Apple today released watchOS 7.3.1 for the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE. The release notes indicated that the update includes a fix to prevent a bug that caused those Apple Watch models to get stuck in Power Reserve Mode.
Apple has published a new support document to complement watchOS 7.3.1 with additional details on this bug.
For those unfamiliar, Power Reserve lets you see the time on your Apple Watch while preserving your battery life. In Power Reserve, your Apple Watch and iPhone don’t communicate, and you can’t access other watch features.
Apple explains in its new support document that a “very small number” of Apple Watch customers with the Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE have “experienced an issue with their watch not charging after it enters Power Reserve.”
Apple says that watchOS 7.3.1, released to the public today, “prevents this issue from happening to other Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE devices.” This means that the update will not fix the problem for users who are already experiencing it, but it should prevent it from happening to additional users.
But what if your Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE is already experiencing this problem? Apple says that you should contact Apple Support to set up a mail-in repair free of charge. Your watch will be examined before service to verify that it’s eligible for free repair, the company explains.
A very small number of customers with Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE models running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3 have experienced an issue with their watch not charging after it enters Power Reserve.
To check if your Apple Watch is affected by this issue, place your watch on the charger that you normally use, then wait at least 30 minutes.
Apple has released watchOS 7.3.1, which prevents this issue from happening to other Apple Watch Series 5 or Apple Watch SE devices.
Have you noticed this issue on your Apple Watch SE or Apple Watch Series 5? Let us know down in the comments!
