON position.

Checking the Health of Your Apple Watch Battery

Notice that the Battery Health screen contains useful additional information about the status of your Apple Watch battery, which you can use to decide if it needs replacing.

settings

Apple Watch Series 4 used daily since launch

The "Maximum Capacity" percentage gives you a measure of battery capacity compared to when your battery was brand new. If the maximum capacity percentage falls, you'll likely get less usage out of your Apple Watch between charges. In other words, it's an indicator of how your battery is performing overall and directly correlates with how long your ‌watch will last on a single charge.

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 Optimized Battery Charging identify situations where it shouldn't be used, turn on the following location settings in the Settings app on your Apple Watch:

  • 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 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Related Forum: iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

rurza Avatar
57 months ago
Holy ****, ma watch has 87% of the original capacity and it's Series 5
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliamG Avatar
57 months ago
My Series 4 is reporting 100% battery. Worn every day since launch. Seems unlikely to be true...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
57 months ago
What would be good is the customisation to only charge to 80 or 90% period (as is recommended for electric cars). I'm never even close to running out of charge on my watch so I would rather forego 10% charge to prolong the battery life. I think this would be more effective that Apple's solution. (Same request for phones and Macs)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
57 months ago
Why does the iPad not have battery optimisation options??
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dee2001 Avatar
57 months ago
My Series 3 is also reporting 100% battery. Seriously doubt that after 3 years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
57 months ago
Series 4, 99%
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...