Apple watch series 5 dies at random times. Always says 100% battery

[gymratjudy]

Same issue with Series 5, started after latest update. I unpaired and paired again, setting watch as new. It didn't help. I have no 3rd party apps on the watch. I just deleted one of the new pride watch faces to see if that is the issue. I do remember that had this issue once before after a previous update.

 

[JHill205]

**update**. spoke with an actual tech, a helpful human. He did the remote diagnostic and didn't see where the problem was so they sent me a box and I shipped it back to them (was extremely easy to do). They received it the 29th and determined whatever was causing it would be researched and were thus sending me a new watch. Supposed to be receiving it soon (says it was to ship today or so)
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What watchOS are you running/have you updated recently? This could be a bug in an updated OS regarding the battery status/health.

I kept mine on 6.1.1 and don't believe in updates (I'm 'if it ain't broke' dont fix it and been angered by unnecessary changes in UI design in the past so I err on the side of caution and don't update if everything works) so I'm unaffected by any update related bugs.

It was doing it before the latest update so I thought maybe the update would fix it. It didn't...
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Same issue with Series 5, started after latest update. I unpaired and paired again, setting watch as new. It didn't help. I have no 3rd party apps on the watch. I just deleted one of the new pride watch faces to see if that is the issue. I do remember that had this issue once before after a previous update.

sounds like you have the same thing going on that I did. I'd suggest you call in and speak to a tech. They can enable your watch diagnostic and see the results. They will probably have you send it in.

 

[ericewing]

FINALLY received my Series 5 back yesterday, and it's working perfectly again. Apple replaced the battery in it. Very odd considering that the battery diagnostics they ran indicated no problems, but that definitely seems to have been the fix for me.

 

[nickdalzell1]

See this is why I refuse to update things ever again. The amount of times I've been burned by updates in the past are too many to be worth whatever 'change' any of those updates bring, which IMO ain't much.

 

[JHill205]

FINALLY received my Series 5 back yesterday, and it's working perfectly again. Apple replaced the battery in it. Very odd considering that the battery diagnostics they ran indicated no problems, but that definitely seems to have been the fix for me.

Are you sure they sent back the same watch? I didn't.

 

[MatthewUT44]

This is happening with my series 4. Sorry to say this but I am so happy others are having the same issues as me. Apple support isn't helpful.

 

[gymratjudy]

**update**. spoke with an actual tech, a helpful human. He did the remote diagnostic and didn't see where the problem was so they sent me a box and I shipped it back to them (was extremely easy to do). They received it the 29th and determined whatever was causing it would be researched and were thus sending me a new watch. Supposed to be receiving it soon (says it was to ship today or so)
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It was doing it before the latest update so I thought maybe the update would fix it. It didn't...
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sounds like you have the same thing going on that I did. I'd suggest you call in and speak to a tech. They can enable your watch diagnostic and see the results. They will probably have you send it in.

I finally called in and had a very nice tech who ran the diagnostics. She saw no issue with the battery or the software. I explained to her how I've done the unpairing, setting up as new watch, hard resets, etc. with the issue continuing. I also told her that the issue started after I updated to watchOS 6.2.5 and that the update to 6.2.6 did not help. She put it in the system to be looked at and hopefully repaired. Will update with the results.

*Called another tech because I wanted to make sure that the issue was noted correctly and he says"We have not heard of that issue." My response: "Dont you guys get on MacRumors, its all over the site. Tons of people having this issue especially with the Series 5." Nothing but silence after that.

 

[gymratjudy]

FINALLY received my Series 5 back yesterday, and it's working perfectly again. Apple replaced the battery in it. Very odd considering that the battery diagnostics they ran indicated no problems, but that definitely seems to have been the fix for me.

Was the battery actually changed or did they send you a new watch?

 

[gymratjudy]

*Update: After sending the watch in and Apple repair having it for less than 3 hrs I get an email saying that they could not duplicate the issue and that they are sending the watch back. (1st Email states 3:01pm received watch and starting repair. 2nd email at 5:47pm states issue could not be duplicated. Item is being returned.) I called Apple as soon as I got that text and asked them to explain how how they duplicated in less than 3 hrs an issue that takes 8-15 hrs to see. I'm am now waiting for a senior manager to give me answers as the response from the flustered Apple rep. was "I'm not sure what the repair dept. tested outside of whether the battery charged or not."

