Apple Says Apple Watch Series 3 Lasts Up to 7 Hours When Streaming Apple Music Over LTE

Following yesterday's release of watchOS 4.1, which enables Apple Music and Beats 1 streaming over LTE on cellular-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 models, Apple has outlined how much impact the functionality has on battery life.

apple watch apple music streaming
While all Apple Watch Series 3 models are rated for up to 10 hours of battery life when playing music from the watch's built-in storage, Apple says the device gets up to seven hours of battery life when streaming Apple Music with LTE.

Apple also says the Apple Watch Series 3 has up to five hours of battery life when streaming live radio with LTE. watchOS 4.1 features a new Radio app with access to Beats 1 and other Apple Music radio stations.

For outdoor sessions with the Workout app, the Apple Watch Series 3 is rated for up to three hours of battery life with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE. That's one hour less than an outdoor workout without streaming audio.

Apple says battery life varies by use, configuration, cellular network, signal strength, streaming quality settings, and many other factors.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone XX? 6 Features Rumored for Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday October 27, 2025 4:01 pm PDT by
For the 10th anniversary iPhone that came out in 2017, Apple introduced the iPhone X with Face ID, notch, and minimized bezels, providing more display space than ever before. The 20th iPhone anniversary is approaching and Apple wants to take the iPhone X design even further. We're two years away from the 2027 iPhone, but it's tough for Apple to keep major changes under wraps. We've rounded...

Top Rated Comments

840quadra Avatar
104 months ago
Considering I can get 4 days on a single charge (I take it off at night) I don’t doubt this. I think apple was really conservative with their battery life statements on this device.

3 hours of battery working out! ROFL!

This is why you will never see a triathlete with an apple watch.
I would say that anyone trying to swim with AirPods in, has other problems to worry about.

Without streaming music you get 4-5 hours, and more if you don’t have it in workout mode. But again, Apple is conservative so I would expect people see more, even when streaming music.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
104 months ago
Once again people slam the Apple Watch over battery life before knowing what it's actually capable of.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Xavier Avatar
104 months ago
Did anyone mention how the original iPod had 10 hours of battery? It's pretty damn impressive that a watch, streaming music over cellular, connected to your wireless headphones, last 7 hours.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CB1234 Avatar
104 months ago
3 hours of battery working out! ROFL!

This is why you will never see a triathlete with an apple watch.
And how many triathlete's around the world are Apple targeting with their apple watch, may I ask?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
104 months ago
For what the watch cost, that is not very good battery life, in my opinion. Get the battery to 12 hrs and I will buy.
You're working out with music for a full 12 hours? What type of super-human athlete are you?

I work out with music 2 hours a day. That is a lot with a full time job and a life. My watch has 30-50% battery left by the end of an 18 hour day.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
104 months ago
Why do you get seven hours of battery when streaming Apple Music over LTE, but five hours when streaming radio over LTE? How is streaming Apple Music more battery efficient?
With Apple Music, the song is downloaded all at once to the watch, then LTE is not being used until 2-3 minutes later another song needs to be loaded.

With streaming, the LTE data is always being used.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)