Can someone please explain the "battery life" complaints?

[Mac 128]

I charge my iPhone daily and it doesn't bother me at all.

I charge my iPhone throughout the day, whenever I have access to a charging cable, so my phone is fully charged and ready to go at a moments notice. But I also don't have to do anything special to charge it. I have docks at work, home, and in the car which makes just throwing it into a cradle a mindless process. When I need it, I just grab it and go.

The watch is different -- you'll have to take it off your wrist and pick up a proprietary cable and connect it. I'll need at least four proprietary cables to charge it in the same places as my iPhone, which means more cables. And then you have to put it back on your wrist, and buckle it when you're ready to go. It will be a bit more of a hassle than just throwing an iPhone onto a charger.

 

[joshcls]

I sleep with my watch on, for a variety of reasons, but here's just one - alarms.
My girlfriend and I have different work schedules, so sometimes when I spend the night at her place I have to get up earlier than she does. Our options are that I set my super-loud, super-annoying iPhone alarm (which wakes both of us up), or I set my Pebble with an alarm that only vibrates my wrist (and leaves her happily asleep).

Now with the Apple Watch I'm going to have to come up with another solution.

That's something I hadn't thought of and a great point.
When do you typically charge your pebble?

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I charge my iPhone throughout the day, whenever I have access to a charging cable, so my phone is fully charged and ready to go at a moments notice. But I also don't have to do anything special to charge it. I have docks at work, home, and in the car which makes just throwing it into a cradle a mindless process. When I need it, I just grab it and go.

The watch is different -- you'll have to take it off your wrist and pick up a proprietary cable and connect it. I'll need at least four proprietary cables to charge it in the same places as my iPhone, which means more cables. And then you have to put it back on your wrist, and buckle it when you're ready to go. It will be a bit more of a hassle than just throwing an iPhone onto a charger.

Also a good point.

 

[Rogifan]

I charge my iPhone throughout the day, whenever I have access to a charging cable, so my phone is fully charged and ready to go at a moments notice. But I also don't have to do anything special to charge it. I have docks at work, home, and in the car which makes just throwing it into a cradle a mindless process. When I need it, I just grab it and go.

The watch is different -- you'll have to take it off your wrist and pick up a proprietary cable and connect it. I'll need at least four proprietary cables to charge it in the same places as my iPhone, which means more cables. And then you have to put it back on your wrist, and buckle it when you're ready to go. It will be a bit more of a hassle than just throwing an iPhone onto a charger.

Do you really think you're going to need to be charging your watch every place you go? I would assume people will be wearing their watches most of the day not constantly looking for a place to charge it.

John Gruber tweeted that he's been using the watch for 22 days and he's only used power reserve mode once, to test it. Hopefully that means battery life will be better than expected.

 

[MH01]

I would be happy with a full day. Only concern is having your watch run out of battery in the late evening with the current 18hrs. After friday we will know what 18hrs battery means once people start posting their experiences over the weekend.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Settle down there thread police.

Please do your part to help make MacRumors a coherent and decently organized forum to use.

Cheers.

 

[joshcls]

Please do your part to help make MacRumors a coherent and decently organized forum to use.

Cheers.

Please, link me to where else this thread has been presented in the same way. I see talks and mentions about battery life, which obviously led me to post this.

I've been pretty active over the past few days and haven't seen it come up, searching on mobile at least, yields mixed results, none of which feel like this thread.

It's a forum on the Internet. Things are going to get repeated.

But now 2 posts In this thread (4 if you include my responses) aren't helping the problem you're advising against.

 

[joshdammit]

I sleep with my watch on, for a variety of reasons, but here's just one - alarms.
My girlfriend and I have different work schedules, so sometimes when I spend the night at her place I have to get up earlier than she does. Our options are that I set my super-loud, super-annoying iPhone alarm (which wakes both of us up), or I set my Pebble with an alarm that only vibrates my wrist (and leaves her happily asleep).

Now with the Apple Watch I'm going to have to come up with another solution.

You have a hard life.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Please, link me to where else this thread has been presented in the same way.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1866694/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1862635/

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/?searchid=52022289

 

[Chacocliff]

That's something I hadn't thought of and a great point.
When do you typically charge your pebble?

----------



Also a good point.

I'm not sure if anyone has seen it but the testing numbers Apple gives are based on the 38mm watch, and states that the 42mm will get better battery life.

http://www.apple.com/watch/battery.html

 

[HelloMikee]

I sure as heck hope I don't use my watch so much that the battery dies quick. Sure, maybe the first month when it's new and I'm playing with it a lot, but it's not meant to replace my phone. Reviewers are probably constantly looking and using the watch throughout the day more so than the average user.

