If I have Apple replace the battery in my Series 8 Apple Watch, is it returned with the Blood Oxygen sensor disabled?
Bear in mind you get a different watch body.
Series 8 was never subject to the oxygen ban. 9 and 10 only, and Apple won a limited reprieve anyway
That was my thinking. However, I encountered a few Reddit posts where Apple provided a refurb Series 8 Watch in lieu of replacing the battery, and the blood oxygen sensor was disabled. I suspect that these happened before the settlement that protected series 8 watches from the ban (did not correlate the timing of the posts with the limited reprieve date, but...). I will check at the local Genius Bar to see whether this will happen or not.
What has prompted the thought of the battery replacement (my battery is at 87% capacity) is the significant increase in Watch battery drain when Bluetooth is turned on. This started after the upgrade to 26.0.1 (presently running 26.1 with no change in battery drain when Bluetooth on), and I'm hoping that 26.2 (which has been reported a a bug fix release) will help with this problem.
After doing multiple unpair/re-pairs/resets of my Watch and my iPhone, this battery drain problem has not gone away. I have done a number of experiments with bluetooth on and off, as well as checking battery drain vs. complications being on or off. I now run my watch with Bluetooth turned off except to sync with my iPhone two or three times a day (note...if I leave Bluetooth on when I go to sleep, my watch is fully drained by the time I wake up), and have turned off all complications (I suspect that out of control complication data transfers to the phone are a significant part of the problem that was introduced in watchOS 26). The battery drain has returned to normal with the watch isolated from my iPhone.
I am hoping that 26.2 fixes these problems, but...
if it did then I would view that they broke you watch
and would have to replace it
it it was me then I would reach out to their official support channels
And or
Contact - Official Apple Support
And or
Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple
Or
Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple
Tom Perkins wrote:
I have no plans to replace the battery before it goes below 80%. And, the Reddit post specifically said it was a Series 8 watch. I'll check with Apple directly before I do any battery replacement.
Kinda proves my point about Reddit.
Those Reddit posts (hardly credible even at the best of times) probably referred to series 9 or 10 a year or so ago. But yes you may get a fully rebuilt refurb in place of your own watch.
Apple will not replace a watch battery, even for money, at 87% without some other evidence, such as internal self discharge or stepwise charge or discharge.
How to check your Apple Watch battery fo… - Apple Community
Apple Watch uses a LOT of battery - Apple Community
I have no plans to replace the battery before it goes below 80%. And, the Reddit post specifically said it was a Series 8 watch. I'll check with Apple directly before I do any battery replacement.
Series 8 Apple Watch Battery Replacement
