Apple Watch only charging to 98-99%

[i-aamir]

Apologies if this has already been posted on other threads but my AW will not charge past 98% or 99% - It doesn't seem to up to 100% anymore despite being on charge for 3-4 hours at a time.

It did however reach 100% on the first couple charges but never again! I have completely discharged and charged a few times now and carried out a hard reset but still the same outcome.

Anyone else experiencing this and if so any solutions?

Thanks

 

[Julien]

It is just a meter reading error. With lit-ion there is no such thing as a true 100% or 0% charge. Apple will likely 'fix' the reading to say 100% (even though the charge will stay the same) in a future update.

 

[BrianNH]

I'm seeing this too every night. If I put it back on the charger it will say 100 after a bit.

 

[i-aamir]

I'm seeing this too every night. If I put it back on the charger it will say 100 after a bit.

As in when you check it in the morning it says 99% and then you take it off and put it back on charge to get to a 100%?

 

[Robert M.]

I think it has something to do with temperature. Last week it was 90 degrees here and my AC was busted. The watch only charged to 97% and got really warm. It's colder this week, and now it goes to 100%.

 

[BrianNH]

As in when you check it in the morning it says 99% and then you take it off and put it back on charge to get to a 100%?

Every morning it says 99 or 98. If I take it off and then put it on the charger for maybe 5 or 10 mins it will go to 100. Heck I'll do it now cause I just woke up and it was at 99

For the first few weeks it was at 100 all the time, only once did I notice it at 99

 

[i-aamir]

Every morning it says 99 or 98. If I take it off and then put it on the charger for maybe 5 or 10 mins it will go to 100. Heck I'll do it now cause I just woke up and it was at 99

For the first few weeks it was at 100 all the time, only once did I notice it at 99

That's interesting as that's exactly what happens with me although I don't put it back on to see if reaches a 100. Its almost as if it reaches 100 whenever the full charging cycle finishes and then starts discharging even with charger still being connected. Odd situation!

 

[BrianNH]

That's interesting as that's exactly what happens with me although I don't put it back on to see if reaches a 100. Its almost as if it reaches 100 whenever the full charging cycle finishes and then starts discharging even with charger still being connected. Odd situation!

This is exactly what I feel like happens. This only happens when it's been charging overnight, like there's a timeout. Coincidentally it is still warm though so it doesn't feel like it has shutoff.

Another data point: the usage shows no time since last full charge which seems to indicate it was (or is) fully charged at some point before I woke up.

 

[i-aamir]

This is exactly what I feel like happens. This only happens when it's been charging overnight, like there's a timeout. Coincidentally it is still warm though so it doesn't feel like it has shutoff.

Another data point: the usage shows no time since last full charge which seems to indicate it was (or is) fully charged at some point before I woke up.

Thanks and very helpful - I'm going monitor the charge when I get back tonight and see how long it stays at 100 if it ever reaches it! I remember apple saying it should take 1.5 hours for 80% and 2.5 hours for a full charge.

 

[btkadams]

When a lithium ion battery used in products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook, or iPad reaches 100%, the charger stops charging the battery. The battery will naturally drain a bit if it's sitting there on for hours (say, overnight) in the charger. If it drops to 99, the charger is not going to all of a sudden start charging it again. It's bad for the battery as it would constantly be alternating between charging and not charging around 99-100. It will wait until the battery drops down to at least 97 or something like that before it charges a bit more again. This is probably why you see it at 99 in the morning sometimes. It WAS at 100, but eventually went down.

Of course, this IS a new product, so it's also possible you're dealing with a bug. I just wouldn't worry about it. The best health for a lithium ion battery is to keep it between 40% and 80% battery anyway.

 

[spiderman0616]

I've had that happen a few times now, but most mornings when I put it on my wrist it's at 100. I still have never run it down to dead or even far enough to get it into power save mode, and I am a little worried that I'm damaging the battery by doing that.

 

[zmunkz]

When a lithium ion battery used in products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook, or iPad reaches 100%, the charger stops charging the battery. The battery will naturally drain a bit if it's sitting there on for hours (say, overnight) in the charger. If it drops to 99, the charger is not going to all of a sudden start charging it again. It's bad for the battery as it would constantly be alternating between charging and not charging around 99-100. It will wait until the battery drops down to at least 97 or something like that before it charges a bit more again. This is probably why you see it at 99 in the morning sometimes. It WAS at 100, but eventually went down.

Of course, this IS a new product, so it's also possible you're dealing with a bug. I just wouldn't worry about it. The best health for a lithium ion battery is to keep it between 40% and 80% battery anyway.

Do you have any sources for these claims? I would be interested to read more about it. Are you saying it would be better for battery life to unplug your watch at 80%, if you could get through the day on that charge?

 

[btkadams]

Do you have any sources for these claims? I would be interested to read more about it. Are you saying it would be better for battery life to unplug your watch at 80%, if you could get through the day on that charge?

Check out this link:
http://gizmodo.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-smartphone-battery-the-right-w-513217256

I wouldn't bother changing your habits to boost the battery health like that. These devices are made for people to live normal lives and not overthink charging cycles.

 

[zmunkz]

Check out this link:
http://gizmodo.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-smartphone-battery-the-right-w-513217256

I wouldn't bother changing your habits to boost the battery health like that. These devices are made for people to live normal lives and not overthink charging cycles.

Thanks, that was a very informative article!

 

[Viper2005]

I bought a Belkin Conserve Socket so the watch only charges for 3 hours before the socket disconnects the power, to prevent any chance of overcharging!

 

[i-aamir]

When a lithium ion battery used in products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, MacBook, or iPad reaches 100%, the charger stops charging the battery. The battery will naturally drain a bit if it's sitting there on for hours (say, overnight) in the charger. If it drops to 99, the charger is not going to all of a sudden start charging it again. It's bad for the battery as it would constantly be alternating between charging and not charging around 99-100. It will wait until the battery drops down to at least 97 or something like that before it charges a bit more again. This is probably why you see it at 99 in the morning sometimes. It WAS at 100, but eventually went down.

Of course, this IS a new product, so it's also possible you're dealing with a bug. I just wouldn't worry about it. The best health for a lithium ion battery is to keep it between 40% and 80% battery anyway.

Do you have any sources for these claims? I would be interested to read more about it. Are you saying it would be better for battery life to unplug your watch at 80%, if you could get through the day on that charge?

Check out this link:
http://gizmodo.com/how-to-take-care-of-your-smartphone-battery-the-right-w-513217256

I wouldn't bother changing your habits to boost the battery health like that. These devices are made for people to live normal lives and not overthink charging cycles.

Thanks, that was a very informative article!

Just to confirm I tested this out last night and this information was correct. I charged my AW from about 60% and it reached 100% and stayed at that level for about an hour before dropping to 99%..98% and so forth despite the charger still being connected.

So in summary the AW can stay on charge for roughly an hour after it reaches 100% before cutting off and discharging again.

At least we now know for sure and there is no issue!