Apple is offering free repairs to Apple Watch owners whose devices won’t charge after being put in Power Reserve mode.
In a post on Monday, Apple noted that some Apple Watch Series 5 and SE models running watchOS 7.2 or 7.3 have been stubbornly refusing to charge after being put in Power Reserve mode. Power Reserve mode strips the Apple Watch down to its bare bones in order to save battery, disabling almost all its features and only displaying the time when its side button is pressed.
Users affected by this issue can now contact Apple Support and organise to mail their Watch to an Apple Repair Centre for a free fix.
Of course, you’ll want to double check that you’re actually having this specific issue and are eligible for repairs before you ship off your Watch. Apple suggests you try charging your phone for at least half an hour to test it, as well as check your Apple Watch’s model and the watchOS version it’s running.
Not all Series 5 and SE models have been impacted, but there’s still a chance that those unaffected may later develop this issue. Fortunately, there’s a patch for that. Apple has also released watchOS 7.3.1, which will prevent this problem from plaguing other Series 5 and SE Watches.
If you own one of these Apple Watch models, you may want to update it as soon as you can. It’s usually a good idea to keep your devices up to date anyway, both for bug fixes like this and to ensure you’re protected by the latest security measures.