I assume I'll be relying on the watch during times like at the gym, running, walking about, running errands, etc. basically when I'm on the go.

But I'm off on a tangent and agree. I charge my phone nightly, don't see why that's a problem with a watch.

And for those complaining about tracking. Charge it when you aren't doing anything super active. Like before bed while on your iPad, refreshing your order status lol.

 

[whatos]

I don't like to take my watch off...would be nice if I only had to do it once a week. I wear a watch 24/7, not 18/7.

My habits also include wearing a watch constantly except for when I shower.

Having a pool I do swim with a watch on. A long time avid watch collector, enthusiast of horology and one who rotates through the collection, it would be advantageous to have a lot more battery life. Especially since I don't plan on wearing my Apple Watch as my primary daily driver.

However I do realize the limitations, so for now I'll deal with Apple Watch limitations which will quite likely be more than just brief battery life.

 

[mbern1008]

Is battery replacement covered by AppleCare+? This page says out-of-warrantee battery replacement is $79.

usually it is, as long as it is within a % of it's original lifespan which they can typically check on an iPhone with a diagnostics tool

 

[joshcls]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1866694/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1862635/

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/?searchid=52022289

Thanks for those, however one is from a week ago, one is from 2 weeks ago, and the third wouldn't load.

None came up on mobile search.

But again, thanks for taking the time to comment on this thread.

And remember, it's the Internet

 

[Mac 128]

I sleep with my watch on, for a variety of reasons, but here's just one - alarms.
My girlfriend and I have different work schedules, so sometimes when I spend the night at her place I have to get up earlier than she does. Our options are that I set my super-loud, super-annoying iPhone alarm (which wakes both of us up), or I set my Pebble with an alarm that only vibrates my wrist (and leaves her happily asleep).

Now with the Apple Watch I'm going to have to come up with another solution.

Yes, and you will need a dedicated proprietary watch charger you leave at her place. Because even if she has an Watch, you both can't use the same charger while you sleep.

Of course, the watch only takes two hours to charge. So if you take it off as soon as you get to her place and put it on the charger, it should be ready to go by bedtime. Of course that means only 10 waking hours under Apple's published specs. The true test of battery life is how much power it actually uses at night when you're sleeping and not doing anything with it. Perhaps there's a do not disturb mode that prevents any radio transmissions from/to the watch, assuring you still get close to 18 hours aven after being off the charger for 8 hours overnight.

Of course, if you're charging it before bed, you won't be able to use the remote control functions to watch TV, or get notifications without grabbing your phone.

The one going about the inductive charging thing I'll question is why not develop wireless power? Tesla was working on a wireless power delivery method on a massive scale 100 years ago. And I've read articles about the technical feasibility today, especially via cell signals, so a wireless base station that recharged the watch on your wrist over 6-8 hours during sleep doesn't seem that outrageous, and would solve this issue almost entirely.

 

[sterl320]

People have mentioned this over and over in previous threads but I'll give my opinion.

Current activity trackers last well over a day, some last for months. My iPhone even lasts for more than a day. I don't charge my iPhone daily. Other people have reported that other smart watches last more than a day as well.

If you travel internationally, there is a good chance that your watch will go into power save mode or die completely.

If you happen to be away from a power source for multiple days, then you'll have to bring along an extra device to power your watch. In my instance, this is usually summer camping/hiking trips.

Also, many activity trackers have the ability to track sleep and people have found sleep tracking to be a useful tool. So if you wanted to explore sleep tracking with the apple watch, it'd be difficult to do.

And should we really have to worry at the end of the day, especially for a long day whether our watches will have enough power? sure there is power save mode but for those that are looking into activity tracking features, it'd be nice to have it for more than an estimated day.

activity tracker ≠ Smartwatch.

since they are in 2 different categories, it isn't fair to compare them & it doesn't help your argument. Compare the Apple Watch to other smart watches that have all of the capabilities of the Apple Watch.

All of these instances you listed don't just affect your watch, but it also affects your phone. If you travel internationally without being able to charge your watch, then its safe to assume you couldn't charge your phone. Same with your summer camping/hiking example. You wouldn't even need a smart watch at that point since you dont have your phone, & if you were to find a way to charge your phone during these examples, then you would be able to charge your watch as well.

----------

I charge my iPhone throughout the day, whenever I have access to a charging cable, so my phone is fully charged and ready to go at a moments notice. But I also don't have to do anything special to charge it. I have docks at work, home, and in the car which makes just throwing it into a cradle a mindless process. When I need it, I just grab it and go.

The watch is different -- you'll have to take it off your wrist and pick up a proprietary cable and connect it. I'll need at least four proprietary cables to charge it in the same places as my iPhone, which means more cables. And then you have to put it back on your wrist, and buckle it when you're ready to go. It will be a bit more of a hassle than just throwing an iPhone onto a charger.

