Why is my watch charging but not turning on

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated December 20, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Battery not charging?

If Noise Scout watch does not appear to charge, follow these steps:

Inspect the four gold contacts on the charging cradle and on the rear of Noise Scout for damage.
Connect the charging dock to a USB power source. Once connected, after sometime, the screen lights up and battery charging indication comes. No screen light up indicates possibly the USB power source or the USB cable maybe faulty.
Clean the gold contacts on the charging dock and on Noise Scout with a damp cloth. Ensure they are dry before proceeding.

Check the Charging Dock

When the dock is connected to the back of the watch, does the Screen of the watch light up and display charging indication? If not:-

Check to make sure the USB power source is working.
Check the charging contacts on the dock. Are they clean and visually look in good condition?
Check the charging contacts on the Noise Scout watch. Are they clean and visually look in good condition?

If your Apple Watch won't charge or it won't turn on

When you connect your Apple Watch to its charging cable and power, a lightning bolt should appear on the screen.

If your Apple Watch with watchOS 9 or later is in Low Power Mode, the icons, time and day displayed below will all appear in yellow.

If your watch requires charging, a red lightning bolt appears on the screen. (You may need to press the side button to make the watch face appear.) When your watch is charging, the red lightning bolt changes to a red lightning bolt inside a ring. If your screen is blank or thecharging cable iconappears on the screen,charge your watch

If your Apple Watch won't charge, or a message on your watch says that charging with this accessory isn't supported, try these tips:

Make sure you're using the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable that came with your Apple Watch.
Make sure you plug the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cableall the way into the USB Power Adaptor, then make sure that you plug the adaptor all the way into a power socket.
If you use a third-party charging stand, use the charging cable that was delivered in the box with your Apple Watch.
Completely remove any plastic wrap from both sides of the charger.
Make sure the back of your Apple Watch and the magnetic charger are clean.
Reposition the back of your Apple Watch on the charger. When the charger's magnets align correctly with your Apple Watch, a green or yellow lightning bolt should appear on the watch face.*
Try a different Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable, and a different USB Power Adaptor. If your Apple Watch is out of power, you might need to wait a few minutes for the lightning bolt to appear after you start charging your device.
If your Apple Watch still wont charge,force it to restart. Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears.

* If you use the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock or the Apple MagSafe Duo Charger with a larger Apple Watch model (44mm, 45mm, or 49mm), you may need to adjust the charger's position. Adjust the charger to a different angle, or lay it completely flat, to make sure its magnets align with the magnets in your watch. If you have Apple Watch Ultra orlaterand it wont connect reliably with these charging devices even when theyre lying flat, try removing the watchs band before placing the watch on the charger.

If you still need help, contact Apple Support.

Published Date:April 02, 2024

Not Charging / Not Turning On

Last Updated - Feb 02, 2015 03:31PM PST

If you believe that you have an issue with your charging cable or charging port, we have a few troubleshooting suggestions that may solve your problem.Please be sure to give it enough time to charge and turn on; occasionally, after a depleted battery, Pebble may take a while to wake up. We recommend charging Pebble for at least 3 hours and then trying to turn it on again by holding the Select (middle button on the right side) for 15-20 seconds. It also helps to try turning it on at least once while connected to the cable and once while it is detached.When plugging in the charger, please insert the USB end into your computer or AC adapter before connecting the other end to Pebble. Be sure to try multiple ports and outlets if Pebble does not initially indicate that it is charging, as some USB chargers (especially those with batteries built in, or those designed to charge iOS devices) will not reliably charge the Pebble, as it draws such little power.If your cable is still not connecting properly with your Pebble, please try the following:

Polish the metal charging stations on the cable and on Pebble to make sure that there is not a coating or substance preventing the magnetic connection. You can use a pencil eraser to deoxidize and polish them.
Clean all four of the contacts up with (90% or higher) rubbing alcohol.
The charging cable's contacts are spring loaded pins. Depress each of them andmake sure that they are popping back smoothly up to the same height relative to each other.

