Apple Watch SE: Battery drain and functionality Issues after update to WatchOS 9.3.1

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Apple Watch SE: Battery drain and functionality Issues after update to WatchOS 9.3.1

I update my Apple Watch SE to WatchOS 9.3.1, about two days ago. For context, I can usually go through a full day of work and exercise and end the day with 30%-50% battery remaining.

Yesterday, I started the day with 100% charge around 0900; recorded a ~1 hour swim workout between 1900-2000; and by the time I got home around 2100, the battery was at 5%. The digital crown also temporarily stopped functioning, but after placing the watch on the charger, everything seemed to be in normal working order.

Today, I took the watch off it's charger around 0930 (100% charged), and now at 1600 the battery is fully discharged.

Combing through the Utilities>Battery information, the battery health still registered as 100%. (The watch is fairly new, only received it around December 2022) I also noticed that the screen seems to be stuck "on" - normally I can cover the watch face with my hand and the screen will remain off until I move my wrist or tap the screen, but after multiple tries the screen remained on or only briefly darkened when covered. It's confusing since Apple Watch SE isn't equipped with "Always-On" mode... and even when I toggled off the "wrist turn" and "face up" screen turn-on functions, the display remained on until the watch drained itself of power.

Is this a common issue after an update? I realize that partial or factory resets may be an option, but I'm reluctant to take that extreme an approach if an upcoming OS patch will fix it...

Apple Watch SE

Posted on Feb 15, 2023 4:12 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Soosie_J215

Community Specialist

Feb 16, 2023 7:10 PM in response to naeboese

Hello naeboese,

We see you have some battery life concerns with your new Apple Watch SE, particularly after the latest watchOS update. You also listed out various steps you've taken, which are ones we'd normally recommend. We usually advise customers to check out our battery tips in this helpful article to start: Batteries - Maximizing Performance - Apple

If you've already gone through our suggested tips, and the battery life is still shorter than expected, our next recommended step would be to reach out to our support teams directly. They'll be able to walk through additional troubleshooting with you to help with your Apple Watch SE. You can reach them here: Get Support - Apple

You can also find our phone number for your region at this link: Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Best regards.

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Answer 2

naeboese Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 2, 2023 11:41 AM in response to Soosie_J215

I did book and attend a Genius Bar appointment at my local Apple Store. Through their diagnostics test they confirmed that all hardware was in good working condition, so the issue really does seem to be software-based.

At this point, I've made sure that the paired iPhone is updated to the latest iOS version; performed a few factory resets and re-paired my watch and phone; toggled various background processes and notifications off and on; and all to no avail.

It's incredibly disappointing to come to this point, where my watch cannot last long enough to record a day's worth of activity, and I seem stuck at the current version of the OS that is the root of the issue. It seems like my only hope with this watch is to wait for a possible system update from Apple to correct whatever bug is at play here.

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Answer 3

ryane77

Community Specialist

Mar 2, 2023 11:59 AM in response to naeboese

Hi naeboese,

We appreciate you following up with us. If you're finding the issue persists after visiting an Apple Store, your best bet is to get back in touch with Apple to look into this further. You can look for contact options with this link: Apple Support

Best wishes

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Apple Watch SE: Battery drain and functionality Issues after update to WatchOS 9.3.1

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