Apple Watch Battery is Replaceable, but You Can't do it

If the battery in your Apple Watch should ever die and need to be replaced, there will be an option for that, but it isn't something you'll be able to replace yourself—at least from Apple's perspective. Instead, Apple will offer a battery replacement service, which means you'll most likely have to set a Genius Bar appointment to get your smartwatch up and running again.

Apple Watch battery is replaceable by AppleApple Watch battery is replaceable by Apple

Apple announced Apple Watch pricing, pre-order dates, and when the watch will ship at a special media event on Monday. After the event, TechCrunch asked about the watch's battery and was told by Apple representatives it has about a three-year life span, and can be replaced.

That will no doubt come as good news for Apple Watch buyers who plan on using the same model for several years, or for people who buy used first generation models a couple years from now.

The Apple Watch's battery will likely see a lot of heavy use considering it needs to be recharged daily. According to Apple, you can get a day's use between charges, assuming 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30 minute workout with Bluetooth music playback. That totals to 18 hours time, but that drops down to seven hours or less if you're using the heart rate sensor for workouts, playing music a lot, or using your watch for phone calls.

Apple Watch's relatively short battery life is offset by its quick charging time. You can fully recharge the battery in a couple hours, and the watch also includes a time-only mode should the charge drop too low to support other features.

Apple Watch will be available for pre-order starting on April 10 and will ship on April 24. Pricing starts at US$349 for the aluminum body Apple Watch Sport, $549 for the stainless steel Apple Watch, and $10,000 for the gold Apple Watch Edition.