According to multiple reports, users are facing a battery drain issue on their Apple smartwatches following the watchOS 9.3 update.
Guys, I may not have theee latest Apple Watch, but my iWatch 5 has started draining the battery sooooo quickly since upgrading the iOS to 9.3… full battery doesn’t even go a whole day actually… wtf??
— Lil Zé (@IamDJELQUE) February 5, 2023
The Apple Watch is a smartwatch that has various useful features such as phone calls, messaging, and mobile payments. It can be used for fitness tracking, health monitoring, and receiving notifications from the connected iPhone.
The recent watchOS 9.3 update causes battery drain issues for Apple users
Apple recently launched watchOS 9.3 for the Apple Watch Series 4 and later models. The patch includes new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.
However, it appears that the update has fueled users’ problems, as some are reporting issues after updating to the latest OS version.
Several people are dissatisfied because some Apple Watch units have an extreme battery drain problem.
A user reported: “Hi @AppleSupport. My Apple Watch SE battery got destroyed by watchOS 9.3. Battery capacity is at 92%, but I can’t make it 8 hours without the watch fully draining.”
“I upgraded to watchOS 9.3 yesterday and noticed a lot worse battery life I’m already at 79% after about 15 hours and only used it for sleep tracking and light use, usually I’d be around 85-90% is anyone else noticing the same?” another complained.
An affected Apple Watch Ultra owner reports that prior to the update, their watch’s battery would last for more than three days even when used for training or sleep tracking.
They claim that after the latest update, the battery juice dropped to 5% in a day. In idle or backup power mode, the battery drained by 3% in just over an hour and a half.
No official acknowledgment + potential workarounds
Others have tried restarting their device, uninstalling apps, and factory resetting their watch without success.
Unfortunately, Apple has still not responded officially to the issue, but we hope that they will acknowledge and resolve the battery drain issue soon.
And fortunately, there are a few potential workarounds that can be helpful for the time being.
First, ensure that no background apps are reactivated following the patch. It is also advised that you reboot your smartwatch, unpair it, and re-pair it with your mobile.
You could also perform a hard reset. After that, you’ll have to sign in again.
If your device remains under warranty, you can take it to an authorized service centre and have it checked.
