Are you worried that your Apple Watch might overcharge? Maybe you’re concerned that it might overheat if you left it charging for some time. Here are the facts you should know about what would happen if you leave your Apple Watch charging.
Apple Watches cannot be overcharged. You can leave them charging overnight or for a long time without damage to the battery. Apple uses lithium-ion batteries to ensure that the Apple Watch charges efficiently and slowly once it reaches 80% to 100% based on your expected battery usage.
Apple Watch won’t overcharge and can be left charging for as long as you want. For example, I always charge my watch overnight to start the day with a fully charged watch.
You must understand how Apple Watches charges to get the most out of your watch. Please read on to see if Apple Watches stop charging at 100% and what happens if you leave your Watch on the charger.
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What Happens if You Leave Your Apple Watch on the Charger for Too Long?
Apple uses lithium-ion batteries, and charging them for too long won’t cause any damage because it’ll stop charging when 100% and is safe as long as the device is not showing any signs of overheating.
Like most Apple products, the Apple Watch uses lithium-ion batteries since they charge faster, last longer, and have a much higher power density, which means more battery life in a lighter package.
Apple Watch Batteries
According to Apple, it’ll take about 45 minutes to charge your Apple Watch from 0%-80%, while it takes 75 minutes to charge it from 80%-100%. Apple has trickle charges for their devices to reduce battery tears and hopefully extend the battery’s life span.
Take a look at the image above. It’s a better way of explaining what trickle charging is. Trickle charging means fast charging speeds until your Apple Watch reaches 80%. After that, the charging speed will slow down to extend the lifespan of your battery.
Leaving your Apple Watch on the charger for an extended period will not cause any damage to the device. However, it is essential to note that overcharging can reduce the life of your watch’s battery. For this reason, we recommend unplugging your watch once it has reached 100% charge.
Does your Apple Watch battery not last as long as Apple’s claim of 18 hours? Please read my helpful guide for a complete guide on improving your Watches battery health.
Checking Your Battery Charge
You can check your battery health at a glance from the watch face, Control Center, or Nightstand mode. You can do so by:
- Swiping up on the watch face to open the Control Center and see the battery percentage.
- On some watch faces, you can also add a battery complication.
- Add a battery widget on your iPhone to show any connected Apple Watch.
- And when your Apple Watch is charging in Nightstand mode, tap the lightning button to check the battery percentage.
These are the different ways you can monitor your Apple Watch’s battery percentage to ensure that you charge your Apple Watch if it has a low battery.
Turning On Power Reserve
Power reserve lets you see the time on Apple Watch and preserve your battery life. You can check the time by pressing the side button; however, your Apple Watch and iPhone won’t communicate when the power reserve is on, and you cannot use other watch features.
Charging Your Apple Watch
If your battery is low, you will see the lightning icon turn red on the screen of your Apple Watch. According to Apple, here are the steps on how you should adequately charge your Apple Watch:
- Handle the Apple Watch and its accessories safely, and always take off your Apple Watch before you charge it.
- Plug the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charging USB-C Cable, or Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock into a USB power adapter.
- Plug the adapter into a charging outlet or a USB port.
- Position the back of your Apple Watch to the charger; the magnets will help you align the Apple Watch, and you’ll see a green lightning icon to indicate it’s charging.
- While your device is charging, it’ll be in Nightstand mode. Give time for your Apple Watch to charge.
Do Apple Watches Stop Charging at 100 Percent?
Apple Watches stop charging when it reaches 100% battery. The battery does not suffer any harm from regular charging. Charging your Apple Watch overnight is the most convenient, enabling you to start the day with a fully charged battery.
It’s important to know that the battery in your Apple Watch is not easily replaceable. So if something happens to it, you’ll need to take it to an Apple Store for repair. However, if you charge your Apple Watch, as usual, you won’t have any problems with it.
According to Apple, servicing an Apple Watch battery without an AppleCare warranty will cost you the following.
Battery service | In-warranty or with AppleCare+ | Battery service fee (out of warranty) |
|---|---|---|
| All eligible Watch models | $0 | $ 79 |
Apple watches stop charging at 100% to ensure the battery is not exposed to damage. In addition, recent Apple devices slow down their charging speed when it reaches 80% to reduce the stress on the battery.
You also don’t need to drain the entire Apple Watch or let it discharge from 100 percent to 0 percent. Apple lithium-ion batteries work in charge cycles. A charging cycle is completed when you have discharged your device for 100 percent of your battery capacity (not necessarily all from one charge).
The image above shows how a charging cycle works. So basically, once you discharge and charge 100% of your battery, it will equate to one charging cycle. It doesn’t matter if you drain it all at once. All that matters is if it’s equal to 100%, it’ll be counted as a cycle.
However, the only downside is that Apple batteries will only keep around 80% of their battery percentage after 1000 complete charge cycles (0-100% charge 1000 times).
Please read my article about whether you should drain your Apple Watch before charging and why it’s not recommended.
Temperature Management
Sometimes, your Apple Watch may be overheating while charging. Ensure the charger is connected correctly, exit background apps, and charge your Apple Watch in a well-ventilated area to ensure it won’t overheat.
If you are scared of your Apple Watch overheating, it is good to know more about why it happens. To learn more, consider reading my in-depth article on the six ways to keep an Apple Watch cool while charging.