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FAQ

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Why is the Battery Life complication on my watch face stuck at an old percentage?

Short answer: the complication on your watch face is the old one, from a version of Battery Life before 26.8.1. It cannot receive new readings any more. Remove it from the watch face and add Battery Life again — it takes about fifteen seconds and only has to be done once.

1. Press and hold the watch face on your Apple Watch.

2. Tap Edit.

3. Swipe left to the Complications page.

4. Tap the slot that shows the stuck Battery Life reading.

5. Scroll to Battery Life and select one of the three complications.

6. Press the Digital Crown to finish.

Why are my battery notifications late, or not arriving at all?

Some delay is normal. iOS decides when an app in the background is allowed to run, so a notification typically arrives 5 to 60 minutes after your battery reaches the level you set. This is a limit of iOS itself and no app can work around it.

If notifications are much later than that, or never arrive, check these three things:

1. Leave Battery Life running in the background

Don't swipe it away in the app switcher. A closed app can't check your battery state until you open it again.

2. Turn on Background App Refresh

Settings › General › Background App Refresh, and make sure it's on for Battery Life. Apple explains the setting here.

3. Turn off Low Power Mode

Low Power Mode cuts background activity, which stops notifications arriving on time. It switches on by itself at 20% battery, so it may be active without you setting it.

Still nothing after all three? Get in touch and we'll take a look.

Why is my Apple Watch or AirPods charge missing or out of date?

External devices only report their charge while they're actively connected to your iPhone. Once a device disconnects — out of range, powered off, or in its case — Battery Life keeps showing the last level it received rather than guessing.

That's why each reading carries the time it arrived. If a figure looks stale, reconnect the device and it will update on its own shortly afterwards.

A device that never appears at all usually just needs to be connected once while Battery Life is open.

I bought Pro, but the features are still locked. What now?

Restoring your purchase should sort it out. Open the More tab and choose In-App Purchases — the restore option is there.

One thing to check first: purchases belong to the Apple Account that bought them. If you've since switched accounts, or you're setting up a device that's signed in with a different one, sign back in with the account you originally used and restore again.

If Pro still doesn't unlock after that, let us know.

What do I get with Pro?
  • No advertisements anywhere in the app.
  • Customizable notifications — choose the exact charge levels that trigger a charging or low-battery alert.
  • Apple Watch complications, so both battery levels sit on your watch face.
How do I get a refund?

Refunds are handled entirely by Apple — we have no access to your purchase and can't issue one ourselves.

Request it at reportaproblem.apple.com, or follow Apple's step-by-step guide.

Why can't I see battery cycles, temperature or capacity any more?

Starting with iOS 13, Apple stopped letting apps read the detailed battery values. Battery Life can no longer show:

  • Battery cycles
  • Battery temperature
  • Charge and discharge current
  • Maximum charger current
  • Battery capacity, including wear level
  • Battery voltage

This is a restriction in iOS rather than something the app can work around — we'd show these again the moment Apple allows it.

On iPhone you can still see your maximum capacity yourself, in Settings › Battery › Battery Health & Charging.

Does Battery Life drain my battery?

No. Battery Life reads values your device already keeps track of and does no heavy work of its own, so its own consumption is negligible.

If you're checking Settings › Battery and see Battery Life listed, that's normal — every app that has run appears there. The figure reflects the time you spent looking at the app, not extra drain caused by monitoring.

How do I know if my battery is worn out?

These three signs usually mean the battery is near the end of its useful life:

  • Maximum capacity has dropped below 80%.
  • The device shuts down while the charge still reads 10% or more.
  • The charge jumps by 10% or more between readings.

On iPhone you can check the first one in Settings › Battery › Battery Health & Charging. If any of these apply, a battery replacement from Apple or an authorised service provider will restore normal runtimes — it's a routine, inexpensive repair.

What's the best way to charge my device?

Don't overthink it. Apple devices use lithium-ion batteries that cannot be overcharged under normal conditions, so leaving your device on the charger overnight is safe.

Batteries do last longest when the charge stays roughly between 10% and 80%, but watching it that closely makes a phone impractical to use — and iOS already does much of this for you. Optimized Battery Charging learns your routine and holds the charge at 80% until shortly before you normally unplug. On iPhone you'll find it in Settings › Battery › Battery Health & Charging.

Heat is what really matters. Some cases trap enough heat while charging to reduce capacity over time. If your device gets warm on the charger, take it out of the case first.

Apple has a good explanation of how these batteries work if you'd like the detail.

How can I make each charge last longer?

The biggest wins are usually screen brightness, turning off Background App Refresh for apps you don't need it for, and using Wi-Fi instead of cellular where you can.

Apple's own guide goes through the rest: maximizing battery performance.

I still need help — how do I contact you?

Use the contact form in the app and we'll get back to you.

It helps us a great deal if you mention:

  • Which device you're using, and its iOS version.
  • What you expected to happen, and what happened instead.
  • Whether it started after an update, and roughly when.