The update to watchOS 8.3 can lead to problems when charging: The Apple Watch signals the start of the charging process, but seems to abort it again a short time later or to draw very little power, as users report. Even after long periods of time on a charging device, the battery charge level only increases by a few percentage points – instead of fully or largely charging the watch.
Third-party watch charging pucks affected
Most of the reports are about the new Apple Watch Series 7 in combination with mostly cheap magnetic charging cables or charging docks from third-party manufacturers. The charging puck did its job normally up to watchOS 8.2, but has not been able to supply the watch with power since watchOS 8.3, according to affected users. If Apple’s official charging cable is used, the watch charges normally again. However, there have been isolated reports of charging problems with the manufacturer’s cable. There are only a few reports of charging problems in older generations of smartwatches with watchOS 8.3.
No workarounds have been reported so far. Sometimes restarting the watch for a short time seems to help, but according to the reports, the charging problems return quickly – mostly when the device is charged for the first time. Users cannot downgrade the operating system themselves.
Fast charging function only with a special cable
The Series 7, which was launched in the fall, had reports of charging difficulties right from the start. Apple has already improved it once with a software update: watchOS 8.1.1 fixed a bug that caused the watch to “possibly not charge as expected,” as the company explained.
The new Apple Watch supports a fast charging mode for the first time, which should bring an empty watch to a charge level of 80 percent in 45 minutes. This requires a special USB-C charging cable that Apple includes. It costs around 35 euros when purchased individually. A USB power supply has been missing from the scope of delivery of the Apple Watch for a good year. The manufacturer’s recommended USB-C power supply with 20 watts costs an additional 25 euros.
(lbe)