For 2021, the Apple Watch finally needs a battery that lasts more than a day

More than steps, more than active minutes, I’ve focused on making sure I get enough sleep every day. This has been a problem for working from home for much of 2020-2021. The latest Apple watch and WatchOS software focused, among other things, on adding sleep tracking this could help to make bedtime more regular. Look great. Except … the Apple Watch battery life gets in the way.

I could say that the Apple Watch needs new health sensors, or some other medically approved metric like blood pressure. (I have high blood pressure, so that would be fine, although unrealistic now.) But actually, first, it needs better battery life. Of all the fitness and wearers that I switched between last year – the Oura Ring, Fitbit sense, Amazon Halo Band and Withings Scanwatch – the Apple Watch was the last on battery life.

You, the owner of the Apple Watch, can say: charge every day, no problem. It is not so easy when you are using it all night and supposedly tracking your sleep. The clock can run a day and a half straight on a charge, in my experience, but then it’s a matter of finding out when that moment would be: during the shower? While sitting at my table? It takes at least half an hour to gather a reasonable amount of cargo.

Longer battery life is not always the perfect answer. It is easy to lose track of how many more nights a ring or watch can last. I think I missed a day or two of monitoring with Fitbits, or Oura, or Halo Band, or anything else that I don’t charge daily. Still, having more days, or even hours, of battery helps. Apple could incorporate a low-power mode or a new chip that helps with the battery. Or, maybe, put a bigger battery. Or add some kind of battery bracelet, which would be the equivalent of an iPhone battery-clever smart cover.

That said, don’t expect a new watch until autumn, as usual. Apple launched its connected Apple Watch Fitness Plus service last month and you may have more connected services like this reserved for 2021.

I’ll just say that the Apple Watch works perfectly for me now. Except for battery life, of course.

Read More: Fighting my blocking weight gain with Apple Fitness Plus

There are many other ways to improve your Apple Watch. It could become a better remote control for connecting to phones and computers. (I use the camera’s remote control all the time to start and stop self-recorded videos, but I would love more.) It must have some kind of biometrics, like Touch ID. Could have a real, real watch store.

I would give them up for better battery life. If the Apple Watch wins just one new thing in 2021, so be it.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended for medical or health advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.