**Update: I got the same watch back, "issue could not be duplicated", but it seems to be working fine now. What I did notice thought was that the returned watch had to be updated to 6.2.6 although b4 I sent it in I had already done so. My thought is that the repair tech deleted and then again updated the 6.2.5 update. It was after the original 6.2.5 update that my battery issues started.

 

[laz2020]

I'm having this exact problem with my AW5! This is my first Apple Watch and I'm so annoyed. I have friends who have had them for years and they said they've NEVER had this issue. It started within a week of receiving it. I've tried every tip - pairing and unpairing, phone and watch are updated, etc. It will randomly shut off - I never get a low battery warning. The only way to wake it up is to put it on the charger (which is totally useless when you aren't in front of a computer or plug). Most of the time, it will show the blank screen with logo and slowwwwwwly start back up ... and show anywhere from 10% battery (where it had been fully charged an hour before) or battery at 75%. What?! I contacted support and they had me send it to them. The day they received it, they claimed they were unable to duplicate the problem. I'm so peeved that I paid $300 for a paperweight on my wrist. I'd go to genius bar but have been trying to stay home due to the pandemic ... I might just return it to costco and have them replace it and keep my fingers crossed.

 

[someoneoutthere]

Give this a try: Unpair the Watch, set it up as new and leave it on the charger until it noticeably cools down (which probably means that it’s fully charged at that point) solved my problem. I no longer go with what the battery indicator says when its charging, I leave it on there until it cools off - typically takes about an hour for every 24 hours that I wear my Watch.
Hope it helps!

 

[ashman5]

Just a note...I just tried the instructions from someoneouththere above. Something I noticed...My S5 watch was reporting ~80% before unpairing. Just after unpairing and before re-pairing, I placed the S5 on the charger and it was reporting "low battery" and appeared to be around 20%. This was within a few minutes.

 

[someoneoutthere]

Same thing happened to me when I unpaired my Watch for the first time.
After the unpair/pair process, I have been leaving my Watch on the charger every morning (I wear it overnight) until it starts cooling down regardless of the battery indicator reading 99-100%. I have seen far more accurate readings of the battery level and I have eliminated random shut downs. Yes, the charging process has been taking longer than what it was before, but at least I have found a [not so official] fix to my problem(s.)
Hope it helps!

 

[AnthroMatt]

I am also having this issue. It's ridiculous. I think it started on or just after updating to 6.2.6, but my watch is only a month old so it's possible I just didn't notice any issue earlier.

Trying the "fix" above even though I have a repair scheduled with Apple and they are shipping me the return box tomorrow.

It's all well and good to say we should get 24-30 hours but some days are more intensive than others (longer workout, lots of maps usage) so that's not a reasonable way to predict when I need to charge.

 

[jitteryjim]

I just started to encounter this problem with my Series 5 June 21. It sat at 100% for the evening and when I woke up in the morning it was still at 100%. After several power offs and restarts of both the watch and the phone the battery percentage began to show it was draining, but now it dies around 40%. I just did a reset of the watch and am going to leave it in the charger until it feels "cool" (as mentioned in this thread), then set it up as new, and delete any unused apps. Then cross my fingers.

 

[AnthroMatt]

I *may* have solved the problem for now. I can't recall if I read the "fix" here or on Apple's Community pages, but I set the watch on the charger, walked away. It was at 99% for 4 hours, but by hour 4 the watch was cool to the touch as if it was no longer actually charging, wheras after an hour on the charger it definitely felt warm. I then turned the watch off for 30 minutes. When I turned the watch on again, it showed 100% and seemed to drain at an expected rate. This morning when I charged my watch, it charged up to 100% for the first time in weeks. Removed watch and I am wearing it now and the battery reads 97% after two hours of wear. Seems like it's behaving properly. Now I wait to see if the issue returns or not.

