Apple Offering Free Repairs for Apple Watch Series 5 and SE Models With Power Reserve Issue Not Fixed by watchOS 7.3.1

Apple today released watchOS 7.3.1 with a fix for an issue that can cause the Apple Watch Series 5 and SE not to charge after entering Power Reserve mode.

apple watch power reserve
In a support document, Apple outlines the issue, which affected "a very small number of customers." Apple says that these people saw a problem with charging after the Apple Watch went into Power Reserve mode.

While watchOS 7.3.1 will fix the issue for customers who haven't previously experienced it, those who already had the problem may need to get support from Apple. Apple says to check if an Apple Watch is affected by the bug, users should place the watch on a charger and then wait for at least 30 minutes.

If the Apple Watch won't charge after the 30 minute time period, customers should contact Apple Support to set up a mail-in repair, which will be done free of charge by Apple.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
top stories 2025 05 10

Top Stories: iOS 18.5 Release Imminent, iPhone Rumors for 2025 and Beyond, and More

Saturday May 10, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
With Apple's developer conference where it will show off iOS 19 just a month away, the company is wrapping up work on iOS 18.5 ahead of an imminent release to deliver a few new features and updates. This week also saw a number of iPhone-related rumors, encompassing not only this year's iPhone 17 lineup but also Apple's plans for 2026 and 2027, even as Apple's Eddy Cue suggested AI could make ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...

Top Rated Comments

Mr. Dee Avatar
55 months ago
Its one of the impressive parts of Apple, they really go out of their way to fix a product when there is a problem.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
55 months ago

Its one of the impressive parts of Apple, they really go out of their way to fix a product when there is a problem.
All things considered these units were recently released and would be covered under the regular 1 year warranty. This “offer” isn’t really anything special.. there is nothing “impressive” about covering a defect under the original 1 year warranty. The regular warranty covers defects in workmanship like we’ve seen here.

If this was a program being offered for 2-3 year old units, then we can talk.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PimpDaddy Avatar
55 months ago

Its one of the impressive parts of Apple, they really go out of their way to fix a product when there is a problem.
As someone who currently has a 15” Macbook Pro with a line of dead pixels down the center of the screen that are 99% due to a bad screen flex cable design I disagree somewhat. Had another Macbook Pro die on me years ago that was obviously due to a well documented issue with certain faulty logic board designs. Wasn’t covered by Apple because mine wasn’t in the serial number range they deemed was affected even though the issue was pinpointed to the exact same problem by an Apple certified repair center ??‍♂️.

I’d say they are hit and miss when it comes to acknowledging problematic issues. It seems like whenever it points in the direction of a design flaw they go to great lengths to subdue the issue. Maybe that’s because they sell so many units that the number of repairs/swaps they would have to make would cost a lot. That‘s just a bit of a dick move for a company that prides themselves on great design AND is the richest company in the world.

All said the above update mentioned in the article might explain why I had a Series 5 watch die on my during Xmas. Happy they exchanged mine for free and can fix it via software!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
55 months ago
What a coincidence. Last week, Big Sur was killing the battery firmware of MacBooks. Now watchOS does something similar.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ApfelKuchen Avatar
55 months ago

All things considered these units were recently released and would be covered under the regular 1 year warranty. This “offer” isn’t really anything special.. there is nothing “impressive” about covering a defect under the original 1 year warranty. The regular warranty covers defects in workmanship like we’ve seen here.

If this was a program being offered for 2-3 year old units, then we can talk.
SE hasn't been around for a year yet, but Series 5 was introduced in September 2019, so there certainly are Series 5 that aren't covered by the one-year warranty.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
55 months ago
Glad to see Apple step forward, take ownership, and an immediate customer solution.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)