Why will my watch not turn on

How to Fix an Apple Watch That Won't Turn On

If your Apple Watch doesn't turn on, a few issues could be causing the problem. Most of them are quick.

How to Fix It When Your Apple Watch Won't Turn On

Try the following steps, in order, to get your Apple Watch working again. They should apply to all Apple Watch models and versions of watchOS.

1. Press or turn the Digital Crown. You may have some settings active that make your Apple Watch screen not activate, even when you tap the screen.

   To see if they're active, open the Watch app on your phone, and then go to Display & Brightness. Make sure Always On and Wake on Wrist Raise are both active.

2. Check the bottom of the Apple Watch to ensure there is nothing stuck to the charging pad. The Apple Watch uses induction to power up while sitting on the charging pad. Anything attached to the bottom of the watch can cause a problem.

3. Verify that the charging station is plugged into a wall outlet. Someone might unplug the charging station to use the wall outlet, and it's easy to forget to plug it back into the wall.

4. Put your Apple Watch on its charger. The main reason for an Apple Watch or any device really not to turn on is that it's out of battery power. Put your watch on its charging puck and wait a few minutes to see if it turns back on.

   If this is the problem, you should still be able to tell right away because your Apple Watch's screen will show the time and battery level in red before it has enough charge to power up.

5. Inspect the cable to ensure there are no cuts, worn-out spots, or other damage. If someone else in the household has an Apple Watch, use their watch to check that the charging station is supplying power. The watch's display should show the power icon (a lightning bolt) when it is charging.

6. Try a force-restart. Hold down the Apple Watch crown, which is the dial that spins on the side, and the small button just below the crown simultaneously.

   The watch should restart within 10 seconds, but keep both buttons down for at least 30 seconds.

7. The Apple Watch display can also be turned off via an accessibility feature called Screen Curtain. This feature is part of the VoiceOver assistance for the visually impaired. When VoiceOver is turned on, the watch is operated by sound rather than sight.

   Open the Watch app on the iPhone paired to your device, and then go to Accessibility > VoiceOver, and then tap the switch at the tip of the screen to turn off the feature.

   If you're using other VoiceOver options and just want to turn off Screen Curtain, it has its own switch farther down the screen.

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. You don't want to wait a half-hour or more for the watch to charge if that isn't the problem.

The Apple Watch may also have experienced a software issue, or you may have accidentally triggered a mode that caused the watch to go dark.

FAQ

• Why is my Apple Watch not charging?

  Your Apple Watch may not be charging due to an obstruction stopping the charger from connecting to the Watch. To fix an Apple Watch not charging, check your connections to ensure the Watch is making a solid connection to the charger. Try reseating the watch on the charger and checking your cords for damage.

• Why is my Apple Watch not updating?

  Your Apple Watch may not be updating due to a poor connection, insufficient charging, or a lack of storage space. To fix an Apple Watch not updating, check your connections and storage space. If the update won't begin, restart your Watch and its paired iPhone to force the update.

• Why is my Apple Watch not pairing to my iPhone?

  Problems with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are typical culprits when an Apple Watch won't pair to an iPhone. To fix it when your Apple Watch won't pair, ensure the Watch and iPhone aren't in Airplane Mode and that Bluetooth is turned on. Try rebooting the devices, checking your Wi-Fi connection, and clearing the iPhone's network settings.

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Apple Watch screen not waking up or turning on? How to fix it

Is your Apple Watch screen not waking up when you raise your wrist? Youre not the only one experiencing this issue. Several users have noticed that their Apple Watch screen wont wake up.

Your Apple Watch screen could not be waking up and turning on for many reasons. But dont worry, were here to help you resolve the issue. Keep reading to learn how to fix it.

Suggested reading:

Check if your Apple Watch is actually on or is using power reserve mode

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if your Apple Watch isnt waking, you should check to see if it is on. Sometimes, when your watchs battery gets too low, it may go to power reserve mode and then, once the battery is depleted, turn off completely.

If you only see the time on your screen, your watch is likely in power reserve modeusually turned on automatically to conserve power. Or you accidentally turned it on (less likely.)

To turn on your Apple Watch and turn off power reserve mode, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo pops up. When it pops up, the watch should turn on.

If the logo doesnt pop up or continue only to see the current time, you must charge your Apple Watch! Clean the back of your watch and the charger before connecting to ensure nothing prevents its magnetic connection.

Then, charge it for at least 2 hours non-interrupted, and see if the screen wakes then.

Apple recommends using your watchs original charger or an Apple-branded charger.

Just see a black screen with the Apple logo on your watch?

When your watch shows the Apple logo and appears stuck on that logo, put the watch on its original charger (or Apple-branded charger) and see if it boots up to your watch face.

First, check that the back of your Apple Watch and the magnetic charger are clean, and if not, use a microfiber cloth to remove any debris before charging.

If your watch is still stuck on that logo after trying to charge it, try force restarting it while its on the charger.

Press both the side button and the digital crown, wait for the screen to turn off, and then show the Apple logo again. Then, release both buttons and wait to see if your watch boots up.

