Posted 27 December 2023

Apple Watch 4 44mm battery change - £180 from Apple - anyone had any joy with 3rd parties?

Hi
My father has an Apple Watch 4 44mm with the milanese loop metal strap. Probably bought on 2018 (I think) the battery life is now dropping off.... down below 80% from memory.

Ive changed a battery on an early iphone (6?) for him previously but I dont fancy this watch....Im too clumsy for it!!!

Apply want £180 for a new battery I think .....and a new Apple SE 44mm watch is £249...

I cant see any advertised local to me (Cardiff) ...... most seem post in services.

Has anyone had any luck with a 3rd party battery replacement ?

(I can see that Timson quote £60)

Thanks
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  1. joyf4536's avatar
    Since the very beginning of time people have been tempted by an apple only to find out later it has cost them dearly.
    pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    Yep .....but Im a bit stuck here....he's 94 and used to it....
  2. lyesbkz's avatar
    A battery replacement from Apple for this model should be £95. The prices are here:
    support.apple.com/en-…air
    pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    Ok thanks ...I agree with you its says £95 as an estimate . I went into the apple shop in cardiff (without the watch on the spur of the moment) and the guy definitely told me £179 (to be precise) . Basically saying you may as well get the brand new SE 44mm watch at £249.

    Maybe I'll just make an appointment and take the watch in with me to pin them down.
  3. Moss.b's avatar
    Just buy a new watch, he will get use to it like he did with this. Personally I would hate a apple watch due to battery life.
    pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    Yep they have him locked into the eco system....at a reduced cost though!!

    I just upgraded the Iphone 6 to a Iphone SE 2020 for him for about £95 when the local bus app wouldnt install anymore. He's not in Iphone 15 territory
  4. PonJaul76's avatar
    Is 80% battery life for a 94yr old that much of an inconvenience ? It won't last all day but is he away from a charger that long ?
    pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    No he's not really away from a charger for more than 6 hours .....but he doesnt normally do complaints and he's mentioned this quite a few times already.....so it cant be great. I dont use apple so I dont have much of an idea on battery life.

    He's just stopped driving a car and is on the bus more these days (through choice) so Id rather get it sorted for him. He uses the watch to answer most of his calls.....
  5. pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    Ok thanks everyone for the observations
  6. harrythefish's avatar
    Taking your apple device to a Genius bar for an 'advertised' diagnosis or battery swap is the biggest joke. I remember when the £70-ish battery swap by Apple was in the news. Went into Apple store, was told it involved sending the phone away! (Independents will do it while-you-wait but are unable to supply an OEM battery due to Apple's restrictive practices).

    The Mrs went in for something to be fixed on her iPhone half an hour before closing time. Mistake. They convinced her she needed an iCloud sub, sold her one and began backing up her data to it. It was 10% complete and the shop closed for the day. Useless.

    Another time I took an iPhone 6 in, it was under 18 months old and the compass seemed faulty so that satnav was playing up. They 'diagnosed' it as nothing wrong. Since I'd already tried a factory reset to no avail I knew otherwise.

    All in all I now consider Genius bars to be full of con artists and Apple store while-you-wait fixing to be nonexistent. (edited)
  7. Tyrone_H_'s avatar
    Ad long as the battery percentage is below the threshold I believe 80% or something apple will replace it for between £70-£100 wether it's a watch or an iPhone 15
    pekoz1's avatar
    Author
    Thanks for that. I checked today and its at 75% health.

    So maybe if its over 80% health its the £179 I was quoted in the shop and £95 if under 80%. £95 was from the link from above...
  8. Lil6ix's avatar
    This is why I will never be a consumer of an Apple Watch again and have grown more cautious of buying their products.. you spend all that money and when it inevitably fails it costs a bomb to fix.

    Although in Apple's defence in this scenario the watch is very old..

    I would retire it and get him something disposable like an Huawei smart band that costs £20..
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