Then the watch isn't for you.

 

[leenak]

activity tracker ≠ Smartwatch.

since they are in 2 different categories, it isn't fair to compare them & it doesn't help your argument. Compare the Apple Watch to other smart watches that have all of the capabilities of the Apple Watch.

All of these instances you listed don't just affect your watch, but it also affects your phone. If you travel internationally without being able to charge your watch, then its safe to assume you couldn't charge your phone. Same with your summer camping/hiking example. You wouldn't even need a smart watch at that point since you dont have your phone, & if you were to find a way to charge your phone during these examples, then you would be able to charge your watch as well.

Apple is touting the health benefits including activity tracking. And as I said, others have said that current smart watches last more than a day.

When I travel internationally, I put my phone off because I really don't need it. Same for camping/hiking trips. Also, the watch can do activity tracking without a phone so I'd expect for my hikes, it'd be able to count steps even if I didn't have the phone on as well as know what time it is. I wouldn't really use the watch for more than that for camping.

If you think of the apple watch as a mini phone, then sure I can get the argument but if you think of it more like a watch, then you'd expect it to have a better battery life.

 

[sterl320]

My point was that you always have to consider what you do with it. If it had, say 2 day battery life, then people would never have to bother thinking about it but just use it as much as they needed, and then charge when they have the opportunity. It would just be a better product.

That same argument can be made for the iPhone.

Actually, that same argument can be made for literally every type of tech that takes a chargeable battery.

 

[bchreng]

I've never worn a watch. I was born in the mid 80s, and by the time I hit high school, I always had my phone on me to tell the time. So up until (hopefully this Friday) my watch has been my phone, and I must charge my watch nightly.

I keep seeing people complain about battery life on the Watch.
They're upset because they think the battery life is terrible because it doesn't last more than a day.

I mean of course extended battery life is awesome, but.
Practically speaking, why would you want/need battery life to be longer than a day?
What would the advantage be?

I just don't get it...

You're just too young and/or inexperienced with the ways of a "dumb" watch is all. I've been wearing watches since middle school and didn't have a (flip) cell phone till college and even that lasted many days per charge.

 

[macguy360]

People have mentioned this over and over in previous threads but I'll give my opinion.

Current activity trackers last well over a day, some last for months. My iPhone even lasts for more than a day. I don't charge my iPhone daily. Other people have reported that other smart watches last more than a day as well.

If you travel internationally, there is a good chance that your watch will go into power save mode or die completely.

If you happen to be away from a power source for multiple days, then you'll have to bring along an extra device to power your watch. In my instance, this is usually summer camping/hiking trips.

Also, many activity trackers have the ability to track sleep and people have found sleep tracking to be a useful tool. So if you wanted to explore sleep tracking with the apple watch, it'd be difficult to do.

And should we really have to worry at the end of the day, especially for a long day whether our watches will have enough power? sure there is power save mode but for those that are looking into activity tracking features, it'd be nice to have it for more than an estimated day.

You hit the nail on the head. For a device thats supposed to be such a profound improvement compared to any other smartwatch, the Apple Watch isn't even able to be used as a sleep tracking device due to the limited battery.

Then take into account that you have to literally put an entire charging cycle on the watch every single day to use the watch daily, your looking at 365 cycles per year. Even the best laptop batteries that Apple have designed are only rated to last a maximum 1000 charge cycles.

So how long will the battery life remain at 18 hours of mixed use?

 

[sterl320]

Apple is touting the health benefits including activity tracking. And as I said, others have said that current smart watches last more than a day.

When I travel internationally, I put my phone off because I really don't need it. Same for camping/hiking trips. Also, the watch can do activity tracking without a phone so I'd expect for my hikes, it'd be able to count steps even if I didn't have the phone on as well as know what time it is. I wouldn't really use the watch for more than that for camping.

If you think of the apple watch as a mini phone, then sure I can get the argument but if you think of it more like a watch, then you'd expect it to have a better battery life.

An activity tracker is primarily an activity tracker. the Apple Watch is a SMARTWATCH that does activity tracking. You can use it as your activity tracker. You can replace your current activity tracker with it. But its not an activity tracker, its a smartwatch. So again, comparing them for argumentative reasons is unfair to both activity trackers and the Apple Watch.

And yes, the apple watch isn't merely a watch & most definitely should not be considered as just a watch. Its first & foremost a piece of technology, in the design of the watch. It has basic watch functionalities, yes, but it does & is SO much more than that. Considering the Applewatch & every other Smartwatch created to this day simply discredits the fact that they are in their own category of tech.

And in the category of smartwatches, just like MANY other forms of technology that uses a chargeable battery, you'll be charging it everyday.

