So, you’ve noticed your Apple Watch stubbornly refuses to go past 80% even when plugged in, and it’s kinda getting on your nerves? Same here. Because of course, Apple has this thing called “Optimized Battery Charging” activated by default, which is supposed to keep your battery in better shape long-term, but sometimes it feels more like a limit than a feature. The good news is, there are ways to get around this if you need that full juice. Just don’t forget, turning it off isn’t without its trade-offs — battery health might take a slight hit in the long run, but for day-to-day use, it’s sometimes necessary.
How to Fix the Apple Watch Charging to 100%
Fix 1 – Turn off the optimized charging feature on your watch
This makes your watch charge straight up to 100%, bypassing the usual 80% cap. It’s kind of a quick and dirty fix, especially if you need that extra battery for a day out. Basically, the goal here is to disable the feature temporarily or permanently, depending on your needs.
- Step 1 – Connect your watch to power and make sure it’s charging. When there’s optimized charging active, you’ll notice a specific charging icon — it typically looks like a lightning bolt inside a circle or a small “charging to 80%” indicator.
- Step 2 – Tap the center of the charging icon. Sometimes it looks like a little info button, or you might see a prompt to see more details about charging.
- Step 3 – Once tapped, your watch should show a full charging process if you’ve disabled the feature, or you might have an option to disable the optimized charging. This will force the watch to charge all the way to 100%.
This method works because you’re instructing the watch to ignore the usual smart charging limit temporarily. On some setups, this fails the first time, then works after a reboot or re-plugging, so don’t give up if it’s not immediate.
Fix 2 – Check and disable the battery health & optimized charging in settings
If you want a more permanent fix, it’s better to dive into the settings and turn that feature off from the source. This is especially useful if you keep noticing your watch capping out at 80%, and you’re okay with slightly risking long-term battery health for more immediate power.
- Step 1 – Open the Watch app on your iPhone. It’s the one with the little watch icon.
- Step 2 – Go into Battery settings, which should be visible directly or under Battery & Performance.
- Step 3 – Tap on Battery Health.
- Step 4 – Look for the toggle labeled Optimized Battery Charging — it’s usually enabled by default. Turn it off.
- Step 5 – You can choose to disable it until tomorrow or turn it off completely. Just pick what suits your current situation.
Once you do this, your watch will charge normally, up to 100%.On some versions of watchOS or iOS, turning it off might require a restart or a few minutes to take effect, but generally it’s straightforward.
Heads up on disabling this feature
The main idea of optimized charging is to extend your battery’s lifespan by limiting the charging level. Basically, studies say that keeping your battery below 80% caps wear and tear. But when you’re in a pinch, just turning it off temporarily isn’t the end of the world. If you’re trying to stretch the battery lifespan long-term, it’s best to keep this feature on. Also, for quick full charges, using the shortcut from Fix 1 makes things a whole lot easier without pulling the plug on your battery health all the time.