On Apple Watch models running watchOS 7 and later, Apple includes a Battery Health feature that's similar to the one found on iPhones and iPads running iOS 11.3 and later.

apple watch se gen 2
In basic terms, Battery Health provides information about the state of the device's battery and includes an option called "Optimized Battery Charging," which is designed to extend the total battery life of your Apple Watch.

When enabled, Optimized Battery Charging learns from your personal device habits and waits to finish charging all the way up until you need your ‌Apple Watch.

For example, if you regularly charge up your watch at night while you're asleep, the device may opt to limit its charging to the 80 percent mark, and then wait for an hour or so before you wake up to charge the remaining 20 percent.

This keeps your watch at an optimal capacity for battery health by reducing the amount of time that it's sat on the charger at 100 percent charged, which can reduce its life over time.

Optimized charging is designed to activate only in locations where you spend the most time, such as your home and place of work. The feature doesn't turn on when your usage habits are more variable, such as when you travel.

Make Your Watch Fully Charge Before It's Scheduled to Do So

You can make your watch charge to full before it's scheduled to do so by following these steps.

  1. Make sure your Apple Watch is connected to its charger.
  2. Tap your watch to show the charging screen, then tap the circle with the green or yellow charging icon.
  3. Tap Charge to Full Now.

charge watch to full

How to Turn Off Optimized Battery Charging

Optimized Battery Charging is enabled by default on an Apple Watch running watchOS 7. If you need your Apple Watch fully charged sooner than normal and you want to disable Optimized Battery Charging, follow these simple steps.

  1. Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to bring up the App View.
  2. Select the Settings app.
  3. Scroll down and select Battery.
    settings

  4. Scroll down and select Battery Health.
  5. Tap the switch next to Optimized Battery Charging to turn it to the grey OFF position.
  6. Tap Turn Off or Turn Off Until Tomorrow.
    settings

To re-enable Optimized Battery Charging on your Apple Watch at any time, simply repeat the above steps and toggle the switch to the green ON position.

Checking the Health of Your Apple Watch Battery

Notice that the Battery Health screen contains useful additional information about the status of your Apple Watch battery, which you can use to decide if it needs replacing.

settings

Apple Watch Series 4 used daily since launch

The "Maximum Capacity" percentage gives you a measure of battery capacity compared to when your battery was brand new. If the maximum capacity percentage falls, you'll likely get less usage out of your Apple Watch between charges. In other words, it's an indicator of how your battery is performing overall and directly correlates with how long your ‌watch will last on a single charge.

Help Optimized Charging Identify Locations

Optimized charging is designed to activate only in locations where you spend the most time, such as your home and place of work. The feature doesn't turn on when your usage habits are more variable, such as when you travel.

To help Optimized Battery Charging identify situations where it shouldn't be used, turn on the following location settings in the Settings app on your Apple Watch:

  • Privacy -> Location Services -> Location Services
  • Privacy > Location Services > System Services > System Customization
  • Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Significant Locations > Significant Locations

The location information for this feature remains on your watch and none of it is sent to Apple.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
Related Forum: iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

rurza Avatar
63 months ago
Holy ****, ma watch has 87% of the original capacity and it's Series 5
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliamG Avatar
63 months ago
My Series 4 is reporting 100% battery. Worn every day since launch. Seems unlikely to be true...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kiranmk2 Avatar
63 months ago
What would be good is the customisation to only charge to 80 or 90% period (as is recommended for electric cars). I'm never even close to running out of charge on my watch so I would rather forego 10% charge to prolong the battery life. I think this would be more effective that Apple's solution. (Same request for phones and Macs)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
63 months ago
Why does the iPad not have battery optimisation options??
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dee2001 Avatar
63 months ago
My Series 3 is also reporting 100% battery. Seriously doubt that after 3 years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
63 months ago
Series 4, 99%
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...
11th gen ipad blue

Apple to Launch New Low-Cost 11-Inch iPad in the Spring

Friday July 11, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will launch a new 12th generation entry-level iPad in the spring of next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is said to have two versions of the entry-level 11-inch iPad in development, codenamed J581 and J582. These could refer to different storage capacities – in which case, Apple may be planning to drop the existing lowest capacity option. The current iPad 11 is...