Another option is to use the Find My app on your paired iPhone or another Apple device and try the option to Play Sound that pings your Apple Watch. This function may get your watch to resume normally.

How to wake Apple Watch

There are three ways you can wake your Apple Watch screen. You can raise your wrist, tap the watchs screen or digital crown, or turn the digital crown.

Check these settings

If your Apple Watch is on and fully charged, but the screen isnt waking up, you must check your watchs settings.

Wrist Wake setting

If your watchs screen isnt waking when you raise your wrist, you should check to see if Wrist Wake is on.

To turn this setting on, go to your Apple Watch settings. You can do this from the Apple Watch iPhone app or the Apple Watch itself.

• Open Settings and scroll down to Display & Brightness.
• Scroll down to Wake on Wrist Raise and make sure the button is lit up. If it isnt, toggle the switch to turn it on.

Orientation settings

Your Apple Watch has specific settings based on how you wear the watch! The Apple Watch has specific settings based on which wrist you wear your watch and more.

If you have changed how you wear your watch, this might be why you are having issues.

To check these settings, go to your Apple Watch settings. You can do this from the Apple Watch iPhone app or the Apple Watch itself.

• Open Settingson the watch or tap the My Watch tab in the iPhone Watch app and scroll down to General.
• Select that and then scroll down to Orientationor Watch Orientation. Then, make the changes you need to.

Theatre Mode setting

One common occurrence for many users experiencing this issue was not realizing Theatre Mode was accidentally turned on.

Theater Mode keeps yourApple Watch screen from turning on when you raise your wrist, so the screen stays dark until you turn the Digital Crown or tap or press a button. Theater mode also turns on Silent Mode andsilences your notifications.

Since Theater Mode turns your display off, this could be the reason why your Apple Watch does not wake when you raise your wrist.

1. To check if Theater Mode is on, swipe up on your Apple Watch to bring up its Control Center.
2. Look for the icon with two theater masks, theTheater Mode button.
3. If this icon is lit up, then Theater Mode is on.
4. Just tap it once to turn it off. It automatically turns off silent mode, too.

What else you can do

If all those settings are correct, there might be another issue with your Apple Watch. Follow these additional tips to troubleshoot the problem.

See if Screen Curtain is on

There is a little-known accessibility feature for the vision-disabled called screen curtain that turns off your Apple Watchs screen and keeps it off at all times when you useVoiceOver on your watch.

There is no quick way to disable Screen Curtain on your watch, so open the Watch app on your iPhone to make changes.

• Open the Watch app and choose the My Watch tab at the bottom.
• Select Accessibility.
• Select VoiceOver and toggle off Screen Curtain.

Check for Software Update

For some users, this issue was a bug from an older version of iOS. So, if you are still experiencing this issue, your best bet is to check to see if your Apple Watch needs an update.

1. To check on your Apple Watch, tap on the Settings app.
2. Then scroll down toGeneralandtap it.
3. Then selectSoftwareUpdate.If an update is available, connect your watch to WiFi for the fastest way to update your watch, then choose to update your watch.

You can also update your Apple Watch from your iPhone. Open your Watch app and click on General, then select Software Update. If an update is available, go ahead and proceed.

Restart your Apple Watch

Whenever you experience any glitch, sometimes restarting your devices can do the trick.

• To restart your Apple Watch, hold the side button, tap the power button at the top, and slide the power off button.
• To restart your iPhone, press and hold one of the volume buttons and the side power button until the power off slider appears.

When restarting your Apple Watch or iPhone, you should turn your device off for a minute or two and then turn it back on.

After restarting your devices, try to see if your Apple Watch wakes when you raise your wrist.

Hard restart your Apple Watch (forced restart)

If a restart doesnt work, try to force your Apple Watch to restartcalled a hard restart.

Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown simultaneously and maintain this hold until the Apple Logo appears on your watchs screen.

This process usually takes about 15 seconds but could be as long as 20 seconds (and maybe even more.)

Turn on the Always On setting

If you constantly check your watch and wake up its screen, you might benefit from turning on the Always On setting for your Apple Watch. This setting always shows you the time on your Apple Watch.

To turn this setting on, go to your Apple Watch settings. You can do this from the Apple Watch iPhone app or the Apple Watch itself.

• Open Settings and scroll down to Display & Brightness.
• Scroll down to Always On. Toggle the switch to turn it on. You can also adjust the settings for Complications, Notifications, and Appsthat show data when your wrist is down.

Change Wake Duration

If it seems like your watch is going to sleep constantly, then you should try changing your watchs wake duration.

To turn this setting on, go to your Apple Watch settings. You can do this from the Apple Watch iPhone app or the Apple Watch itself.

• Open Settings and scroll down to Display & Brightness.
• Scroll down to Wake Duration and select it. You can choose from either 15 seconds or 70 seconds.

Final thoughts

If the issue still persists, report the bug to Apple so they are aware of the problem or schedule an online or in-person appointment with Apple Support.

You can also call Apple Support. See a list of Apple phone numbers for locations worldwide viaContact Apple for support and service.

Some users also mentioned that when they disabled Wake on Wrist raise, it helped improve their Apple Watchs battery life.

Have another suggestion on how to fix this issue? Let us know!