S7 battery replacement and blood oxygen - my experience

[jz0309]

It was in a MacRumors main page article when the ban was first announced. I'll have to take a look to see if I can find it. Last November I sent my S6 in for battery service under AppleCare+ and I received a replacement S6 model ending with LL/A. Unless something has changed, I don't understand why you received a replacement with LW/A..

I've found this article and it refers to an internal memo, but no other article/post with a link to Apple saying that warranty/AC+ covered watches will get SpO2.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-wont-be-able-to-repair-out-of-warranty-apple-watches-due-to-import-ban.2414359/

The only reason that I can think of receiving the LW/A model is that they ran out of refurb'd LL/A and there were not enough AC+ cases wanting/needing them to produce more LW/A, but who knows. And the model number should be a firmware update, HW should be identical.

Googling this issue revealed quite a few reddit posts where folks have the same experience I'm going through, several indicating that they had to sign a waiver for not getting SpO2 back (those were before SpO2 was re-enabled), and someone claiming that Apple had a policy that no "compensation/upgrades" would be granted in the replacement process ...

I'll be working on that tcook email, meanwhile I'm leaning heavily to return this refurb watch and just leave this case open for some time

 

[jz0309]

Thanks for the tip. Is it possible that certain series’s, depending on the color or size, may receive a LL/A replacement stock? The OP has an Apple Watch Series 7 edition silver titanium, while you have a series 6.

I don’t mind if the watch gets SPO2 from the watchOS 11.6+ releases that do it differently (by showing the results only on the iPhone). However, I’m also considering getting AppleCare and doing an express replacement when my watch feels like it’s time for a battery replacement. I’d hold off on upgrading until it starts to malfunction significantly.

as I said in my previous response, it's likely availability of what models they have in stock.
A S7 Ti is certainly rarer than a aluminum S7 for example so they will have limited refurb inventory and even requests for the Ti ...

 

[goldmac2006]

as I said in my previous response, it's likely availability of what models they have in stock.
A S7 Ti is certainly rarer than a aluminum S7 for example so they will have limited refurb inventory and even requests for the Ti ...

That’s how I knew about it 👀

It’s based on demand for express replacement watches for that model and others.

People who had to get replacement watches don’t get the feature either because AppleCare doesn’t have replacement watches for that x model made before the legal dispute in stock. So, I agree that certain types like the aluminum or (non Hermes) stainless steel Apple Watch Series 6 to 9 may have the LL/A model number.

Did the adviser ask you to sign an agreement before ordering the replacement through AppleCare? I understand that the adviser didn’t mention that the feature would be removed in the replacement during your initial contact, but I read on Reddit that Apple Watch Series 6 to 9 users doing a replacement at the Apple Store had to sign something like that with the Genius

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1kbquhh/apple_watch_battery_replacement_removes_blood_o2

 

[jz0309]

That’s how I knew about it 👀

It’s based on demand for express replacement watches for that model and others.

People who had to get replacement watches don’t get the feature either because AppleCare doesn’t have replacement watches for that x model made before the legal dispute in stock. So, I agree that certain types like the aluminum or (non Hermes) stainless steel Apple Watch Series 6 to 9 may have the LL/A model number.

Did the adviser ask you to sign an agreement before ordering the replacement through AppleCare? I understand that the adviser didn’t mention that the feature would be removed in the replacement during your initial contact, but I read on Reddit that Apple Watch Series 6 to 9 users doing a replacement at the Apple Store had to sign something like that with the Genius

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleWatch/comments/1kbquhh/apple_watch_battery_replacement_removes_blood_o2

no, no mention of a waiver nor that the replacement watch would have different functionality.

From what I've read they used the waiver to basically let people know that their replacement watches would not have SpO2 functionality at all, now with the workaround via the phone, my guess is that won't require a waiver anymore. The waiver also basically prohibits us as the consumers from taking legal action for removing a feature.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I've found this article and it refers to an internal memo, but no other article/post with a link to Apple saying that warranty/AC+ covered watches will get SpO2.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-wont-be-able-to-repair-out-of-warranty-apple-watches-due-to-import-ban.2414359/

The only reason that I can think of receiving the LW/A model is that they ran out of refurb'd LL/A and there were not enough AC+ cases wanting/needing them to produce more LW/A, but who knows. And the model number should be a firmware update, HW should be identical.

Googling this issue revealed quite a few reddit posts where folks have the same experience I'm going through, several indicating that they had to sign a waiver for not getting SpO2 back (those were before SpO2 was re-enabled), and someone claiming that Apple had a policy that no "compensation/upgrades" would be granted in the replacement process ...

