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 Roundups: watchOS 11, watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

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Top Rated Comments

surfzen21 Avatar
31 months ago
Good to still see a focus on the older models.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
31 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
31 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
31 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
31 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
31 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)