Apple Watch Won’t Turn On: Pro Tips to Fix the Issue - Rapid Repair (2024)

Imagine this – you are at the gym, just completed an awesome workout, and want to check how many calories you’ve burned for the day. You tap your Apple Watch and the screen doesn’t light up. You tap the button but still nothing happens. If you’re thinking about why your Apple Watch won’t turn on and are worried if it is damaged, then fret not, this article will help you.

While this is not a common issue that a lot of Apple Watch users face, there are several tips that you can use to fix this issue on your own. First, you need to understand that there can be several reasons why your Apple Watch screen won’t turn on even after repeated screen tapping and button pressing. It could be due tohardwareproblems, software issues, a faulty battery, or even cluttered storage. Let’s look at every possible reason one by one and try to turn on your Apple Watch.

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Image credit: Lifewire

Force Restart Your Apple Watch

Force restart has long been the first step to try when it comes to dealing with most of the common issues. And guess what, we are not going to overlook it even this time around. Don’t know how to restart an Apple Watch? Don’t worry, it is quite simple and there is no harm in trying it out.

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Image credit: Apple

While it may sound silly at first, one of the biggest reasons why your new Apple Watch won’t turn on is maybe because your Apple Watch’s battery has run too low or drained out. Put your smartwatch on a charger and let it charge for some time. Once the smartwatch has got enough juice, it will boot up automatically.

If your Apple Watch turns on and starts behaving normally, you are good to go.

Put Your Apple Watch on a Charger

Maybe your Apple Watch’s battery has run too low and it is not turning on due to the drained out battery. Put your smartwatch on a charger and let it charge for some time. Once the smartwatch has got enough juice, it will boot up automatically.

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Image credit: Apple

If your Apple Watch turns on and starts behaving normally, you are good to go.

Is the VoiceOver and Screen Curtain Turned On?

Apple Watch has a unique feature that a lot of users can find problematic. The Screen Curtain feature of your iPhone will turn off the screen even when the watch is turned on. In this case, the user can navigate the Apple Watch only through the VoiceOver feature.

If your Apple Watch screen won’t turn on, then these features might be the reason why. For the Screen Curtain feature to work, the VoiceOver feature must be turned on as well. You can go to the Watch app on your iPhone, navigate to General > Accessibility > VoiceOver and turn it off. You can go inside the VoiceOver menu to turn off the Screen Curtain feature as well.

Erase Your Apple Watch and Pair it with iPhone Again

Wondering why you should erase your Apple Watch if the device is unable to turn on? Well, the reason is that it is considered as a one-stop solution. What’s more? It has the knack for fixing even complex issues. So, go for this radical yet reliable troubleshooting option to resolve the “Apple Watch won’t turn on” issue.

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Navigate to theWatch appon your iPhone >General. Scroll down to the bottom and tap onReset. Next, tap onErase All Content and Settings. Once you have successfully erased your Apple Watch, reconnect it to your iPhone. If the Watch was not responding or display was dead due to some software bug, that is normally fixed by resetting and your Watch should be back on the setup screen, ready to be paired once again.

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Image credit: Apple

Ensure that the Cable Works

One more reason why your Apple Watch won’t turn on could be because it has run out of juice and the magnetic cable is not charging it as well. This is a scenario that will require a bit of trial and error from your side. To pinpoint whether the charger is faulty or the Apple Watch, try charging it with the same cable but from different outlets. First from an Apple adapter, then your computer’s USB port, and then from another adapter. If it can’t turn on the Apple Watch, then the cable might be faulty. Try changing the cable and repeat the steps again.

If changing the magnetic charging cable works and your Apple Watch is covered by AppleCare+, you can apply for a free replacement or go to the nearest Apple Store and get it replaced right away.

Bonus Tips to Fix the Apple Watch running Slow or lagging while usage

  • Maybe your smartwatch isshort ofspace; redundant photos (which you have synced from your iPhone) and a ton of music stored on your Apple Watch along with a plethora of useless apps may have clogged up the storage. Knowing that cluttered storage tends to create many issues, including unexpected battery drain and overheating, it will bebestto declutter your Apple Watch.
  • To clean up your Apple Watch, eliminate everything that has eaten into the precious storage of your device unnecessarily. Once the smartwatch has been cleaned up, it should start functioning properly.
  • Bear in mind that the problem could also be due to outdated software, in which case you can solve the problem simply by updating the watchOS from Settings – General – Software Update.

