watchOS 9.4 to Recalibrate Battery Capacity on 44mm Apple Watch Series 6

The watchOS 9.4 update that Apple is beta testing right now will include a battery recalibration process for the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6, Apple said today in an updated Apple Watch support document.

apple watch series 6 unboxing image
After updating to watchOS 9.4, the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6 will be able to estimate maximum battery capacity more accurately following the recalibration process.

Apple recalibrated the batteries of the Apple Watch Series 4 and Apple Watch Series 5 models with the watchOS 9 update, and now the process is being extended to the 44mm Apple Watch Series 6.

Battery recalibration has also been done for some iPhone models in the past, including the iPhone 11. Recalibration is able to improve inaccurate estimates of battery health that some users may be seeing.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...

Top Rated Comments

surfzen21 Avatar
28 months ago
Good to still see a focus on the older models.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
28 months ago
My launch day 44mm 6’s battery health hung at 81-82% for months before my 2 year warranty ran out (even though it was needing to be recharged more and more frequently) and about a month after warranty ran out, it was around 77% (the batteries in my series 0 and 3 degraded much more slowly.)

Two other family members and a colleague with the same watch had better battery health, low 80’s, at the same time mine was in the mid 70’s.)

So I complained to Apple and they sent me a replacement.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pcmike Avatar
28 months ago

My launch day S6 is at 80% battery health… waiting for it to hit 79% so I can get a replacement under AppleCare+.
I wonder which direction the recalibration will change battery health %
Enough to where you won’t be getting a replacement I bet ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
28 months ago

Sounds great. I love seeing support for older devices.

Randumb: seeing the red Watch featured in the OP, it seems offering Watch in multiple colors (think iMac), with matching bands, would be a big hit with the masses. People like colors.
Support is good but this could be to prevent warranty coverage by changing the battery status.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jdhommert Avatar
28 months ago
Interesting to see how this works out. I feel like my S6 Watch has maybe been the only Apple product I've owned where the battery went to crap so fast (ok ok iPhone X lol) I had assumed it was because I had always on display turned on for the first couple-few months and it ravaged the battery. My battery was draining so fast, and I turned it off and checked my battery health and it was already in the 80s. I gave my old launch day S4 to my dad, and last I looked it has better battery health than my launch day S6.

I probably have my eye on a 2024 watch as thats the rumored big updates. So if this update doesn't make me feel better about my battery lasting long enough to make it until then...and it probably won't...I'll get a used S7/8 to hold me over. Probably at S9 launch as they'll be much cheaper. Probably an 8 if I wait until then.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
geartau Avatar
28 months ago

My launch day 44mm 6’s battery health hung at 81-82% for month before my 2 year warranty ran out (even though it was needing to be recharged more and more frequently) and about a month after warranty ran out, it was around 77% (the batteries in my series 0 and 3 degraded much more slowly.)

Two other family members and a colleague with the same watch had better battery health, low 80’s, at the same time mine was in the mid 70’s.)

So I complained to Apple and they sent me a replacement.
same

my 6 series was stuck at 82% for over a year. that did not make any sense. i talked with apple and they said nothing was wrong and it was working fine. so there was no way to get it replaced under warranty.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)