Apple Watch Charging Slowly? Here’s How to Fix and Get Back Apple Watch Fast Charging

Apple Watches are supposed to charge quite rapidly, and it should take less than a couple of hours to fill up completely. However, many users have been complaining about Apple Watch charging slowly and even after a few months of usage. If you are facing the issue, you are at the right place.

Here are the best ways to fix Apple Watch charging slowly issues.

How Long Should My Apple Watch Take to Charge?

Your Apple Watch with the normal magnetic charger is supposed to fill up the juice to 100% in around 2.5 hours or lesser if you are using a 5W adapter. The fast charging on Apple Watch started to support start from the Series 7, but you will have to get a USB C charging puck and an 18W adapter for it. According to Apple, it should only take around 45 minutes to charge the Apple Watch Series 7 up to 80% using the fast charger.

It is completely normal to take up to a couple of hours to charge your Apple Watch from 0 to 100%. If your Watch is taking longer than it should, you should get it checked with the troubleshooting methods to fix whatever is wrong. Before diving in, make sure to check out our guide to saving Apple Watch battery life for days of usage.

Related: iPhone Charging Slowly? Here Are the Best Fixes You Need Right Now

Fix Apple Watch Charging Slowly

Your Apple Watch should not take longer than 2.5 hours to charge 100% and if it does, here are the best fixes to speed up Apple Watch charging slowly.

Check for Any Plastic Wraps on Charger Puck or Apple Watch

A newly unboxed Apple Watch can have plastic wraps around it to protect it from unwanted scratches. As a part, the back case of the watch may also be covered in plastic which will cause slow charging. Likewise, the magnetic charger puck also comes with a plastic wrap which needs to be peeled off.

To verify, check the rear case of your Apple Watch and make sure there are no plastic wraps left. Also, check both sides of the magnetic charger. Once you peel them off, plug in the watch to the puck and see if it is charging normally.

Clean Up Apple Watch Back Case

Any debris that’s stuck behind the Apple Watch can also cause the magnetic charger to not work properly. This can lead to slow charging and will take even more than a couple of hours to fully charge your Apple Watch. To fix this, clean up the back case of your Apple Watch and try putting it back on the charger.

Related: 7 Best Ways to Clean iPhone Speaker and Remove Dust or Water

Align Watch to the Charger Correctly

The magnetic charging puck for Apple Watch is supposed to fit properly at the back of the watch and align properly. It should fit correctly in order to let your Apple Watch charge correctly without any delays. Since it has a magnet, the charger should align correctly otherwise you can move the watch a bit to see if it sits.

Restart Your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch won’t charge properly or won’t even charge at all, you can try force restarting the watch. If you are new to the Apple Watch and not sure how to restart it, here is how.

Press and hold the side button and the digital crown together for at least 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo. Then, release both the buttons to see your Apple Watch boots as normal.

You can then connect to your phone over Bluetooth and try charging using the magnetic charger. This is likely to save you from troubles like Apple Watch charging slowly if it was a simple software glitch.

Switch Apple Watch to Airplane Mode

Apple Watch, like iPhones, come with many radios including Bluetooth, and even Cellular connectivity. This reduces the battery life substantially to an extent and affects battery charging in some rare cases. To test this, put your Apple Watch in Airplane mode and charge it to see if the problem still persists.

To turn on Airplane mode on your Apple Watch, pull down from the top of the Watch screen from the watch face. A control center will appear and there you will find the Airplane mode icon to turn off all connections from your Apple Watch. Tap on it to toggle on Airplane mode.

Check Magnetic Charging Cable

Apple Watch’s magnetic charging cable, like any other Apple cable, can get worn out easily. Any damage to the internal wiring or the outer insulation could cause the charger to act slowly.

If you see a slightly broken or completely bent part on the charging cable of your Apple Watch, it is better to replace it with a new one. You can get genuine magnetic charging cables for Apple Watch from Amazon.

The above one is for the usual wall adapter with a USB A port. In case you need a fast charging cable, get the USB C charging puck for the Apple Watch which plugs right into your fast charger adapter. There are also third

Change Your Charging Stand

Many of us use stylish charging stands for Apple Watch or even for all Apple devices, to use as a desk stand or bedside nightstand for Apple Watch. Most of these stands do not come with a charger of their own, so you need to put your original magnetic puck in them.

A slight misalignment in these stands can cause your Apple watch to charge slowly. If you doubt that is the case, remove the magnetic charger puck from the stand and plug in your watch separately. You can now see your Apple Watch charging faster. If this is not working, move on to the next troubleshooting method.

Change Wall Adapter

It is not your Apple Watch or charging cable always causing the issue. Problems with the wall adapter you use can also suck out the juice from your Apple Watch even while charging and can result in really sluggish charging. The answer: change your wall adapter.

Before jumping to any conclusions, try different wall adapters of your family members to see if your watch is getting enough juice on time. If that is the case, it is time you get a new wall charger for your Apple Watch. For safer usage, you can go for powerful wall adapters from Apple with a power output of 18W or 20W.

Try a Different Wall Socket

Sometimes, your household power supply can be the villain of the piece. The wall socket you are relying on could be damaged, which leads to a lesser power output from the wall adapter. If your Apple Watch is charging properly after you changed the wall socket, it is time you hire an electrician to get your old socket fixed.

There is nothing you have to do about your Apple Watch if it charged properly after switching the wall socket.

Hard Reset Apple Watch

A hard reset is necessary at times to resolve the deep-rooted problems of our gadgets. This turns out to be true for Apple Watch as well. In case you have gone through all the above methods to resolve and fix Apple Watch charging slowly issue, and have not found any resolution, try resetting your device.

We have a complete guide on how to hard reset Apple Watch to resolve any issues. Do check it out to see how you can perform a factory reset on your Apple Watch.

Assuming that none of the above worked, the only way left for you is to approach your nearest Apple Service Provider. They can definitely guide you regarding the matter and show you where it went wrong. In most cases, a worn-out battery on an old Apple Watch causes this issue. You can get the battery replaced for free if under warranty, otherwise, get ready to pay $79 just for the battery service.