Apple Watch owners just got an exciting free upgrade

If you're on the hunt for the best smartwatch, chances are you're looking at an Apple Watch. From the affordable Apple Watch SE to the extreme Apple Watch Ultra, every price point is covered by the iconic rectangular timepiece.

With the release of WatchOS 9, the Apple Watch got a host of new features to improve the quality of the user experience. Everything from new watch faces to updated workouts and improved sleep tracking was featured, leaving something for just about everyone to get excited by.

But one feature that wasn't mentioned has been spotted online, offering another reason to get excited about the Apple Watch. Images circulating on Twitter suggest that the Apple Watch now features optimised charging.

What is Optimised Charging?

Optimised Charging is Apple's way of trying to prolong the life of your battery, by intelligently adjusting when your devices get charged. By learning when you normally take your device off charge, the last 20% of the charging can be saved until just before.

This is better for the battery. Instead of being charged to 100% and then kept there, the battery is kept at a lower level – around 80%. This is a sweet spot with lithium ion batteries and should help to keep them going for much longer.

The downside, of course, is that you may find your device isn't fully charged if you break from your usual cycle. If you leave early one morning, for example, you may risk spending the day with a depleted battery. 

It's a feature that we've seen on the iPhone before now. From personal use, I can tell you that it absolutely works. I'm currently using an iPhone 13 with Optimised Charging enabled. After a full year of use, the battery capacity is still at 100%. Compare that to my previous device, which didn't have the optimised charging and had dwindled to 87% after around seven months.

It's a welcome addition to the Apple Watch. I've written previously about my gripes with the battery life on Apple's wearables, which leave a lot to be desired. And while is doesn't directly boost the lifespan of a single charge, this should help to increase the overall battery longevity. It's a step in the right direction.