Does Apple Watch Come Charged Out of the Box?

Buying new tech is always exciting, and if you’re anything like me, you want to get your gadget out of the box and start using it ASAP. And don’t get me started on the activation process – it’s agonizing! If you’re ready to get that new Apple Watch, you might be wondering if it comes charged and ready to go…or is it like that Christmas morning when Santa forgot the batteries?

So, if you are like me and wondering if an Apple Watch comes charged out of the box, then here’s what you should know!

Apple Watches come with enough power out of the box to start setting up your new smartwatch. The battery life of a new Apple Watch might not be enough to take you through the whole setup process, so we advise charging your watch as you set it up.

Your Apple Watch should turn on when you charge it, but if it does not, switch it on using the side buttons. We won’t walk you through the Apple Watch setup, but how to charge it for the first time, expected battery life, and more.

How to Charge Your Apple Watch for the First Time

You will find a magnetic charging cable or a fast charger-to USB-C cable in your Apple Watch box. Also, the most recent models of the Apple Watch don’t come with a charger at all. If you don’t see a charger in your box, don’t panic! I covered this topic in great detail in my other article where I tell you what to do in such a situation. Check out that article by clicking on this link here.

Alternatively, you can use a MagSafe duo charger or the Apple Watch magnetic charging dock, which you have to buy separately.

Once you have the necessary tools, follow the steps below.

Put your charger or charging cable on a flat surface.
Connect the cable to a power adapter. Note that the latest versions of the Apple Watch do not come with a power adapter, so you will have to buy one. The good news is that you can easily buy the Apple 20W USB C Power Adaptor on Amazon for just a few extra dollars!
Plugin the now connected charger to an outlet
Place the open end of the charging cable on the back of your Apple Watch. It will connect magnetically and align accordingly.
If you are using a magnetic charging dock, place your Apple Watch on the dock.
You will hear a chime and see a green charging symbol on your Apple Watch face.

If you’re more of a visual learner, watch this short video that walks you through charging your Apple Watch.

How Long Should You Charge Your Apple Watch?

The Apple Watch has a small capacity built-in battery with a 205mAh/0.78Whr. Regardless of this fact, this small capacity battery can take up to two and a half hours to charge the total capacity. Note that. If you want some additional details about the time it takes to charge an Apple Watch, check out my other article that goes in-depth into the various scenarios of charging an Apple Watch.

Apple Watch charging combines MagSafe technology with induction charging.

This system takes approximately one and half hours to get your smartwatch from 0-80% and another hour to complete the 20%. In the past, first-time charging was different from standard charging because not all Apple products had lithium batteries.

Today, Apple uses lithium batteries for its products, meaning you do not need to activate your battery first. This also means that there is no significant difference between first-time charging and regular charging.

What is the Battery Life of an Apple Watch?

Engineers designed the Apple Watch for daily wear, and there are various health apps when the watch is on your wrist. So naturally, you expect the company to design a watch with long battery life…and they did!

According to Apple, the Apple Watch has a battery life of 18 hours. While this is a reasonable amount of time, it still depends on how you use your device. For example, if you like to play music when working out, your Apple Watch battery might not last 18 hours.

Someone using their Apple Watch for simple tasks like checking notifications and the time might have longer battery life. It is a similar concept to how you use your phone. The number of apps and the number of tasks you are performing on your device will determine how long the battery lasts in a day.

How do You Know Your Apple Watch is Charging?

Unless your Watch is on silent mode, you should hear a chime when you start charging your Watch. Besides the charging sound notification, when your watch battery is low, you will see a red symbol on the watch’s face.

When you start charging your Apple Watch, the red symbol will change color to green.

Is it Normal for Your Apple Watch to Come Out of the Box with No Battery?

A dead battery is nothing to worry about – simply set up your charger and start charging your smartwatch.

Leave it for about 10 minutes or until you see the Apple logo on the watch face. If you see anything unusual, like the watch not holding a charge, you can return it to the Apple store. You can return your Apple Watch within 14 days of purchase if there is any problem.

If your Apple Watch comes uncharged, something else you can do is check your battery health. You can check your battery status by following these simple steps:

Go to your Apple Watch settings
Scroll until you see the battery settings and click on it
Under the battery section, look for the battery health button and click on it
You will see the maximum capacity of your Apple Watch battery

A new Apple Watch should have a battery with a maximum capacity of 100%, so if it comes out of the box with anything less than that, return it and get a new one.

Note that with time your battery capacity will decline because of usage. So, when the capacity is too low for your device to hold any charge, it’s time to get a new watch.

3 Reasons Your Apple Watch Isn’t Charging (and What to Do About It)

Some of the reasons why your Apple Watch is not charging include:

1. Your Outlet is Not Working

The socket you are using might be faulty. You must have connected every part of the charger correctly to arrive at this conclusion. Try every outlet in the room or change location to ensure that the outlet is the issue. Try dismantling and reconnecting everything again, just in case.

2. You are Using Third-Party Chargers

Apple products are very picky, meaning they only work best with accessories designed specifically for Apple products. So, if you are not using the Apple Watch magnetic cable and the USB charger for it, the results may vary.

3. It’s Damaged

Finally, you should always check for any visible external damage on your Apple Watch. If you notice anything go to the nearest Apple customer service agent to check it out and fix it.