[Updated] watchOS 9.3 update triggered "horrendous" battery drain on some Apple Watch units (potential workarounds)

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on Feb 6, 2023) follows:

Apple recently released the watchOS 9.3 update for its Apple Watch Series 4 and later units. The patch introduces new features, improvements, and some bug fixes.

However, it looks like the update has added to the troubles of users as some are experiencing issues after upgrading to the latest OS version.

Several people are disappointed as they are experiencing an excessive battery drain problem on some Apple Watch units.

According to reports (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), multiple users are experiencing a battery drain problem on their smartwatches running the watchOS 9.3 update.

An Apple Watch Ultra owner claims that before the update, their watch’s battery would last for more than 3 days even after using it during training exercises or for sleep tracking.

They claim that after installing the recent update, the battery juice went down to just 5 percent within a day. When in idle or standby mode, the battery discharged by 3 percent just within one and a half hours.

Another Apple Watch 6 owner also says that even after having turned off the Always On Display and Heart rate sensor, the battery only lasts 8 hours. It is also alleged that the battery drains fast even when not wearing or using it.

An Apple Watch Series 5 owner also claims that after having their smartwatch updated to the 9.3 OS version, their device’s battery doesn’t even last for a full day.

Hi @AppleSupport. My Apple Watch SE battery got destroyed by watchOS 9.3. Battery capacity is at 92%, but I can’t make it 8 hours without the watch fully draining.
Source

I upgraded to watchOS 9.3 yesterday and noticed a lot worse battery life I’m already at 79% after about 15 hours and only used it for sleep tracking and light use, usually I’d be around 85-90% is anyone else noticing the same?
Source

Some have even tried restarting their device, uninstalling a few apps, and factory resetting their watch but were unable to get rid of the issue.

It is also worth mentioning that users had been complaining of similar issues on some Apple Watch devices after the watchOS 9.2 update as well.

Unfortunately, Apple has not officially responded to the matter, but we do hope that they acknowledge and fix the battery drain problem soon.

Fortunately, we did come across some potential workarounds that may help solve your problem. First, you need to make sure that background apps are not turned back on after the patch.

It is also recommended that you try rebooting your smartwatch, unpairing, and re-pairing it with your phone once again.

You can also try a hard reset. After this, you are required to sign in once again.

If your device is still under warranty, you may also visit the nearest authorized service center and get your device checked.

In the end, if your device is out of warranty or nothing works for you, you will, unfortunately, have to wait until the next update release.

That said, we’ll keep tabs on the issue where watchOS 9.3 update causes excessive battery drain on some Apple Watch units and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

05:20 pm (IST): According to reports (1,2,3), the WatchOS battery drain issue persists even after the v.9.3.1 update.

Note: You can check out more such stories in the Apple Section of our website.

Featured image source: Apple Watch

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