Apple offering free repairs for some Apple Watch owners facing charging issue

By Trevor Mogg February 15, 2021

Some Apple Watch owners have been having trouble charging their device after it enters the battery-saving Power Reserve mode, and now Apple is offering a free repair in particular cases.

According to a recently posted document on Apple’s support pages, the issue affects “a very small number of customers” with a Watch Series 5 or SE device running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3.

If you have either of these models, you should first — if possible — update your Apple Watch’s software to watchOS 7.3.1, which should prevent the issue from occurring with Series 5 and SE devices that haven’t already experienced it.

To find out if your Apple Watch is affected by this issue, the company tells you to place your smartwatch on the charger that you normally use and then wait for at least half an hour.

If your Apple Watch fails to begin charging, you should contact Apple Support to set up a mail-in repair free of charge. The tech company notes that your Apple smartwatch will be examined prior to service to confirm that it is eligible for a free repair.

To find out which version of watchOS your Apple Watch is running, open the Watch app on your iPhone or the Settings app on your Apple Watch. Tap General > About, and then look for the version number. If you’re not sure which Apple Watch model you have, hit this link to find out how to identify it.

Apple released the Apple Watch Series 5 in September 2019, discontinuing it a year later with the arrival of the $399 Series 6 device. The more basic but better-priced $279 Apple Watch SE, described in Digital Trends’ review as “the best Apple Watch for most people,” launched in 2020.

Check out our article on the most common Apple Watch problems and how to fix them.

For information on the best smartwatches available across all makers, take a look at Digital Trends’ pick of the best devices for 2021.

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Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

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