watchOS 10.1 draining your Apple Watch battery? A fix is on the way

Apple Watch Ultra Resident Evil health status
(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Apple is about to release a fix that will solve a battery drain issue, which has been plaguing some Apple Watch users running watchOS 10.1. 

According to a memo seen by MacRumors, the company is already working on an update that’s “coming soon” which will fix the battery drain. While Apple noted in its release of iOS 17.1 that the issue was fixed, this still wasn’t the case. This new fix is expected to be included as part of watchOS 10.1.1 or 10.2 in the coming weeks.

Users have been expressing their frustrations on Apple’s Community Forums, Reddit, and other sites in recent weeks, all about their Watches running out of battery faster than usual. However, some running the watchOS 10.2 beta have noticed that the issue has been fixed, returning battery life to its expected performance.


A double tap back - iMore’s take

When watchOS 10.1 arrived on October 25, it came with Apple’s new ‘Double Tap’ feature for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, which was demoed at Apple’s iPhone 15 event back in September. For those unaware, you can now use your hand to navigate watchOS by pinching your thumb and finger together.

This was an expansion of an Accessibility feature known as Assistive Touch, but Apple has improved upon it and introduced it as an exclusive feature to both new Watch models.

While iOS 17.1 was partly meant to solve a battery issue when connected to a Watch, watchOS 10.1 has introduced an even more severe issue Apple needs to correct. It’s the type of issue that can dampen the experience of owning these new Watches, so we’re hoping to see this fix arrive very soon.

Expect to see watchOS 10.1.1 or 10.2 be made available by early December, similar to when watchOS 9.2 was released back in 2022.

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Daryl Baxter
Features Editor

Daryl is iMore's Features Editor, overseeing long-form and in-depth articles and op-eds. Daryl loves using his experience as both a journalist and Apple fan to tell stories about Apple's products and its community, from the apps we use every day to the products that have been long forgotten in the Cupertino archives.

Previously Software & Downloads Writer at TechRadar, and Deputy Editor at StealthOptional, he's also written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider', which tells the story of the beginnings of Lara Croft and the series' early development. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in June 2024, and has a monthly newsletter called 'Springboard'. He's also written for many other publications including WIRED, MacFormat, Bloody Disgusting, VGC, GamesRadar, Nintendo Life, VRV Blog, The Loop Magazine, SUPER JUMP, Gizmodo, Film Stories, TopTenReviews, Miketendo64, and Daily Star.

  • Just_Me_D
    Since I can get 3 days use out of my Watch Ultra 2, I won’t know if I’m affected until the “fix” arrives.
    Reply