I updated the software on my SS 10 watch this morning and by 3:00 I was down to14% battery. Anyone else noticing this? I don't recall having battery issues with any other update.
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Update killed my watch battery.
- Thread starter judyg951
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It is not unusual for the watch and or iPhone to use more battery after updating to a new OS (and sometimes a minor update) because they are indexing.
This happens to some people on almost all OS updates, usually rebooting fixes it. It can take sometimes up to a week to see normal
Behavior again.
If it persists for several days, a un-pair/re-pair is often suggested. In such case it is highly recommended to setup the watch as new and not restore from backup. Hopefully you won't get to that point
The watch was normal temperature when I updated it.. It is now at 80% at 10:50. I have been wearing it since around 6:30 so I will see how the day goes.
I'm a week into WatchOS 26 on my Apple Watch Series 8. Tonight marks the second night since updating that my Apple Watch battery has gotten down to zero. My watch is usually around 10% when I take it off for the night, so this is unusual for me. I've tried the restart process several times and it does not seem to help, but it's hard to say. WatchOS 26 is the likely culprit in my case.
This morning I checked before I took it off the charger, and it was only at 34% after about 8 hours of charging. I use a third-party charger for my iPhone and Apple Watch. My phone chargers fine on it. Maybe WatchOS 26 doesn't like my charger?
The reboot seems to have helped my battery life. I'm at 50% now and that's about normal at this time.
26.0.2 has ruined my series 6 battery life. I know it’s an old watch but always got me through the day, until now. It’s losing around 10% an hour. Rebooted everything, and even took any third party complications off the current face (pedometer++) to no avail.
Next thing to try is a full reset and set up from scratch unless anyone else has any ideas.
Edit - I should add that 26.0 was ok, the .0.2 point release seems to be the cause.
Next thing to try is a full reset and set up from scratch unless anyone else has any ideas.
Edit - I should add that 26.0 was ok, the .0.2 point release seems to be the cause.
Wait till 26.6.1, it will be ok. /s
I had the same problem with WatchOS 10.0.x on my AW4. It ruined my watch battery life. I was unable to use my watch longer than 3 hours.
2025, WatchOS 10.6.1, the same AW4 works perfectly for a whole day plus ~30 minutes running workout.
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My Ultra 3 got smoked the first day on .0.2. But back to normal after.After the update to 26.0.2 my battery drains in my Series 9. Tried everything.
Battery drain is a problem post iOS/WatchOS 26 with all the minor updates done. Series 9. My daughter having the same issues. Battery drain is very quick and worse after any exercise/fitness function. Glad to know it;s just not me. Maybe Apple Planned Obsolescence at play here?????
Wife’s brand new series 10, her old series 9 and my series 7 were great but once updated to 26 lucky to get half a day. It’s terrible. Tried rebooting, set up as new. No apps installed. Turned off background app refresh. Can’t even get 6 hours without it totally dying.