WatchOS 8.5 causes worrying Apple Watch Series 7 charging issue

watchOS 8 with Portraits watch face
watchOS 8 with Portraits watch face (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple watchOS 8.5 came out last week.
  • It appears to be causing issues with the Series 7 Apple Watch.
  • Users are complaining of problems fast-charging their devices.

Multiple users of the Apple Watch Series 7 state their device no longer fast charges on the latest version of watchOS 8.5.

Users in Apple's support forums and on Reddit noted by 9to5Mac reported the issue:

Hi,After updating the Apple Watch 7 to WhatchOS 8.5 it stopped fast charging with Belkin BoostCharge PRO. It used to charge very fast and now is very very very slow (about 5% in one hour). Any idea of how to solve this issue?Thanks!

Another said:

I can also confirm, the boost pro stopped charging my Series 7 altogether after updating to watchOS 8.5. It'll charge normally on Apple chargers, but the Belkin fast charger recently released no longer works. Considering the absolute desolate landscape that third party fast charging for Series 7 is currently, how quickly Apple releases a fix for this is critical for Belkin and others to keep customer trust.

Reddit users reported much of the same, as did those on the MacRumors forum:

I'm having issues with fast charging since the 8.5 install.Essentially, fast charging does work with the dedicated USB C cable included in the Series 7 box and 20w adapter, but does not work with the Belkin fast charge dock introduced as it did previously.I've become accustom to quick charging, and am curious if others are having this issue?

One interesting workaround found by a user states that fast-charging does work plugged into another Apple device, like an iPad or Mac. The issue is interesting because lots of the reported issues seem to pertain to third-party accessories, with some noting they weren't experiencing similar problems with Apple's own charging gear.

We've reached out to Apple for comment.

There's always Amazon

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9