I'll be working on that tcook email, meanwhile I'm leaning heavily to return this refurb watch and just leave this case open for some time

I'm thinking the same. S7 Titanium is definitely on the rare side so maybe that's all they had available. Might be worth asking if the watch you handed in could be refurbished for you even if it takes awhile or if you can wait for a LL/A model to become available

 

[jz0309]

I'm thinking the same. S7 Titanium is definitely on the rare side so maybe that's all they had available. Might be worth asking if the watch you handed in could be refurbished for you even if it takes awhile or if you can wait for a LL/A model to become available

good idea, thanks. I still have my original S7, have until 9/14 to return it.
This S7 is my sleep track watch every other night, I wear my Ultra 2 (w/SpO2) at all other times. So what I really want to avoid is getting metrics in different places every other day, I want those to be consistent and comparable. And for the purpose of sleep tracking, my S7 might be good for another 2 years or even more (it took over 6 months to go from 81 to 79% battery health). Of course I would have wasted my money on AC+ but that's another issue.

I am considering trading in my Ultra 2 for an U# if, big if, U3 has blood pressure monitoring. And the U3 will be a LW/A model which then in turn would mean again different metrics every other day if I were to keep my original 7 ...

I will send that email to tcook over the weekend, and I will contact support after the event on whether which watch I'm going to return.

 

[goldmac2006]

no, no mention of a waiver nor that the replacement watch would have different functionality.

From what I've read they used the waiver to basically let people know that their replacement watches would not have SpO2 functionality at all, now with the workaround via the phone, my guess is that won't require a waiver anymore. The waiver also basically prohibits us as the consumers from taking legal action for removing a feature.

And to discourage customers returning to the Apple Store or contacting AppleCare if they got a LW/A Apple Watch replacement in the mail and they wanted a refund

The posting I read was from May 2025 before Apple announced the changes to the blood oxygen ban for LW/A models

 

[jz0309]

And to discourage customers returning to the Apple Store or contacting AppleCare if they got a LW/A Apple Watch replacement in the mail and they wanted a refund

The posting I read was from May 2025 before Apple announced the changes to the blood oxygen ban for LW/A models

yea, there was someone in another thread some time back reporting they had to sign this waiver in-store, no pic though ... had this happen to me before the workaround, I would have never signed it

 

[goldmac2006]

yea, there was someone in another thread some time back reporting they had to sign this waiver in-store, no pic though ... had this happen to me before the workaround, I would have never signed it

Exactly! 👍 I seen this pic of the waiver for the first time from Reddit. No other thread on this forum showed it.

Would do the same if my Apple Watch S6 needed a battery replacement later on. Right now it’s still holding up fine

 

[jz0309]

Exactly! 👍 I seen this pic of the waiver for the first time from Reddit. No other thread on this forum showed it.

Would do the same if my Apple Watch S6 needed a battery replacement later on. Right now it’s still holding up fine

as mentioned, this S7 I only use for sleep tracking every other night, put it on at 100% and it is usually like 82% in the morning when I take it off again, and I think it'll do that just fine even if the health were only 60% .
I would have traded it in when I got my Ultra 1, the S7 was less than 1 year old, original price was $849 and the Apple trade-in value was like $190, so I just kept it ... and now it is the biggest headache of all Apple products I ever owned

 

[webbuzz]

That is disappointing to hear. It seems like playing the lottery when having a watch with SpO2 replaced under AppleCare.

 

[jz0309]

That is disappointing to hear. It seems like playing the lottery when having a watch with SpO2 replaced under AppleCare.

Yea, to me right now it seems like a lottery without jackpot ...

 

[jz0309]

email to tcook@apple.com sent today.
hoping to hear back soon

 

[jz0309]

got a phone call from someone in executive relations, He asked a few clarifying questions and told me that he will get an investigation going (incl w/Legal) and get back to me with the outcome.
I also told him that I would return the replacement watch and he stated that might not be possible, but the senior advisor I spoke to told me it was.

After the event today and the (for me) disappointing upgrades to the Ultra 3 I decided that I will return the replacement watch due to the difference in functionality. In addition, the replacement watch is sitting on the charging puck underneath my computer and yesterday I saw an Apple logo popping, watch rebooted itself without any interaction from me, I didn't like that, so it definitely goes back.
I will contact support again tomorrow and ask for that process tp be oointiated (per the senior advisor).

