Where to find your battery percentage on the watch face
The fastest way to see your Apple Watch battery is to swipe up from the bottom of the watch screen. This opens Control Center, and your battery percentage appears in the top right corner as a number with a battery icon next to it. The icon fills with color as your battery drains — a full green bar means 100%, and it turns red when you drop below 20%.
If you prefer to see the battery without opening Control Center, you can add a battery complication to your watch face. A complication is a small widget that lives on your watch face itself. Depending on which watch face you use, you may already have a battery complication showing — check the corners and edges of your current face to see if one is there.
To add a battery complication, press and hold your watch face until the customization menu appears, tap Edit, then tap the area where you want the complication to go. Scroll through the options until you find Battery, then tap it. Now your battery percentage will show on your face at all times without needing to swipe.
Key Takeaways
- Swipe up from the bottom of your watch screen to open Control Center and see your exact battery percentage in the top right corner.
- You can add a battery complication directly to your watch face so the percentage displays without swiping.
- The battery icon turns red when your charge drops below 20%, signaling that you should charge soon.
- Low Power Mode extends battery life by limiting background activity and can be turned on manually or set to turn on automatically at 20%.
Turning on Low Power Mode to extend your battery
When your battery is running low, Low Power Mode reduces power consumption by turning off some features. To turn it on, swipe up to open Control Center, then tap the battery icon. The icon will turn red and Low Power Mode activates when ready.
Low Power Mode disables background app refresh, reduces email and message syncing, and turns off the always-on display if your watch has one. You can still receive notifications and make calls, but some features will be slower. Most people find they can stretch their battery another two to four hours with Low Power Mode on.
You can also set your watch to turn on Low Power Mode automatically when the battery hits 20%. Go to Settings on your watch, tap Battery, then toggle on Low Power Mode. This way you do not have to remember to turn it on manually.
Checking battery health over time in the Watch app
Your iPhone's Watch app shows you more detailed battery information than the watch itself displays. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to Battery, and you will see a graph of your battery usage over the last 24 hours and the last 10 days. This graph shows you when your battery drains fastest and helps you spot patterns.
The Watch app also displays which apps are using the most power. If you notice one app draining your battery unusually fast, you can close it or turn off background refresh for that app. Tap the app name in the battery list, then toggle off Background App Refresh.
Battery health itself — how much capacity your battery retains compared to when it was new — cannot be checked on Apple Watch the way you can on iPhone. However, if your watch is draining much faster than it used to after months of use, the battery may be degrading and you may want to contact Apple for a replacement.
Why your Apple Watch battery drains faster than expected
Several common settings and habits drain your Apple Watch battery more quickly than necessary. Always-on display, if your model has one, uses significant power because the screen stays lit constantly. Turning this off in Settings > Display & Brightness can add hours to your battery life.
Background app refresh also drains battery by letting apps update in the background even when you are not using them. You can turn this off globally in Settings > General > Background App Refresh, or disable it for individual apps in the Watch app on your iPhone under Battery.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, GPS use during workouts, and frequent notifications all consume power. If you are not using GPS for a workout, turn it off. If you receive constant notifications from many apps, consider disabling notifications for apps you do not need to hear from when ready.
Charging your watch and maintaining battery health
Apple Watch batteries last longest when you avoid letting them drain completely and avoid leaving them fully charged for long periods. Charge your watch when it reaches 20% rather than waiting until it shuts down. Overnight charging is normal and fine — your watch stops charging once it reaches 100%.
Heat damages lithium batteries, so avoid leaving your watch in direct sunlight or in a hot car while charging. Use the official Apple magnetic charging cable or a certified third-party charger. Cheap third-party chargers can damage the battery or the watch itself.
If you do not wear your watch for weeks or months, store it with the battery at around 50% charge rather than fully charged or completely drained. This slows the natural degradation that happens to all rechargeable batteries over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Apple Watch battery drain so fast?
The most common culprits are always-on display, background app refresh, and constant notifications. Check your battery usage in the Watch app on your iPhone to see which apps are draining the most power, then disable background refresh for those apps. Turning off always-on display can add several hours to your battery life.
Can I see my battery percentage as a number on my watch face?
Yes. Press and hold your watch face, tap Edit, then tap an empty area or an existing complication. Scroll to find the Battery complication and tap it. The battery percentage will now display on your face. Different watch faces have different numbers of complication slots, so you may need to remove another complication to make room.
What does Low Power Mode do to my Apple Watch?
Low Power Mode turns off background app refresh, reduces email and message syncing, and disables the always-on display. You can still receive calls and notifications, but some features work slower. It typically extends your battery life by two to four hours.
Is it bad to charge my Apple Watch overnight?
No. Your watch stops charging once it reaches 100%, so leaving it on the charger overnight does not damage the battery. However, if you do not wear your watch for extended periods, storing it at around 50% charge rather than fully charged helps preserve long-term battery health.
How do I know if my Apple Watch battery is failing?
If your watch drains significantly faster than it did when new, even after disabling power-hungry features, the battery may be degrading. Apple Watch batteries cannot be checked for health the way iPhone batteries can. Contact Apple Support or visit an Apple Store if you suspect your battery is failing.