Apple Watch Series 4 and 5 Will Recalibrate Maximum Battery Capacity With watchOS 9

With watchOS 9, Apple is adding a new recalibration feature for the Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5, according to the watchOS 9 release notes. The recalibration will result in a more accurate estimate for maximum battery capacity.

apple watch series 5

After updating to watchOS 9, your Apple Watch Series 4 or Series 5 will recalibrate and then estimate its maximum battery capacity more accurately.

Following the watchOS 9 update, Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5 owners who have noticed battery life being misrepresented should be able to get a better read on how long their device will last.

Apple has previously introduced recalibration functionality for the iPhone 11 to make ‌iPhone‌ battery life estimates more accurate, but there has been no similar feature made available for the Apple Watch until now.

The recalibration process will happen during the update and will be complete once it's installed.

Related Roundups: watchOS 10, watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

applefanboysince93 Avatar
27 months ago
instead of a %batteryLife estimate there’ll be a $BuyANewWatch message ;)
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
27 months ago
End of the day... the issue is those cells are pushing 4 years old in the case of a well used/loved Series 4. Software optimization can only go so far when you're talking about a 4 year old battery with 1400 cycles on it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wwooden Avatar
27 months ago
My Series 4 is at 80% battery health. Doesn't affect any of my day-to-day: I still can workout in the morning, wear it all day at work, and still do more activities in the evening before it starts to get close to 15-20%. When it starts affecting my daily activities, I'll just pay to get the battery replaced. The feature set of the Series 4 meets all my needs.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SantaFeNM Avatar
27 months ago

For a $79 battery replacement fee does the Apple Store change the battery or just give you a new AWS4?
I had the battery replaced in my AW S4 in March of 2021. I had a significant scratch on the screen when I sent it off. Apple sent back to me a new AW S4, of course with a new battery and pristine screen. A big win-win in my case and opinion.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
27 months ago
My series 4 still hold strong after all these years (4 years). 88% battery health. Good enough feature set to last incredibly long. Wonder how this “calibration” would work.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HappyDude20 Avatar
27 months ago
For a $79 battery replacement fee does the Apple Store change the battery or just give you a new AWS4?


Not applicable to my S5 since I will not be downloading iOS 16 until next Summer, at the earliest.
Why holding out?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)