Fast charging issue identified in watchOS 8.5 for the Apple Watch Series 6 and Watch Series 7

It seems that watchOS 8.5 is delivering more unexpected surprises, which Apple released earlier this month. To recap, it turned out that Apple introduced a recovery mode as of watchOS 8.5 too, although it decided against mentioning this feature in its update notes. Still, watchOS 8.5 allows people to recover the Apple Watch Series 3 or later without needing to make a Genius Bar appointment.

Unfortunately, there are now reports that watchOS 8.5 breaks fast charging on the Watch Series 7, Apple's latest Watch Series device. For context, the Watch Series 7 should recharge roughly a third faster than its predecessor, while Apple claims an 8-minute recharge yields 8 hours of sleep tracking. Overall the Watch Series 7 should only need a 45-minute recharge to climb from 0 to 80% remaining battery.

Supposedly, 9to5Mac has recreated the issue on a Watch Series 7. Apparently, some Watch Series 6 units are also affected regardless of whether they are placed on first or third-party chargers. Worse still, some third-party chargers like the Belkin 3-in-1 BoostCharge Pro have stopped working altogether. Typically, Apple releases hotfixes between watchOS revisions, but Apple has remained silent on the problem, despite being contacted by 9to5Mac.

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