Your Apple Watch maybe eligible for a free repair

If your Apple Watch won't charge, read on.
Georgia Dixon
Georgia Dixon
Digital Content Editor
See all articles
Feb 16, 2021

Earlier today, Apple announced it would be providing free repairs to the “small number of customers” whose Apple Watch has been affected by a charging issue. In a support article posted earlier today, Apple acknowledged the problem, which has seen some Series 5 and SE owners running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3 unable to charge their Watch after Power Reserve mode (which effectively disables most features) is turned on. If you’re not sure what model your Watch is, you can find out here. To check your device’s current watchOS version, simply access the Settings on your Watch, tap ‘General’, then ‘About’, then you should see the version number.

Apple released a minor but important 7.3.1 update to address this issue, but should it persist, affected users will be eligible for a free mail-in repair. To see if your Watch is working as expected, place it on your usual charger and leave it for up to 30 minutes. If it still isn’t charging even after the update, contact Apple Support to arrange your repair.

Even if your Watch is functioning as normal, it’s always a good idea to ensure you install updates as soon as they become available so your device is covered with the latest security patches and features.

Georgia Dixon
Written by
Georgia Dixon
Georgia Dixon has over seven years' experience writing about all things tech, entertainment and lifestyle, with bylines in TechLife magazine, 7NEWS and Stuff.co.nz. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Digital Cultures (gaming, augmented reality, internet culture - all that good stuff). In her spare time, you'll find her playing games and daydreaming about good food, wine, and dogs.
Georgia Dixon has over seven years' experience writing about all things tech, entertainment and lifestyle, with bylines in TechLife magazine, 7NEWS and Stuff.co.nz. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Digital Cultures (gaming, augmented reality, internet culture - all that good stuff). In her spare time, you'll find her playing games and daydreaming about good food, wine, and dogs.