If Nothing Works Contact Apple Watch Repair Centre

If you’ve changed the magnetic cable, re-paired it with your iPhone, and even tried turning off the VoiceOver and Screen Curtain features and still your Apple Watch won’t turn on, then there might be an internal hardware issue that is causing the problem. If the screen comes on but the Apple Watch is stuck on the Apple logo, it is best to take your Apple Watch to a trusted repair centre.

The experts atRapid Repaircan diagnose the problem with your Apple Watch and identify why your Apple Watch screen won’t turn on. Our super techies have years of experience working with Apple devices and can accurately detect if the watch requires a battery replacement, internal storage cleaning, or even aApple watch screen replacement. Contact us if you want to turn on your Apple Watch and our logistics partners will be at your doorstep to pick up the damaged device and return it safely once it is fixed.

Apple Watch Won’t Turn On: Pro Tips to Fix the Issue - Rapid Repair (2024)

FAQs

What do you do if your Apple Watch won't turn on? ›

Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears.

How do I reset my Apple Watch unresponsive? ›

Force restart your Apple Watch

Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown until the screen turns black and the Apple logo reappears, then release both buttons. Your watch might take a few moments to restart.

How to force shut down an Apple Watch? ›

If you can't turn off your Apple Watch or if the problem continues, you may need to force your Apple Watch to restart. Do this only if you're unable to restart your Apple Watch. To force restart, hold down the side button and the Digital Crown at the same time for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.

How long does it take for the green snake to go away on an Apple Watch? ›

In 2 to 12 hours, the watch should switch into its normal mode and begin normal charging (which will last much longer the first time). After it's fully charged and operational, I'd recommend doing full reset via its menu, to decrease the chances of getting that annoying error again.

How to fix a watch not working? ›

You can gently swing it off and see if it will function again. Also, you can try winding the watch for a few times to check if it works again. In other words, assess the watch and try basic troubleshooting steps. On the other hand, if it is a quartz watch, then the problem may be the battery.

Is there a hard reset for Apple Watch? ›

Press and hold the side button until you see the power button in the upper-right corner of the display. Press and hold the Digital Crown until you see Erase all content and settings. Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm. Wait for the process to finish, then set up your Apple Watch again.

Why has my Apple Watch stopped working? ›

Why Won't My Apple Watch Turn On? The most common reason for the Apple Watch display to go dark and become unresponsive is a battery issue. Unless you've been wearing the Apple Watch all day and depleted the battery, the first troubleshooting step you should perform is a forced restart.

How do you reset a broken Apple Watch? ›

Erase Apple Watch and settings
  1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
  2. Go to General > Reset, tap Erase All Content and Settings, then enter your passcode.
  3. If you have an Apple Watch with cellular, choose to keep or remove your cellular plan. ...
  4. When the process finishes, set up your watch again.

How to unlock an Apple Watch? ›

Enter the passcode: Wake Apple Watch Ultra, then enter the watch passcode. Unlock Apple Watch Ultra when you unlock your iPhone: Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap Passcode, then turn on Unlock with iPhone.

How to reset Apple Watch too many attempts? ›

Reset your Apple Watch
  1. Put your Apple Watch on its charger, then press and hold the side button until the sliders appear.
  2. Press and hold the Digital Crown to show the Erase all content and settings screen.
  3. Tap Reset, then tap Reset again to confirm.
  4. When the process finishes, set up your watch again.

What is the Apple Watch snake of Death? ›

As ominous as it sounds, the Green Snake of Death is not a new error and is an issue that users have encountered for years. The Green Snake, which is actually a representation of the Apple Watch magnetic charger with a green lightning bolt, indicates extremely low battery levels.

How do I fix the green screen on my Apple Watch? ›

They suggested unpairing the watch with my phone and pairing it again. It worked. The next day when I filled my activity circles the app was operating normally (no green screen).

How long does it take a dead Apple Watch to turn on? ›

Dead on arrival how long does it take to turn on once put on charging? Give it an hour on the charger then it will take about a minute to start up.

Why is my Apple Watch button not turning? ›

Remove any protective films or cases that might block the side button or Digital Crown. Check for debris or dirt around the side button or Digital Crown and clean your Apple Watch.

How long do Apple watches last? ›

So how long does an Apple Watch last and are Apple Watches worth buying? There will always be exceptions, but on balance, based on the experience of our own reviewers and the comments we've seen from users online, I would say that an Apple Watch provide five to six years of good performance.

Why is the screen on my Apple Watch not working? ›

Restarting your watch fixes the majority of problems. Hold down the Digital Crown and side button for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Close certain apps on the Apple Watch. If the issue seems to be restricted to one app, avoid using it or find an alternative.

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