What to Know
- If your Apple Watch is covered by AppleCare or AppleCare+, it can be inexpensive or free to replace your Apple Watch battery.
- Consider the age of your Apple Watch and whether or not you care about new hardware and software features when making your decision.
Your Apple Watch battery won’t charge all the way anymore, and you’re having to charge more and more often. Should you replace the battery in your Apple Watch, or just buy a new one? Here’s what to consider, and how to decide whether to replace your battery, or the whole Apple Watch.
Does My Apple Watch Need a New Battery? Pros & Cons
So, you’ve noticed your Apple Watch performance has declinde, and checked your Apple Watch battery health. Sad to say, the maximum battery capacity has declined so, now what? Should you buy a new Apple Watch? Or just replace your Apple Watch battery? Here’s what to consider before replacing your Apple Watch battery.
Do You Have AppleCare or AppleCare+?
Image courtesy of Apple
Do you have AppleCare, AppleCare+, or third-party insurance on your Apple Watch? If so, it could be well worth your while to have your Apple Watch battery replaced.
AppleCare is included with your Apple Watch purchase for one year, and covers one year of hardware repair. This includes battery issues as long as “failure has occurred due to a defect in materials and workmanship”. In other words, as long as the battery was defective due to how it was made, rather than some kind of accident, or wear and tear, you can get it repaired for free.
AppleCare+ costs between $2.99 and $4.99 a month, and offers free battery service if your Apple Watch battery retains less than 80% of its original capacity. If your Apple Watch battery was damaged due to accident or wear and tear, you can expect to pay between $69 and $79 to have it looked at and repaired.
If you don’t have any kind of warranty coverage or insurance, you’ll need to pay out of pocket for battery replacement. I’d recommend going to an Apple Store or using an Apple Certified repair shop. You can use this estimate tool to decide if it’s worth it to replace the battery, or if you may as well upgrade to a newer Apple Watch.
How Old Is Your Apple Watch?
Image courtesy of Apple
Do you care about the updated features and security that come with Apple Watch software updates? If so, another factor in deciding if battery replacement for Apple Watch is right for you is which model of Apple Watch you have. Your Apple Watch can be updated to the latest watchOS for quite a while. For example, currently, the four-year old Apple Watch 6 can update to watchOS 12.
So, if the only issue you’re having with your Apple Watch are battery related, and it’s running the current watchOS, it could make sense to replace the battery and keep it for a few more years. If, however, it’s an older Apple Watch that can’t be updated, or may be cut off from updates in the next year or so, consider purchasing a new Apple Watch.
Do You Care About New Apple Watch Features?
Every new generation of the Apple Watch comes with new and upgraded features but how much do you really care about the latest, greatest Apple Watch updates?
If you’re like me, you don’t use all the bells and whistles included in your current Apple Watch, and aren’t too concerned about being the first to get the latest generation. A lot of people, though, can’t wait for new Apple Watch features to debut, and update as often as possible.
If you’re an Apple Watch enthusiast, an underperforming battery could be the excuse to upgrade you’ve been waiting for!
What Is the Environmental Impact?
If you’re worried about the impact on the environment that comes from replacing your Apple Watch, I have good news. Apple unveiled its first carbon-neutral products in September of 2023, and they include the entire Apple Watch Series 9 lineup, and the series 10 follows suit! Apple aims to have every product carbon neutral by 2030, so you’ll have one less worry about replacing any of your Apple devices.
Now that you’ve considered warranties, cost, software updates, features, and environmental impact you should be ready to decide whether or not to replace your Apple Watch battery. If you want to learn more about Apple devices and battery health, be sure to check out our free Tip of the Day!
FAQ
- Can I check my Apple Watch battery on my iPhone? Yes, you can check your Apple Watch battery on your iPhone. Just touch and hold your iPhone Home Screen until it enters Wiggle mode, and add the Batteries widget.
- Is there a way to preserve my Apple Watch battery? Yes, you can turn on Optimized Battery Charging, which caps your Apple Watch battery charge at 80% and extends its life.
- How long does it take to charge an Apple Watch battery? That depends on which Apple Watch model you have, and which charger you’re using. We have an article that goes over how long it takes to charge your Apple Watch, and how long that charge lasts.
Top image credit: love4aya / Shutterstock.com