If the cleaning did not help, please Contact Support through your Pebble mobile app and we can set you up with a replacement cable. Please let us know that you have tried the troubleshooting from this page, and anything of note that may be a contributing factor. For example, are the pins or cable misaligned? Are there only certain circumstances when it doesn't work?If you believe that the cable works but your Pebble is still not turning on (ie. there is an issue with the software on the Pebble), please Contact Support through your Pebble mobile app so that our Support Team receives the data logs they need to diagnose the issue and prevent it from happening to anyone else.

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If your Apple Watch won't charge or won't turn on

When you connect your Apple Watch to its charging cable and power, a lightning bolt should appear on the screen.

If your Apple Watch with watchOS 9 or later is in Low Power Mode, the icons, time and day displayed below will all appear in yellow.

red lightning bolt (You may need to press the side button to make the watch face appear.) When your watch is charging, the red lightning bolt changes to a red lightning bolt inside a ring. If your screen is blank or thecharging cable iconappears on the screen,charge your watch

If your Apple Watch won't charge, or a message on your watch says that charging with this accessory isn't supported, try these tips:

Make sure you're using the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable that came with your Apple Watch.
Make sure you plug the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cableall the way into the USB Power Adapter, then make sure you plug the adapter all the way into a power socket.
If you use a third-party charging stand, use the charging cable that was delivered in the box with your Apple Watch.
Completely remove any plastic wrapping from both sides of the charger.
Make sure the back of your Apple Watch and the magnetic charger are clean.
Reposition the back of your Apple Watch on the charger. When the charger's magnets have aligned correctly with your Apple Watch, a green or yellow lightning bolt should appear on the watch face.*
Try a different Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable or USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable, and a different USB Power Adapter. If your Apple Watch has run out of power, you might need to wait a few minutes for the lightning bolt to appear after you start charging your device.
If your Apple Watch still wont charge,force it to restart. Press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, or until the Apple logo appears.

* If you use the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock or the Apple MagSafe Duo Charger with a larger Apple Watch model (44mm, 45mm or 49mm), you may need to adjust the charger's position. Adjust the charger to a different angle, or lay it completely flat, to make sure its magnets align with the magnets in your watch. If you have Apple Watch Ultra orlaterand it wont connect reliably with these charging devices even when theyre lying flat, try removing the watchs band before placing the watch on the charger.

If you still need help, contact Apple Support.

Published Date:April 02, 2024

Apple Watch shows its charging but doesnt charge or turn on

Just yesterday, I put my Apple Watch Series 7 on its charger like I do every day when I shower, but when I went to strap it back on, I noticed that the watch hadnt charged. In fact, it actually lost a few percentage points of its total charge.

I hadnt changed the charging setup, so I wasnt sure what was happening. My Apple Watch was on its charger, showing the lightning bolt icon, but it was not charging at all! Why is it suddenly not charging and, indeed, losing charge?

I ran through some basic troubleshooting, like making sure the charging cable was fully plugged in and cleaning the magnetic charger and the back of the watch. But after another few hours on the charger, the watch still wasnt charging.

I finally figured it out, but it took a few rounds of additional troubleshooting to get it back to fully charged. So, if youre facing a similar situation with your Apple Watch, heres what I tried and what worked for me.

Why isnt my Apple Watch charging?

There are many reasons why your Apple Watch doesnt charge, from simple things like the charging cable not being connected to a power source (or accidentally disconnected) to more complicated things like software bugs.

While you might think your watchs battery is the problem, it often isnt. And thats good news.

Replacing the watchs battery requires you to send it to Apple for service (so time-consuming), and it can be expensive (depending on whether your watch is covered under Apple Care+ or not.)

So the first thing to do, if you can, is open your watchs Settings app > Battery > Battery Health. Look at your watchs Maximum Capacity measurement.

If that is over 80 percent, your battery health is still good. If not, your watch can no longer hold a charge like it used to and needs a new battery.