 

[goldmac2006]

email to tcook@apple.com sent today.
hoping to hear back soon

got a phone call from someone in executive relations, He asked a few clarifying questions and told me that he will get an investigation going (incl w/Legal) and get back to me with the outcome.
I also told him that I would return the replacement watch and he stated that might not be possible, but the senior advisor I spoke to told me it was.

After the event today and the (for me) disappointing upgrades to the Ultra 3 I decided that I will return the replacement watch due to the difference in functionality. In addition, the replacement watch is sitting on the charging puck underneath my computer and yesterday I saw an Apple logo popping, watch rebooted itself without any interaction from me, I didn't like that, so it definitely goes back.
I will contact support again tomorrow and ask for that process tp be oointiated (per the senior advisor).

So, did the watch boot loop?

Of course, when people mail or email Apple higher-ups like Tim Cook, the executive relations team (a group of administrative assistants for internal departments across Apple) usually responds first to start a corporate relationship about your case. Hopefully, the legal team can look into how the AppleCare team handled replacing your Apple Watch Series 7 titanium 45mm and provide further action. Keep the conversation going with AppleCare to let them know you’ve already reached out to the Apple legal team.

 

[jz0309]

9/10 update:
Spoke to Apple support again to return my replacement watch. At first I was told that's not possible with an opened and activated product. But after the senior advisor talked to some other person in customer relations, they ok'd it. She saw somewhere in the case that I had contacted executive relations. So replacement watch is going back this afternoon using the box that was intended for the original watch.
I did inform the exec relations guy via email of this.
Now waiting to hear back from him

 

[jz0309]

9/22 update:
received a call from exec relations today basically telling me that the replacement watch I received was the "current offering" and if I were to initiate another replacement I would get the same watch, basically a LW/A model with the blood oxygen reading on the phone vs the watch.
I expressed my displeasure which he acknowledged and apologized stating that was Apple's position, nothing further.
He followed up with an email:
I’m sorry you are dissatisfied with Apple’s response. That was not our intention.
Thank you for your feedback.

Summary: if you have an older AW with the original SpO2 function (displayed on watch) and you need a replacement expect to receive a refurb model with SpO2 enabled but displayed on iPhone only and also missing in Vitals. Having AC+ or not does not make a difference.

pinging @QCassidy352 @BugeyeSTI as the forum is currently rather buys with the new AWs ...

Bottom line for me. I think I keep my original. I'm only wearing it for sleep tracking every other day. Last night I put it at 100% and when I took it off it was at 84%, I'm only wearing for 8-9hrs at a time, so even with battery health continuing to drop, I think it will take a long time to no make those 8-9 hrs. While it is nice to have 2 watches, it's not essential so when the S7 is no longer usable I will just so with 1 watch.
Lesson learned, need to get over my disappointment. life goes on.

 

[goldmac2006]

9/10 update:
Spoke to Apple support again to return my replacement watch. At first I was told that's not possible with an opened and activated product. But after the senior advisor talked to some other person in customer relations, they ok'd it. She saw somewhere in the case that I had contacted executive relations. So replacement watch is going back this afternoon using the box that was intended for the original watch.
I did inform the exec relations guy via email of this.
Now waiting to hear back from him

9/22 update:
received a call from exec relations today basically telling me that the replacement watch I received was the "current offering" and if I were to initiate another replacement I would get the same watch, basically a LW/A model with the blood oxygen reading on the phone vs the watch.
I expressed my displeasure which he acknowledged and apologized stating that was Apple's position, nothing further.
He followed up with an email:
I’m sorry you are dissatisfied with Apple’s response. That was not our intention.
Thank you for your feedback.

Summary: if you have an older AW with the original SpO2 function (displayed on watch) and you need a replacement expect to receive a refurb model with SpO2 enabled but displayed on iPhone only and also missing in Vitals. Having AC+ or not does not make a difference.

pinging @QCassidy352 @BugeyeSTI as the forum is currently rather buys with the new AWs ...

Bottom line for me. I think I keep my original. I'm only wearing it for sleep tracking every other day. Last night I put it at 100% and when I took it off it was at 84%, I'm only wearing for 8-9hrs at a time, so even with battery health continuing to drop, I think it will take a long time to no make those 8-9 hrs. While it is nice to have 2 watches, it's not essential so when the S7 is no longer usable I will just so with 1 watch.
Lesson learned, need to get over my disappointment. life goes on.

