How to Fix Apple Watch Ultra Battery Life Problems

Apple Watch Ultra users have been complaining about battery life issues and we’ll show you how to fix them in this guide.

The Apple Watch Ultra features Apple’s latest hardware and software improvements, but the rugged device isn’t immune to problems. One issue Apple Watch Ultra users have run into is abnormal battery drain.

In most cases, the issue is probably related to a software update or bad habits, but in some cases it might be an issue with the device’s hardware.

If none of the fixes below work, we recommend taking the device into the Apple Store and see if they can diagnose the issue.

11/10 Update: We’ve updated this guide to reflect the release of watchOS 10 and a software update that fixes battery life issues impacting Apple Watch Ultra.

Before you make an appointment, you should try and fix the issue on your own. In this guide we’ll show you how to quickly fix Apple Watch Ultra battery life problems.

Hard Reset Your Apple Watch Ultra

Before you try any of the other steps in this guide, try a simple restart. Power your Apple Watch Ultra down, wait a minute, and power it back on. Give it some time and see if the battery drain subsides.

If you’re still having issues, try hard resetting the device. If you don’t know how to perform a hard reset, please check out our walkthrough.

Update to the Latest Software

Apple continues to roll out new watchOS 10 software to the Apple Watch Ultra.

watchOS 10 x.x updates are milestone upgrades that typically include outward facing features and enhancements in addition to bug fixes and security patches.

watchOS 10 x.x.x upgrades are point updates and they typically focus on making under-the-hood improvements like security patches and bug fixes.

Both have the potential to solve your Apple Watch Ultra battery drain issues, even if Apple doesn’t list a fix for battery life issues in the update’s change log.

Head into your watch’s Settings app, either on the watch itself or on your iPhone, and check for an update.

If your Apple Watch Ultra is currently running software older than watchOS 10.1.1, upgrade immediately. Apple says watchOS 10.1.1 provided important bug fixes and addresses an issue that could cause the battery to drain more quickly for some users.

Update Your Apps

You should also keep the applications on your Apple Watch Ultra updated with the latest firmware. This could help alleviate battery problems.

To do this, make sure your device is set to automatically download app updates. Here’s how to check if this function is turned on on your watch:

On Apple Watch

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch Ultra
• Scroll down and tap App Store
• Make sure Automatic Updates is toggled on

On iPhone

• Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
• Scroll down and tap App Store
• Make sure Automatic Updates is toggled on

You may also want to close apps when you aren’t using them just to be safe. Apps like the Walkie-Talkie can drain your device’s battery.

Manage the Display

Properly managing your Apple Watch Ultra’s display will help you stave off unnecessary battery drain. There are a few ways to do this.

Make sure your watch’s display is at an appropriate level of brightness for the environment you’re in. There are a couple of ways to adjust your Apple Watch Ultra’s screen brightness:

• On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app
• Tap Display & Brightness
• Use the slider at the top to adjust the brightness of the display

If you’d prefer to adjust the brightness from your iPhone, you can do that too:

• Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
• Tap General
• Tap Display & Brightness
• Use the slider at the top to adjust the brightness of your Apple Watch Ultra’s display

If you don’t need your watch’s screen to turn on every time you move your wrist, turn off the “Wake On Wrist Raise” function.

On Apple Watch:

• Open the Settings app
• Tap Display & Brightness
• Toggle Wake on Wrist Raise off

On iPhone:

• Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
• Tap General
• Tap Display & Brightness
• Toggle Wake on Wrist Raise off

You may also want to turn your Apple Watch Ultra’s Always On display feature off. Turning it off can increase the device’s battery life. Here’s how to do that:

• Open the Settings app on your watch.
• Tap Display & Brightness
• Scroll down and tap Always On
• Tap Always On to toggle it on or off

You can always toggle it back on if you a) rely on the feature b) it doesn’t make a huge difference.

Turn Off Background App Refresh

Your watch’s Background App Refresh feature keeps apps data fresh in the background. It can also eat up battery life if it’s not managed properly.

Unless you really like the feature, and we don’t blame you if you do, we recommend toggling it off, or limiting it to certain apps. Here’s how you do that:

On Apple Watch

• Open up the Settings app
• Tap General
• Tap Background App Refresh
• Toggle Background App Refresh off

On iPhone

• Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
• Tap General
• Tap Background App Refresh
• Toggle Background App Refresh off

Use Low Power Mode

Your watch has a nifty feature called Low Power Mode that saves battery life by limiting sensors and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s useful in a pinch though you many want to keep it on if your battery drain issues are really bad.

You can flip Low Power Mode on from the Battery section in your watch’s Settings app. Low Power Mode is also available for Workouts, here’s how to utilize that:

On Apple Watch

• Open up the Settings app
• Scroll down and tap on Workout
• Toggle Low Power Mode on

On iPhone

• Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
• Scroll down and tap Workout
• Toggle Low Power Mode on

If you frequently use your watch during workouts, it might be a good idea to toggle it in for the duration of your workout.

Optimize Battery Charging

As your Apple Watch Ultra ages, the battery will start to degrade. This is natural. If you want to slow down the aging process, you’ll want to turn Optimized Battery Charging on. Here’s how to do it:

• Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch
• Scroll down and tap on Battery
• Tap Battery Health
• Toggle Optimized Battery Charging on

Turning this function on will help reduce battery aging by learning from your daily charging routines.

Unpair Your Apple Watch Ultra

If none of the above fixes work, you can try unpairing your Apple Watch Ultra from your iPhone. This process is fairly involved and will take time to complete and it should only be used as a last resort.

If you want to go through with it, you’ll want to check out Apple’s detailed guide.

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