For most people, that maximum capacity is over 80%, which means something else is going on and preventing their watches from properly charging.

How can I tell if my watch is charging?

When you first place your watch on its charger, you should hear a chime letting you know that the watch has made contact with the charging pad. You wont hear this chime if your watch is in silent mode.

You should also see a green, yellow, or red lightning bolt icon briefly appear on your watchs screen.

Green indicates your watch is charging and is charged sufficiently for you to remove and use it.
Yellow indicates your watch is charging while in low-power mode.
Red indicates that your watch is very low on charge, and you should not remove the watch from its charger and allow it to continue to charge.

That screen is followed by nightstand mode, where only the date, time, and the charging icon are shown on your watch screen.

Restart your watch

The first thing to try is always to restart or force restart your watch. Restarting removes any temporary files, clears the cache, and removes other software issues that might prevent your watch from charging.

We recommend you power off your watch first, and if that doesnt work, force it to restart.

To restart, take your watch off the charger and press the side button. Tap the power button at the top and then slide to power off. Then, place your watch on the charger. It should automatically turn back on.
To force restart, keep your watch on its charger. Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown and keep holding until you see the Apple Logo, then release both buttons.

Check your connections

Dont automatically jump to the conclusion that your watchs battery is dead and needs replacing!

In many cases, the reason your watch isnt charging is due to problems with the connection between the watch, the magnetic charging cable, and the power source. This is especially true if your watch suddenly stopped chargingi.e., everything was fine yesterday, and now its not charging.

The first thing to do is look at all the connections between your watch and its power source and make sure things fit securely. That includes the back of the watch, the charging pad and cable, and the charging block (if connected to a wall outlet.)

Try removing the band

Sometimes, the watch bands interfere with charging, preventing good and consistent contact between the back of the watch and the charging pad.

Remove the watch band and place just the watch on the charger. It should make good contact and snap together via the magnets. When the chargers magnets align with your Apple Watch, you see a green lightning bolt iconon your watch face.

Leave it there for at least 45 minutes to see if it starts charging your watch.

Clean the contact areas

Wipe the back of the watch and the charging pad on the magnetic charger with a microfiber cloth to ensure nothings getting in the way of the charging magnets from making contact.

Things like dirt, lint, sweat, lotion, and makeup can block and prevent the back of the watch from successfully connecting to the charging pucks magnetic contacts.

If the cloth didnt remove all the gunk, dap a little alcohol onto the cloth and rub the back of the watch gently. Always put the alcohol on the cloth and never on the watch itself.

Sometimes, people forget to remove the plastic film that covers the front and back of the magnetic chargers padcheck for that film, and if its there, remove it.

Now place your Apple Watch back on its charger and let it charge for a few minutes to see if its working

Look for problems with the charging cable

Take a look at the charging cable. If you see anything frayed or damaged, especially at the connection to the charging pad and the end plug, its best to replace the cable.

Frayed and damaged cables often cant deliver consistent power and can cause even larger problems. So dont chance it. Replace it with an Apple or an Apple-certified MFI third-party charging cable.

Try a different power source

The issue may not even be your watch or its charger. It could be the wall outlet, the power brick, or the UBC port the charging cable connects to.

So move your charging cable to a different wall outlet, use another power brick, or try another UBC port. See if your watch charges up using a different power source.

Check that your charger is getting power

Another thing that could prevent your watch from charging is using smart plugs or power strips that turn the power to those plugs off. Try plugging something else into the power brick and see if that device starts charging.

Sometimes, people, kids, pets, or even things like robot vacuums unplug things or turn power strips off.

So check that your Apple Watchs charger is plugged in and that the plugs are on and allow power to flow to your connected devices.

If no power goes to your outlets, check your circuit or fuse box for a tripped circuit.

Use or borrow another charging cable or brick

If this problem just started, its much more likely to be something with your charging cable or the brick than your watchs battery suddenly not holding a charge.

