Apple Watch Ultra battery capacity stuck at 84% for over a year – how often is it updated?

Question

Level 1

4 points

Apple Watch Ultra battery capacity stuck at 84% for over a year – how often is it updated?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using my Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation) for over 3 years now. Last year, the battery health showed 84%, and surprisingly, as of July this year, it’s still showing exactly 84%, with no change at all.

I have a few questions I hope the community (or someone from Apple) can help answer:

1. How does Apple Watch actually measure battery capacity?

2. How often is the battery health data updated?

3. Is it possible that the battery percentage shown in Settings is not accurate or even misleading?

4. Could the system be using cached data instead of running fresh diagnostics?

I contacted Apple Support about this and asked if they could provide a detailed diagnostic report or the actual battery data (like maximum capacity, cycle count, etc.). Unfortunately, they refused to share any technical report and only said the battery is “within normal range” — without giving any actual numbers or documents.

As a user, I find this lack of transparency frustrating. I believe customers should have access to diagnostic data related to their own devices, especially when battery life and performance are involved.

If anyone has technical insight into how Apple Watch evaluates battery health, or if you’ve had a similar experience, I’d appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks!

Apple Watch Ultra, watchOS 11

Posted on Jul 23, 2025 06:48 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Ingo2711

Level 9

77,823 points

Jul 23, 2025 10:22 PM in response to HAO_i

The Battery Health on Apple devices should be recalculated at least after updating the firmware.

Force restarting does not seem to help to trigger that process.

My 4 year old iPhone 12mini has been stuck at 81% for more than half a year, before it dropped to 80% so that the battery could be replaced by Apple.

My Ultra 2 is at 97% after 1.5 years of use, including daily workouts to close all rings.

Maybe the new watchOS will include an option to check the charging cycle count, as the newer iPhone models have such an option in iOS.

You can let Apple know about your wishes by using the Feedback link:

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

Reply

Answer 2

HAO_i Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 24, 2025 07:29 PM in response to Ingo2711

I usually go on a long bike ride on the weekends, which lasts about four or five hours in total. I don't stop the workout manually but just let it pause automatically when needed. When I first started using this Apple Watch about three years ago, the battery would easily last from 10 am to 10 pm on days like this. However, now it dies at 6 or 7 pm, which is significantly earlier.

While the battery health still shows 84%, I question its accuracy. This percentage has not changed in a long time, and based on actual usage, it feels lower than reported. This makes me question whether the battery health number is actually updated regularly, or whether it is as accurate or tested as Apple describes.

For reference, I am not a heavy user of the Apple Watch - I turn on the automatic screen off feature, and set the continuous heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen tracking to automatic, and only start workout app. Despite this, I personally feel that the battery life has dropped below the 84% level shown.

Reply

Answer 3

Ingo2711

Level 9

77,823 points

Jul 25, 2025 01:53 AM in response to HAO_i

The reduced usage time is clearly related to the decreasing battery health.

But, I doubt that, even if the Apple Support diagnoses the watch online, the battery health status given in the report will differ from what is shown in the settings.

I had to charge my old Series 5 twice a day when the battery health neared the 80% mark.

After getting the battery finally replaced, a family member continued to use the watch, and it is at 84% again since a couple of days.

Reply