Some Apple Watch owners have been having trouble charging their device after it enters the battery-saving Power Reserve mode, and now Apple is offering a free repair in particular cases.
According toa recently posted documenton Apple’s support pages, the issue affects “a very small number of customers” with a Watch Series 5 or SE device running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3.
If you have either of these models, you should first — if possible — update your Apple Watch’s software to watchOS 7.3.1, which should prevent the issue from occurring with Series 5 and SE devices that haven’t already experienced it.
To find out if your Apple Watch is affected by this issue, the company tells you to place your smartwatch on the charger that you normally use and then wait for at least half an hour.
If your Apple Watch fails to begin charging, you should contactApple Supportto set up a mail-in repair free of charge. The tech company notes that your Apple smartwatch will be examined prior to service to confirm that it is eligible for a free repair.
To find out which version of watchOS your Apple Watch is running, open the Watch app on your iPhone or the Settings app on your Apple Watch. TapGeneral > About, and then look for the version number. If you’re not sure which Apple Watch model you have,hit this linkto find out how to identify it.
Apple released theApple Watch Series 5in September 2019, discontinuing it a year later with the arrival ofthe $399 Series 6 device. The more basic but better-priced $279 Apple Watch SE, described inDigital Trends’ reviewas “the best Apple Watch for most people,” launched in 2020.
Check out our article onthe most common Apple Watch problemsand how to fix them.
For information on the best smartwatches available across all makers, take a look at Digital Trends’pick of the best devices for 2021.