If you have another Apple Watch charging cable (or can borrow one), try that. If your watch charges, the cable is the problem. So youll need to replace it.

Similarly, it could also be the charging brick that the cable connects to. Try changing that to another and again. If the watch charges, the charging brick is bad and needs to be replaced.

Force restart your watch on its charger

If the connection between the watch and the charger seems solid, try force restarting your watch and then see if it charges.

We recommend you force restart the watch when its on the charger.

To force restart, press both the side button and Digital Crown simultaneously and keep holding both buttons down until you see the Apple logo on the watchs screen.

Charge your watch using a higher-wattage charger

If you or your household members (or co-workers) own multiple Apple products, you likely have a charging brick with a higher wattage.

So, instead of plugging your watch into a USB port or the charging brick that came with your watch (or a previous watch,) plug the cable into the charging brick that came with your iPad or MacBook.

Look for an Apple-branded or Apple MFI charging brick with wattages above 18 W.If youre unsure which Apple Power Adapter you have, check the wattage on the top or bottom of the charging brick.

And if you own an Apple Watch Series 7 and above or an Apple Watch Ultra model and use Apples USB-C charging cable, your watch offers fast charging that charges the watchs battery to 80-85% in about 45 minutes.

Turn off optimized charging

Optimized charging allows your Apple Watch to learn from your daily charging habits to improve the lifespan of your battery and reduce the wear on your battery and the time it spends fully charged.

When optimized charging is on, your watch might only charge to about 80% and delay charging past that. Apple turns on Optimized Battery Charging by default in watchOS 7 and later.

Unfortunately, it can interfere with your watchs full charging, especially if you charge it at a different time than you normally do.

So, lets try turning this feature off.

Open theSettings appon your watch.
Scroll down and tapBattery.
Scroll down and tapBattery Health.
Toggle off Optimized Battery Charging.

Once optimized charging is off, we recommend restarting (powering off, then powering back on) your watch and then seeing if it charges normally.

Is your Apple Watch still not charging?

Now, if you tried everything, including switching charging cables and outlets, restarting, turning off optimized charging, and so forth, but your watch continues not to charge, its time to reach out to Apple Watch Support.

There might be a hardware, software, or battery issue that only Apple can fix.

If you live near an Apple Store, we recommend you make an appointment at the Apple Genius Bar. If you dont have a store nearby or cannot make an appointment, contact Apple Support online.

Does your watch show a red lightning bolt when its charging?

If a red lightning bolt appears at the top of your watchs screen, your watch battery likely has a low charge level and may even be in power reserve mode.

If your Apple Watch immediately shows a red lightning bolt when you connect the watch to a charger and continues to show a small red lightning bolt, it usually means it isnt getting enough (or no power) to charge your watch, or the charger cant charge it at all.

When charging works normally, the red lightning bolt on your watchs screen should change to green or yellow (yellow indicates your watch is in low power mode.)

A red lightning bolt icon indicates that your Apple Watch is not charging.
A green or yellow lightning bolt icon indicates that your watch is charging.

Before troubleshooting, check that the charger is plugged in and getting power. Then, clean the contacts on the charging pad and the back of the watch and keep your watch charging undisturbed for at least 2-3 hours+, then check again.

If the red lightning bolt persists after a few hours, restart your watch by pressing and holding the side button to turn it off. Once off, press the side button again until you see the Apple logo on its screen.

You can also force restart your watch by pressing and holding the side button and the Digital Crown until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, one of these tips works for your Apple Watch charging problems!

For me, it was the charging cable. After trying multiple power sources, including a Mac and several different wall outlets, I determined that it must be the charging cable. To confirm, I borrowed a friends Apple Watch charger, and the watch started charging immediately.

Since I use a Series 7 with fast charging (available on Series 7 and above and Ultra), I upgraded to Apples fast USB-C charging cable and plugged it into my 30-watt iPad Pro charger. Forty-five minutes later, my watch was almost fully charged!