You want a regular watch? get a regular watch. You want a smartwatch? prepare to charge it.

 

[leenak]

An activity tracker is primarily an activity tracker. the Apple Watch is a SMARTWATCH that does activity tracking. You can use it as your activity tracker. You can replace your current activity tracker with it. But its not an activity tracker, its a smartwatch. So again, comparing them for argumentative reasons is unfair to both activity trackers and the Apple Watch.

And yes, the apple watch isn't merely a watch & most definitely should not be considered as just a watch. Its first & foremost a piece of technology, in the design of the watch. It has basic watch functionalities, yes, but it does & is SO much more than that. Considering the Applewatch & every other Smartwatch created to this day simply discredits the fact that they are in their own category of tech.

And in the category of smartwatches, just like MANY other forms of technology that uses a chargeable battery, you'll be charging it everyday.

You want a regular watch? get a regular watch. You want a smartwatch? prepare to charge it.

There are activity trackers that do more than just tracking activity. Many of those now give phone notifications, can control your iPhone music and other things. Also, from what I've heard of other smart watches, those last more than a day. I don't even charge my iPhone daily.

The battery life isn't preventing me from buying one because I'm hoping it'll be better in gen2. I just wish it was better than it is.

 

[joshcls]

You're just too young and/or inexperienced with the ways of a "dumb" watch is all. I've been wearing watches since middle school and didn't have a (flip) cell phone till college and even that lasted many days per charge.

I absolutely knowledge that I'm inexperienced with traditional watches, and a lot of it has to do with my age. I definitely owned that in my original post.

We're all different.
We'll use this in different ways, for different things, at different frequencies.

It is after all, Apple's most personal device.

Was just hoping someone could explain to me the other side of it, since it's clearly not a problem for me.

 

[Mac 128]

Do you really think you're going to need to be charging your watch every place you go? I would assume people will be wearing their watches most of the day not constantly looking for a place to charge it.

John Gruber tweeted that he's been using the watch for 22 days and he's only used power reserve mode once, to test it. Hopefully that means battery life will be better than expected.

I don't know what to expect. Reviewers are not typically real world users as they are typically dealing with pre-release software and hardware, there's a dearth of third party apps competing for battery power at the time of the review, and unless the reviewer typically focuses on testing something like battery life, it may go unchallenged.

What I know is that I've never owned an Apple product that got the battery life they advertised. With respect to the watch I was addressing the particular assertion that because the iPhone is no problem to recharge, then neither should the watch be. But that's Apples and oranges as I pointed out. Whether or not the watch gets the battery life Apple suggests it may, the watch is still more inconvenient to charge compared to the iPhone.

And here's something else we know ... taking calls on the watch is limited to 3 hours of battery life. Listening to music is limited to 6.5. Active fitness tracking is limited to 6.5. So if a user utilizes any of those activities excessively, and let's say becomes dependent on them, then yes, they're going to be looking for more than one mid-day charge, if only to ensure they have enough power to get them through a night where they may not have access to recharging.

I don't personally see using the watch like that, but based on Time Cook's enthusiasm for the biggest power draining features during the keynotes, and comments from tech guys on a site like this, I do see many people pushing the watch well beyond Apple's conservative testing.

 

[Piggie]

I do think many are in denial here

Charging ANYTHING once a day is a pain, why would it be anything else?

I know you get used to it, put up with it, learn to live with it, but still, I can't imagine anyone WANTS to have to charge anything every single day if they had a choice.

It's a bit like saying, well, I get hit in the face each day, and now I'm going to get hit in the face, and slapped on the cheeks, but hey, I'm getting hit anyway, so the slap is neither here nor there.

Well how about not getting hit in the face, would that not be better

I'm am 100% sure, one day, in the future people will look back at those here and think, WOW, really? You mean those people used to have to charge their phones and watches every single day? OMG amazing, why would anyone ever want to do that? It's crazy

 

[Mr.C]

I don't know why some people find it strange that people wear their watches at night. I wear my watch all the time except for when I go for a shower. That doesn't leave me much time to charge it unless I do it part of the time when I would be wearing it. I also don't think unlike some people that it's unreasonable for something like the Watch to give at least several days charge if not a full week.

I have an iPhone 6 Plus which based on my usage certainly doesn't need charging every day. That said I do plug it in when I get home everyday purely because when I'm at home I don't need to have it on me. Depending on the battery life of the Watch my plan is most likely to wear my Pebble at night when I only need the time and my alarm in the morning whilst my Watch charges overnight.

Hopefully with my usage I will be able to get through until I go to sleep before I need to charge the Watch which is typically between 16 and 18 hours. I have preordered a second charge cable to have with me when I travel or go to work incase I have the need to charge it.