Despite arriving late to the Wear OS party, OnePlus Watches remain popular alternatives to devices like the Galaxy Watch and Pixel Watch. The company surprised users by rolling out the Wear OS 5 update at the end of December. However, it now seems this update is causing more headaches than excitement for those who have installed it.
Battery Life is Cut in Half for OnePlus Watches
OnePlus smartwatches are currently transitioning to Wear OS 5, with the OnePlus Watch 3 being the first to debut with the software last year. This was followed by the Watch 2 (review) and Watch 2R (review) in late December, with the rollout beginning in India. It turns out, however, that the update is now severely affecting the battery life of these older models.
According to several user reports on Reddit and OnePlus community forums, those who updated are seeing their smartwatch battery life drastically reduced. One user noted that their usual three to four days of running time was cut to just one or two days after installing Wear OS 5.
Even more concerning, another affected user reported that their Watch 2R is now barely lasting a single day, down from the 2.5 days of life they enjoyed before the update.
Many users in these threads share the same sentiment, placing the blame squarely on the major software update. Some users suspect that specific apps are causing the unusual drain. Specifically, several accounts noticed that the Weather app and Google Play Services are consuming an abnormal amount of power. At this stage, it is difficult to determine if the issue is isolated to these apps or if the system update itself has negatively affected background optimization.
What’s notable is that this does not impact the OnePlus Watch 3 (review) or the smaller variant of the Watch 3 (comparison).
Potential Fixes for OnePlus Watch Battery Woes
Currently, there is no official workaround or permanent fix for this battery drain. Some users have attempted to factory reset their Watch 2, but early reports suggest this does not consistently solve the problem. Others suggest that waiting a few days for the system to complete background indexing and optimization might improve battery performance, though this remains unproven for most.
For many users, skipping the update remains the best way to avoid these battery issues. This advice is particularly relevant for those in regions where the Wear OS 5 update has just arrived or is about to launch.
For users who have not yet received the notification, there is a chance that OnePlus will rectify the issue or introduce a hotfix before expanding the rollout to more countries in the U.S., Europe, and other parts of Asia. Looking ahead, OnePlus is expected to schedule its Wear OS 6 update later this year, with the Watch 3 likely to be the first to receive it.
Do you own a OnePlus Watch? Have you updated to Wear OS 5 yet? Share your experience with us in the comments.
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