Samsung’s solution to Galaxy Watch 7 battery drain issues coming soon

Update 02/08/24 12:50 pm (IST): Samsung has started rolling out a new software update for Galaxy Watch devices, including the Watch 7 lineup. The changelog clearly mentions the following:

• Battery charging stability has been improved.
• Battery stability has been improved.
• Overall device stability has been improved.

So you might want to check for an update on your Galaxy Watch 7 to see if it fixes the battery drain issues. A few users did confirm that they noticed major improvements in battery life after the update.

Original article published on July 30, 2024, follows:

Samsung is set to address the battery drain issues plaguing some Galaxy Watch 7 users with an upcoming software update. Since the release of the new smartwatch about a week ago, numerous owners have reported unexpectedly rapid battery depletion, with some devices unable to last through a full day of use.

Users on Samsung’s own community forums and Reddit have described their Watch 7 batteries draining at rates as high as 10% per hour, significantly faster than expected for a new device. Some reported their watches dying overnight, while others found themselves needing to charge multiple times per day.

A Samsung “Watch Product Development Manager” has confirmed (via SamMobile) on the company’s official South Korean forums that they have identified the cause of the battery discharge issue and developed a solution. The representative stated, “We will soon distribute SW that fixes the issue” (roughly translated from Korean to English), indicating that a software update to resolve the problem is imminent.

While the exact cause of the battery drain has not been disclosed, it appears to be a software-related bug rather than a hardware defect. Interestingly, the issue seems isolated to the Galaxy Watch 7 model, with no similar reports emerging about the Galaxy Watch Ultra released simultaneously.

Some users have expressed frustration with Samsung’s initial response to their complaints. Several reported being told by customer service representatives that the rapid battery drain was normal for a new device “learning” usage patterns or due to having multiple features enabled. However, the forthcoming software fix suggests these explanations were inaccurate.

That said, I spotted a comment from a Redditor who claims that Samsung is replacing their faulty watch. So it appears that information about the upcoming fix has still not passed to Samsung’s own customer support outside South Korea.

Interestingly, I also came across some comments that suggested the Google Assistant app is the culprit behind the battery drain. One user stated, “Assistant was the culprit in my case too. Disabled app through phone and on the watch itself. I also cleared the data on both as well. So far so good.” So in case you’re Galaxy Watch 7 is also gulping down a lot of battery juice, I’d suggest disabling GA to see if it helps.

The battery issues have dampened what was otherwise a positive reception for the Galaxy Watch 7. For affected users, relief should be on the way soon. In the meantime, try out the potential workaround I shared above or try using the in-built power saving mode.