Galaxy Watch charging works better with this $0.10 alignment trick

Published Aug 28, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger. He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews. Before joining How-To Geek, Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast. From smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He's been hooked ever since. One of the things I appreciate about Samsung is that it’s stuck with the same charging puck for several generations of Galaxy Watch. That being said, the charger itself isn’t my favorite. My watch tends to easily slide off, but I found a very simple fix. I mention Samsung’s history with Galaxy Watch chargers because other brands have been annoyingly inconsistent in this department. The Pixel Watch, for example, has had three different chargers in five generations. Not great. The problem with the Galaxy Watch charger Weak magnets and a small footprint As I said, I applaud Samsung for sticking with a consistent charger design. I like to make my own accessories, so I appreciate being able to upgrade my watch without needing to design a new charging stand, too. Part of the reason why I make my own stand is that Samsung’s charger isn’t the best on its own. First of all, I find that the magnets in the charging puck are barely strong enough to firmly hold the watch in the precise position. On more than one morning, I’ve grabbed my Galaxy Watch off the charger with a low battery. The watch was physically magnetically connected, but misaligned just enough not to actually charge. The second problem is that the puck itself is not very big, and this accentuates the first problem. Samsung doesn’t give you a very big target to hit. As much as I may not like that Google keeps changing its charger design, the most recent version is big and nearly impossible to misalign. Let’s fix it. Fixing Galaxy Watch charging with a $0.10 accessory Stay on target...stay on target With my complaints about the Galaxy Watch charging puck in mind, I started 3D modeling a solution. This was one of the easier things that I’ve modeled lately—not nearly as complex as the microSD card phone case. The only information I needed was the puck’s diameter and thickness, the watch’s diameter, and the total height of the two stacked on top of each other. With dimensions in hand, I could whip up a simple alignment ring. The puck sits in the center of a donut with a slot cut out for the cable. Then there are two arms that cradle the sides of the watch, and they’re narrow enough to slide between the physical buttons. This model is specifically made for the Galaxy Watch 7, but it could just as easily be made for any size. After about 5 minutes of modeling in Fusion and a quick 12-minute print on my Bambu P1S, I had my first prototype ready to test—and it worked! The puck fit snuggly in the middle, the watch was perfectly aligned on top of it, and the whole thing only took $0.10 of PLA filament. It’s also held firmly in place, so even if the charger gets bumped, the watch stays with it. I love it when it only takes one print to get it right. Charging docks are better than pucks I’m happy with this solution (you can download it here if you’re interested), but I don’t love that I had to make it. Truthfully, I prefer charging docks, like the Pixel Watch 4 and 5 charger. That’s the style Samsung used before switching over to Wear OS. While a dock may not be as flexible for 3D printing accessories around, they’re much easier to plop a watch on and never think about again.