Wow, what a wild ride through this limbo! It seems like they’re not making any units anymore with the LL/A titanium editions. And it’s still a mystery why  customer service and executive relations haven’t stepped up to get you a model with blood oxygen! It feels like they’re not really pushing forward with this one.

It’s pretty unusual because Reddit was showing mixed results too when they took series 6 to 8 models to the Apple Store for repairs, and they’d get the ll/a replacement. But it wasn’t as common for edition titanium as I’ve seen; only stainless steel and aluminum models mostly .

I really appreciate you sharing your story; I also have a friend with an Apple Watch series 7 in the same color titanium as yours. In case he needed to get the battery replaced, since many of my friends with the older watches do not upgrade to the 9, 10, or 11 series because of the LW/A models, or they upgrade to the 7 or 8 series instead.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

9/22 update:
received a call from exec relations today basically telling me that the replacement watch I received was the "current offering" and if I were to initiate another replacement I would get the same watch, basically a LW/A model with the blood oxygen reading on the phone vs the watch.
I expressed my displeasure which he acknowledged and apologized stating that was Apple's position, nothing further.
He followed up with an email:
I’m sorry you are dissatisfied with Apple’s response. That was not our intention.
Thank you for your feedback.

Summary: if you have an older AW with the original SpO2 function (displayed on watch) and you need a replacement expect to receive a refurb model with SpO2 enabled but displayed on iPhone only and also missing in Vitals. Having AC+ or not does not make a difference.

pinging @QCassidy352 @BugeyeSTI as the forum is currently rather buys with the new AWs ...

Bottom line for me. I think I keep my original. I'm only wearing it for sleep tracking every other day. Last night I put it at 100% and when I took it off it was at 84%, I'm only wearing for 8-9hrs at a time, so even with battery health continuing to drop, I think it will take a long time to no make those 8-9 hrs. While it is nice to have 2 watches, it's not essential so when the S7 is no longer usable I will just so with 1 watch.
Lesson learned, need to get over my disappointment. life goes on.

I'm sorry to hear the response Apple gave you concerning your watch. I guess it is what it is and at least it has some SPo2 functionality even if it is on phone.. I hope I don't need to have either of my watches replaced before 2028.. Thank you for keeping us updated with your situation.

 

[jz0309]

Wow, what a wild ride through this limbo! It seems like they’re not making any units anymore with the LL/A titanium editions. And it’s still a mystery why  customer service and executive relations haven’t stepped up to get you a model with blood oxygen! It feels like they’re not really pushing forward with this one.

just to clarify, the replacement watch did have the blood oxygen feature but with the workaround functionality it only being displayed on the iPhone and not on the watch, different from the original.

 

[Howard2k]

Wow, what a wild ride through this limbo! It seems like they’re not making any units anymore with the LL/A titanium editions. And it’s still a mystery why  customer service and executive relations haven’t stepped up to get you a model with blood oxygen! It feels like they’re not really pushing forward with this one.

It’s pretty unusual because Reddit was showing mixed results too when they took series 6 to 8 models to the Apple Store for repairs, and they’d get the ll/a replacement. But it wasn’t as common for edition titanium as I’ve seen; only stainless steel and aluminum models mostly .

I really appreciate you sharing your story; I also have a friend with an Apple Watch series 7 in the same color titanium as yours. In case he needed to get the battery replaced, since many of my friends with the older watches do not upgrade to the 9, 10, or 11 series because of the LW/A models, or they upgrade to the 7 or 8 series instead.

They must still have them kicking around for the non-US market. Nobody in other countries is getting watches with Sp02 disabled right?

 

[jz0309]

They must still have them kicking around for the non-US market. Nobody in other countries is getting watches with Sp02 disabled right?

to be clear, it I not disabled, just has the workaround functionality of SpO2 displayed on the iPhone, not watch.

yea, those non-US refurb models should exist, just probably not in the US but in whatever regional hubs they have.
And, furthermore, they differentiate by model #, eg the old one was ending in LL/A, the replacements are ending in LW/A, and I am sure that can be changed in the firmware, I highly doubt its coded in HW ...

 

[goldmac2006]

just to clarify, the replacement watch did have the blood oxygen feature but with the workaround functionality it only being displayed on the iPhone and not on the watch, different from the original.

Noted. Forgot to mention that 😂 I meant to say lw/a model cos of the watchOS 11.6 vs pre-11.6 blood oxygen presence on the LW/A models.

They must still have them kicking around for the non-US market. Nobody in other countries is getting watches with Sp02 disabled right?

Exactly. Outside USA they get LL/A.