Does the Apple Watch's secret port hold the key to longer battery life?

A company that's creating one of the first battery straps for the Apple Watch has discovered that a hidden port can be used to charge the wearable.

The Apple Watch is usually charged via a wireless magnetic charger that while convenient doesn't offer the speed and efficiency that a wired charging solution provides.

The creators of the Reserve Strap for Apple Watch have found that the location of the hidden port – at the bottom of the face – is ideal for connecting to straps. It means battery straps can charge the Apple Watch's battery while being worn like a normal strap – so you'll be able to prolong the notoriously slight battery life of the Apple Watch easily.

A strap with a catch

The hidden port, which has a cover that can be removed with a tool that comes with the Reserve Strap, had previously been thought to be used by Apple for diagnostics, though it is now speculated that it is used at the factory to load software onto the devices.

Other companies could make use of its charging properties as well, however this is not officially sanctioned by Apple.

This means that Apple could disable the charging feature of the port in a future update – so that expensive battery strap you just bought (the Reserve Strap costs $249 (around £165, AU$316)) could end up being pretty useless in the future, though at least it would still keep the Apple Watch attached to your wrist.

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Via 9to5mac