Your Apple Watch Series 10 is rated for up to 18 hours on a charge, so when it suddenly dips into the red by lunchtime or refuses to make it through the day, something has shifted in how it is using power. Often the culprit is an avoidable drain like a constantly lit screen, apps refreshing in the background, or a watch hunting for a signal it cannot find. The good news is that most of these problems are fixable from the watch itself or the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, with no service visit required. Work through the fixes below in order, starting with the gentlest, safest changes and saving the full reset and support options for last.
Keep the watch close to your iPhone and on a strong signal
Your Apple Watch is most power efficient when it has a Bluetooth connection to its paired iPhone, so keeping the two devices near each other conserves battery. When you wander away from your iPhone, the watch falls back on other connections, which can quietly eat into your charge.
If you are away from your iPhone, lean on Wi-Fi rather than cellular because Wi-Fi uses less power. Open Settings then Wi-Fi on the watch and join a network with a strong signal. You can check your current signal in Control Center by pressing the side button.
In a spot with weak or no service, the watch can drain quickly while it keeps searching for a connection. Turn on Airplane Mode in those areas to stop it from burning power looking for a signal it will not find.
Switch on Low Power Mode for an instant reprieve
Low Power Mode is the single fastest way to stretch a fading charge on Series 10, which is rated for up to 36 hours with it enabled. It disables battery-heavy features such as the Always On display, background heart rate and blood oxygen measurements (including during sleep), heart rate notifications, gestures, and the collection of heart data for hypertension notifications.
To turn it on quickly, follow these steps.
- 1.Press the side button to open Control Center.
- 2.Tap the battery percentage button.
- 3.Turn on Low Power Mode.
You can also enable it from the Settings app on Apple Watch, then Battery, then Low Power Mode. By default it turns off automatically once the battery charges above 80 percent, unless you choose to keep it on for 1, 2, or 3 Days.
Turn off the Always On display
Series 10 supports an Always On display that keeps the screen visible even with your wrist down, and that constant glow uses extra power. Switching it off so the screen only wakes when you raise your wrist or tap it can make a noticeable difference over a full day.
Open the Settings app on Apple Watch, go to Display & Brightness, tap Always On, then tap Always On again to turn it off. Keep in mind that Always On is automatically unavailable while you are in Low Power Mode anyway, so this fix mainly matters during normal use.
Lower the screen brightness
A dimmer display simply draws less power, and the Series 10 screen is often brighter than you need indoors. Trimming the brightness is a low-effort change that adds up across the day.
Open Settings on Apple Watch, go to Display & Brightness, then tap the Brightness controls or turn the Digital Crown to reduce brightness. You can also adjust it from Control Center, or in the Apple Watch app on iPhone under My Watch then Display & Brightness.
Stop apps from refreshing in the background
Background App Refresh lets apps update their data even when you are not using them, which is convenient but a steady drain on battery. Turning it off, in whole or in part, keeps those apps from working when you are not looking.
Open the Settings app on Apple Watch, go to General, then Background App Refresh, and turn it off to stop all apps refreshing in the background, or scroll down to turn it off for individual apps. One caveat is that apps with complications on your current watch face keep refreshing even with this setting off, so if you want the full benefit, consider switching to a simpler watch face with fewer complications.
Trim power use during workouts
Workouts are some of the most demanding things you ask your watch to do, since they lean hard on GPS and continuous heart rate tracking. On supported models running watchOS 9.1 or later, you can dial that down.
Go to Settings, tap Workout, and choose Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings to cut workout power use. If you listen to audio while you train, route it through AirPods or another Bluetooth audio device rather than the watch's built-in speaker, which Apple recommends to save battery.
Update watchOS, then give it a few days
Outdated software can affect battery life, and an update may carry fixes that improve it. Series 10 shipped on watchOS 11 and is eligible for watchOS 26, so it pays to keep current.
You can update from your iPhone or directly on the watch.
- 1.On iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, go to the My Watch tab, then General, then Software Update, then Download and Install.
- 2.On the watch, open Settings, go to General, then Software Update, then Install.
Whichever route you choose, keep the watch at least 50 percent charged, keep the iPhone on Wi-Fi, and keep the two devices near each other. Here is the part people miss. After the update finishes, wait several days before judging battery life, because certain update-related tasks keep running in the background and can temporarily affect battery.
Force restart a misbehaving watch
If your watch is unresponsive or draining strangely and a normal restart is not possible, a force restart can clear up a stuck process. Reserve this for when you genuinely cannot do a standard restart, and note that you cannot restart the watch while it is charging.
To force restart Series 10, hold down the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time for at least 10 seconds, until the Apple logo appears. If you simply want a normal restart instead, press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap the Power Off icon, then drag the Power Off slider to the right. To turn it back on, hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Check Battery Health and charging options
If nothing above explains the drain, it is worth looking at the battery itself. Series 10 has a Battery Health screen that shows your Maximum Capacity, meaning your battery's capacity relative to new.
Open Settings on the watch, go to Battery, then Battery Health, and scroll to Maximum Capacity. From this same screen you can review Optimized Battery Charging and Optimized Charge Limit, which help preserve the battery over time. Rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan and may eventually need replacement, so a low Maximum Capacity figure is a clue that age, not a setting, is the issue.
Erase and restore, or unpair and re-pair
When the problem stubbornly persists, resetting the watch and setting it up fresh can clear out a deeper software issue. This is a full reset that removes all data, so be deliberate about it.
The cleanest method is to unpair from the iPhone. Open the Apple Watch app on iPhone, go to the My Watch tab, tap All Watches, tap the Info button next to your watch, then tap Unpair Apple Watch. Unpairing erases the watch, but before it is erased a backup of its contents is created on your iPhone, so when you pair the same watch again you can choose Restore from Backup.
Alternatively, you can erase directly on the watch via Settings, then General, then Reset, then Erase All Content and Settings, entering your passcode if prompted. This removes all data and returns the watch to factory settings, so only use it as a last reset before considering service.
Contact Apple Support if the battery needs service
Some battery drain is not something you can settle from the settings screen. If your Battery Health screen shows a "Battery Needs Service" message, or you have good reason to believe the battery needs replacement, the next step is service rather than another toggle.
Contact Apple Support or Apple Repair to have the battery serviced. A failing or worn battery is a hardware matter, and a technician can confirm whether a replacement will restore the all-day life you expect from Series 10.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should the Apple Watch Series 10 battery last on a charge?
Apple rates the Series 10 for up to 18 hours of normal use, and up to 36 hours in Low Power Mode. If you are falling well short of that, work through the fixes above, starting with Low Power Mode and the Always On display.
Does turning off the Always On display really save battery?
Yes. The Always On display keeps the screen visible even with your wrist down, which uses extra power. Turning it off in Settings, then Display & Brightness, then Always On means the screen only lights up when you raise your wrist or tap it, which conserves charge.
Why is my battery worse right after a watchOS update?
After an update, certain update-related tasks keep running in the background and can temporarily affect battery. Apple advises waiting several days after updating before judging battery life, since things usually settle once those tasks finish.
How do I check whether my battery is worn out?
Open Settings on the watch, go to Battery, then Battery Health, and scroll to Maximum Capacity, which shows your battery's capacity relative to new. Rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan, and a low figure or a "Battery Needs Service" message points to needing a replacement.
What is the difference between a normal restart and a force restart?
For a normal restart, press and hold the side button until the sliders appear, tap the Power Off icon, then drag the Power Off slider to the right. A force restart is only for when a normal restart is not possible. Hold the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. You cannot restart the watch while it is charging.