Apple Watch Ultra: How to Use the New Optimized Charge Limit Feature

[MacRumors]

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 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.

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.

Article Link: Apple Watch Ultra: How to Use the New Optimized Charge Limit Feature

 

[xkam1x]

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.

 

[jclardy]

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.

 

[AMagicianNamedJOBs]

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.

 

[M33-1]

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.

 

[Jim Lahey]

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.

 

[richie510]

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.

 

[joshwenke]

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.

YES! Glad I am not the only one. I have a HomeKit action that when my phone reaches 80%, to shut off the charger. It is an annoying workaround but feels necessary. Al Dente has been a lifesaver on my Mac.

 

[mansplains]

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.

We're gonna ban sales of new gas vehicle but you also can't charge your EVs or use your thermostat... To be fair, this feature improves battery longevity, I wouldn't look at it from the commiefornia angle

 

[Devnul0]

What about people who don't have the same schedule every day? What if a climber/diver/etc. with a steady routine during the week has a weekend activity that deviates from the norm and they find themselves up early for a dive/hike/run/etc. with only an 80% charge?

 

[AbSoluTc]

Been experiencing this with my Ultra. It doesn’t fully charge by morning. What happens if some days I go longer than anticipated? I won’t have full charge.

 

[Yptcn]

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.

Not only on the Ultra , I saw this feature on my  Watch 7 last evening.