How Long Does An Apple Watch Last? Here Are Some Life-Extending Tips

 While Apple Watch is already durable, the lifespan can be stretched even further, allowing for years of trouble-free smartwatch enjoyment.

The Apple Watch is such a useful device that it might be hard to imagine ever being without it. At some point, however, another visit to an Apple store or website will be needed to replace it. While the Apple Watch is a very durable product and has good support, a few tips can extend the lifespan so it can be used for even longer, possibly passed on to a friend or relative, or sold to reduce the cost of a new model.

The first Apple Watch was released in 2015, starting a new era of smartwatch adoption with Apple offering a wearable solution that appealed to more people than ever before. Each new generation adds more features, improves the screen, and makes it run faster, increasing its usefulness. Apple also upgrades the software regularly, providing older Apple Watch models with new capabilities as well. While the Apple Watch has gotten more durable with the Series 7's rounded glass, it has always been water-resistant, and the tougher sapphire glass option has been available from the start.

Some Apple Watch owners might want to upgrade annually, but Apple supports its wearables for many years. The original Apple Watch stopped receiving updates in 2018 and the Series 1 and 2 support ended in 2021. Over four years after its release, the Apple Watch Series 3 is still receiving updates. While the device might keep working and can still be paired to an iPhone, a lack of updates makes it a security risk. That means the end of life should really be thought of as three to four years, even if the Apple Watch is in perfect condition. For a wearable to reach that age is still a small miracle since the wrist is not the best-protected area for electronics. Another concern that Apple describes is chemical aging of the lithium battery. A small battery such as that used in an Apple Watch is far more susceptible to damage than the relatively large cell found in an iPhone or iPad.

How To Extend An Apple Watch's Lifespan

The greatest risks to the lifespan of an Apple Watch are battery wear and screen damage. While both can be repaired, the cost might lead the owner to consider simply upgrading to the most recent model. Thankfully, there are some easy ways to protect the Apple Watch and extend its life for several years, possibly pushing right up to the date it stops receiving watchOS updates. Screen protection is incredibly easy and inexpensive. Screen protectors cost only a few dollars, are barely noticeable, and protect from the scratches that are easily collected from dust. Even an Apple Watch with sapphire glass can still be scratched, so a screen protector is an easy way to keep the display looking nice and avoiding issues for longer.

Battery aging is inevitable, but it can be slowed down. Each discharge and recharge cycle shortens the lifespan but keeping the watch at full charge or with a very low charge is even more damaging. Lithium batteries prefer to linger right around the middle range and when storing an Apple Watch in the long-term, charging to 50-percent and powering off is best. In daily use, make sure Optimized Charging is switched on. This option is enabled by default and found in the Settings app under Battery Health. This allows the Apple Watch to hover around 75 to 80-percent when placed on the charger overnight. The Apple Watch will resume charging in time to reach 100-percent before it's needed again. By protecting the battery and the screen, it should be easy to get several years of trouble-free use from an Apple Watch.