I used to charge my watch via the USB port on my computer while working in the morning. I am no longer going to do this. From now on, I will only use the charging brick and cable (OEM).

 

[AnthroMatt]

Just to update, today the watch has returned to always showing 100%. It's really unacceptable to not know when my watch may die.

 

[gymratjudy]

Same issue here. Mine returned to normal after getting it back from Apple but now it is again staying at 99% for a few hours and then shutting down at random times without a warning. Series 5 is the only series that has given me any sort of issue. Hoping watch OS7 fixes the issue. Was thinking of getting Series 6 in Sept but unless they hid some major features or new hardware it is going to be another year with the 5. The Series 6 as it was featured was pretty lame in my opinion. I am going to try doing what AnthroMatt suggested in post #41 later on tonight.

 

[AnthroMatt]

Same issue here. Mine returned to normal after getting it back from Apple but now it is again staying at 99% for a few hours and then shutting down at random times without a warning. Series 5 is the only series that has given me any sort of issue. Hoping watch OS7 fixes the issue. Was thinking of getting Series 6 in Sept but unless they hid some major features or new hardware it is going to be another year with the 5. The Series 6 as it was featured was pretty lame in my opinion. I am going to try doing what AnthroMatt suggested in post #41 later on tonight.

In my follow-up post, you'll see that the issue returned. I repeated the process in post 41 and it's normal again.

This time I will not use the Solar Dial watch face. I have no direct evidence that watch face has anything to do with the problem, but my watch was behaving normally until I switched to the Solar Dial face. Within a couple of days the 99% max charge issue was back. So now I will avoid that watch face and see if the problem returns yet again.

 

[gymratjudy]

In my follow-up post, you'll see that the issue returned. I repeated the process in post 41 and it's normal again.

This time I will not use the Solar Dial watch face. I have no direct evidence that watch face has anything to do with the problem, but my watch was behaving normally until I switched to the Solar Dial face. Within a couple of days the 99% max charge issue was back. So now I will avoid that watch face and see if the problem returns yet again.

Followed your instructions and so far 2 days straight of the battery working perfectly.

 

[AnthroMatt]

Followed your instructions and so far 2 days straight of the battery working perfectly.

That's great! I hope it sticks.

Since I repeated those same steps on Sunday night I have not had the issue return. So far it seems like not using the Solar Dial helps. I don't even have the Solar Dial as one of my inactive watch faces this time around. But it is too soon to definitively say that particular face is the problem. Plus I have no idea what watch face anyone else is using, so it may have nothing to do with that at all, lol.

 

[gymratjudy]

That's great! I hope it sticks.

Since I repeated those same steps on Sunday night I have not had the issue return. So far it seems like not using the Solar Dial helps. I don't even have the Solar Dial as one of my inactive watch faces this time around. But it is too soon to definitively say that particular face is the problem. Plus I have no idea what watch face anyone else is using, so it may have nothing to do with that at all, lol.

I don't use the solar face. I think for me it started after one of the updates. I sent it in to Apple and they couldn't duplicate the problem but when I got it back it was working fine. The problem came up again after I left my watch on the charger longer than usual-it was hot after taking it off. Fingers crossed that it stays the course and a big thank you either way.

 

[VSMacOne]

Just to add to this conversation: my AW S5 has been very buggy when it comes to battery life. The battery will stay stuck on 99% during charging unless I restart it, and then it will go to 100%. Last week it started shutting off at around 20% consistently. This made me do a full Reset, but restored from the backup and it seems to work correctly now. I will keep an eye on it to see if the issues return.

 

[jbachandouris]

Fortunately, I have not had this issue, but it angers me to no end that their techs are always instructed to lie and say they've never heard of the issue. It could be all over the internet, and not just on Macrumors, and they will still say they've never heard of it.

As for sending it in, don't. If you have AppleCare+, ALWAYS choose advanced exchange. They send you a new one and you send yours back when you get the new one. I despise it when so-called 'techs' say they couldn't duplicate the problem.

 

[SteveDavidson]

Just discovered this discussion. I have been seeing the same issue (battery level at 100% for far too many hours, complete shutdown at 40%, etc.) — but my watch is s Series 3 (not a 5).