Here's How Much It Costs To Replace An Apple Watch Battery

Modern smartwatches are mini smartphones users can wear on their wrists. Over the past few years, these devices have increased in popularity primarily owing to the long list of features that have made it to these powerful little machines. Most smartwatches of today let users monitor their vital stats, keep track of their workout regimen, and have even helped save lives. While it faces competition from other players in the segment, the Apple Watch has been one of the most popular smartwatch lineups ever since the company released the first-generation Apple Watch back in 2015.

With Apple announcing new Watch models almost every year since then, a sizable number of people continue to use older Apple Watch models. Given that these watches are hi-tech devices that feature smartphone-like components — including high-res displays, a polished operating system, and powerful processors — they also suffer from the same issues as smartphones.

As these smartwatches get older, they slow down, face software issues, and the battery life is severely degraded in some cases. Since most Apple Watch owners paid a reasonably significant amount of money to buy these devices, replacing an old Apple Watch with a new one is not always advisable simply because of a battery-related issue. What options are available for an Apple Watch owner if the only issue with the device is poor battery life? Well, except for trying to replace it themselves, users can contact Apple directly.

The first thing about battery replacement that every Apple Watch user needs to know is that Apple does not offer a warranty on batteries that wear down with regular usage. The only exception to this, according to Apple Support, is when a battery loses 80% of its rated capacity while still under warranty. In such cases, the battery replacement will be done at no additional cost to the customer. As opposed to this, if users happen to be in possession of a really old Apple Watch that's obviously out of warranty, they will be charged the full price for a replacement battery.

Things look better for people who purchased their Apple Watch with AppleCare+. In instances where an Apple Watch user with active AppleCare+ coverage ends up at an Apple service center with a smartwatch that holds less than 80% of its original rated capacity, Apple will replace the battery free of cost. There have also been instances of Apple replacing the entire watch with either refurbished or replacement units in such cases.

For users who do not have AppleCare+ coverage on their old Apple Watch, the battery replacement will involve a charge. As of August 2022, Apple supports battery replacement on Apple Watch Series 2 and newer models. The replacement cost for almost all models comes to around $79. This figure does not include any extra taxes the service provider might charge. Interestingly, the estimated amount of $79 applies to almost all Apple Watch models that are eligible for battery replacement. You can check the estimated cost for a battery replacement on your specific Apple Watch by using this tool.