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Can You Overcharge an Apple Watch?

As an Apple Watch owner, I was feeling frustrated when I noticed that my Apple Watch was taking a long time to charge. After doing some research and testing, I’m here to share my experience and solutions I discovered about whether or not you can overcharge an Apple Watch. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the potential risks associated with overcharging your Apple Watch and what you can do to prevent it.

It’s not possible to overcharge your Apple Watch’s lithium-ion battery. When it reaches full charge, it stops charging. On the other hand, undercharging your watch can affect battery health.

Tips
You can’t overcharge your Apple Watch’s lithium-ion battery.
It’s preferable to charge your Apple Watch when the battery percentage hits 20-25%.
The battery in an Apple Watch typically lasts three years.
Store the Apple Watch at 50% when not in use for long periods.
Avoid leaving the watch in extremely hot or direct sunlight.

Why Can’t You Overcharge an Apple Watch?

If you’re stressed about charging your Apple Watch over its capacity, don’t worry. The materials used to make the Apple Watch’s battery prevent it from overcharging.

Let’s explain all that in a little more depth.

In older electronics, manufacturers preferred nickel-metal hydride batteries for their devices. However, these batteries could only charge for a total of 10 to 20 hours and were prone to overcharging. After that timeframe, the battery would begin to degrade.

However, this isn’t the case with today’s technology, particularly Apple devices.

The batteries in every Apple product are lithium-ion ones. The built-in technology causes the charging process to halt when the batteries fully charge. As long as the internal circuitry is in good working order, then you shouldn’t worry about damaging your watch.

Nevertheless, undercharging is something you must keep an eye out for. That’s why it’s still important to take note of the proper charging times for your Apple Watch.

When Should You Charge Your Apple Watch’s Battery?

Typically, people wait until their devices are almost at 0% before starting to charge them. However, this isn’t advisable when it comes to the Apple Watch. This is due to the charge cycles of the lithium-ion batteries.

The capacity of your typical Apple Watches is 1,000 complete charge cycles. This estimate decreases every time you go through an entire charge cycle. So, it counts as a charge if you let the battery drain to 0%.

Ideally, you should charge your watch when the battery percentage hits 20-25%. Then, once it reaches 75-80%, you can safely remove it from the charger.

The reasoning for that is this battery percentage range preserves critical temperature levels. This, in turn, lessens strain from excessive discharges and overcharges.

As for the charge timing, it’s typically preferable to do so before bed, especially if you use a sleep tracker. Leave the watch to charge for an hour or hour and a half, and then you’ll be good to go.

Read more: Does the Apple Watch need a separate data plan?

What Causes Battery Deterioration in Apple Watches?

While overcharging doesn’t affect the battery all that much it still doesn’t mean the battery is indestructible.

Unfortunately, the battery is still easily susceptible to damage that leads to frame rate drops, lengthy launch times, or screen dimming.

So, what else influences the battery if not overcharging?

Here are the three main factors to consider:

Life Expectancy

On average, an Apple Watch battery will likely last three years. Even when cared for properly, you’ll still see a decline in the battery’s performance and capacity. 

Luckily, Apple Watch has an option that allows you to check your battery’s condition. This way, you can monitor the battery and know when to replace it when necessary.

You may check the condition of your battery by doing the following:

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Scroll until you find Battery, and click on it.
  3. Select Battery Health.
  4. Note that Battery Health doesn’t display the number of charge cycles. It’ll, however, show the battery’s maximum capacity.

Storing the Device

If you’d like to store your Apple Watch for a while, please note that the percentage in which you store it affects the battery.

When lithium batteries are depleted for extended periods, they become unstable. When not in use, they tend to discharge gradually and can lose up to 20% of their power.

Therefore, if you intend to store your gadget for a long time, you should charge the battery to 50%.

Ambient Temperature

Lithium-ion batteries are temperature sensitive.

Your battery may deteriorate considerably quicker than usual if it’s exposed to heat all the time. That’s why it’s better to refrain from leaving the watch in extremely hot or direct sunlight.

Ideally, Apple Watches operate best between 32°F and 95°F. If you want to store them, aim for a  temperature between -4°F and 113°F.

Read more: How good is the Apple Watch for weight lifting?

Wrap Up

Many people love to leave their watches charging overnight. Yet, many people think that long charges aren’t good for battery health. So, can you overcharge an Apple Watch?

The lithium-ion battery in your Apple Watch prevents overcharging. However, other elements like temperature and charge cycles could impact the lifespan of your battery.

As long as you take good care of your Apple Watch, you’ll be able to enjoy its features to the fullest!