Why will my watch not turn on width

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 17, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Is your Apple Watch not waking on wrist raise? Lets fix it

One thing I love about my Apple Watch is that the screen lights up and is ready for my input when I raise my wrist to look at the watch. And then, when Im done with the watch and lower my arm, the watchs screen automatically shuts off and sleeps. This nifty feature is called the screen wake on the Apple Watch.

Unfortunately, not everyones watch does this waking and sleeping consistently when they raise or lower their wrist.

For some,the screen wakes when raised but doesnt automatically shut off (sleep) when lowered.
For others, the screen doesnt wake up until they tap their screens.
And some people see that their watchs screen wakes up but then goes black before they get a chance to interact with their watches.

Is your Apple Watch not waking when you raise your wrist or having some issues when waking or sleeping? Youre not alone.Many users experience this same issue.

Luckily, we have the fix. Keep reading to learn more.

In a hurry?

Dont have a lot of time? Then, check out our top recommended tips.

Check if you watch is in theater mode and if so, turn it off.
Make sure you turn on the wake settings for wake on wrist raise and crown up or crown rotation.
Change your wake duration to 70 seconds.

Wake up your watch!

To make changes, we recommend you wake up your watch first and then update its settings either on the watch itself or using the Watch app on your iPhone.

If your screen is asleep, try tapping the screen to wake it up. If that doesnt do the trick, push in the Digital Crown, and your watchs screen should light up.

A quick tip: check if theater mode is on! If so, turn it off. See how in the section Make sure Theatre is off below

How to turn on Wake on Wrist Raise

First things first, lets make sure that you turn on the Wake on Wrist Raise setting for your Apple Watch. Even if you turned on the setting, toggling them off and back on often helps get the feature working again!

You can check this setting directly on your Apple Watch or in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

From your Apple Watch

On your Apple Watch, open the Settings app.
Scroll down to Display & Brightness, and tap it.
In the Display & Brightness tab, scroll down to the Wake section.
Make sure that Wake on Wrist Raise is on. If it is on, the button is green.If it is not, tap the button to turn it on.
1. If you already have these features on, try toggling it off and back on to refresh its settings.
Also, in this section, you can change your Apple Watchs wake duration time. You can choose between two options, either 15 seconds or 70 seconds.
To do so, tap on Wake Duration. Then select the option you prefer.

If your watch goes dark before you get a chance to interact with it, we recommend choosing 70 secondsthat should give you plenty of time!

From your iPhone

On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app. Make sure you are in the My Watch tab.
Select Display & Brightness.
There you should see the Wake section. Make sure that Wake on Wrist Raise is on. If it is on, the button is green.If it is not on, tap the button to turn it on.
1. If you already have these features on, try toggling it off and back on to refresh its settings.
You can also change your Apple Watchs wake duration time from here.To do so, tap on Wake Duration. You can choose between two options, either 15 seconds or 70 seconds. Select which one you prefer.

If your watch screen falls asleep before you get a chance to interact with it, we recommend choosing 70 seconds.

If all those settings are correct, and your Apple Watch is still not waking when you raise your wrist, then here are some additional fixes that helped other users resolve the issue.

A tip for your watchs wake settings

If all the settings were correct, but your watchs screen still isnt waking as it should, try these steps.

Open the Settings app on your watch and choose Display & Brightness.
Scroll down to the Wake options.
Turn off both the Wake Screen on Wrist Raise and Wake on Crown Up.
Restart your watch or close the Settings app.
1. To close the Settings app, double press the Digital Crown (for older watchOS versions, press and release the side button once.) Scroll through the open apps. Stop on the Settings app and swipe it from right to left. Tap the X to close the app.
Open theSettings app again.
Turn on both the Wake Screen on Wrist Raise and Wake on Crown Up.
Put your Apple Watch on (if it was off your arm) and test if screen wake now works.

After doing these steps, most people find that their watchs wake and sleep settings usually work!

Make sure Theater Mode is off

Did you know that your Apple Watch has a Theater Mode setting? This setting is a modified do not disturb setting, meant for times when your watchs screen might disturb you or others, like when watching a movie or Broadway show in a theater.

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 is not waking when you raise your wrist.

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

Update iPhone and Apple Watch

Glitches can happen when your devices are not up to date. So check and see if your devices installed the latest software update.

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

Charge your Apple Watch

Another reason why your Apple Watch may not be waking when you raise your wrist is that your Apple Watch battery is either low or dead!

When an Apple Watch has a low battery level, it can go into Power Reserve Mode. Unlike low power mode, you cannot do much with your Apple Watch when in this setting.

Power Reserve mode disables pretty much all of the Apple Watchs features. It only shows the time when you need it, so it turns your Apple Watch into just awatch that tells you the time.

Check if you accidentally turned on Power Reserve by pressing and holding the side button until you see the Apple Logo. The watch reboots, and if the battery has a sufficient charge, it shows your normal watch face.

If you cant exit Power Reserve Mode, try charging your Apple Watch and see if that works!

Restart your iPhone and Apple Watch

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

To restart your Apple Watch, hold down the side button 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 and see if your Apple Watch wakes when you raise your wrist.

Hard restart your Apple Watch (forced restart)

If a restart didnt 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.)

Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch

If youre still having issues, you should try unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone and then pair it again.

To unpair your Apple Watch, go to the Watch app and select All Watches.Tap on the i information icon next to your watch.Then you need to click on Unpair Apple Watch. After that, youre going to want to pair it with your iPhone again.

While this trick does work, it is also just a temporary fix. Sometimes the issue can reoccur.

Final thoughts

There you have it! These solutions worked for many other Apple Watch users, and we hope they also worked for you.

If you have any other additional tips or questions, feel free to let us know.

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.

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.

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

To check if Theater Mode is on, swipe up on your Apple Watch to bring up its Control Center.
Look for the icon with two theater masks, theTheater Mode button.
If this icon is lit up, then Theater Mode is on.
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.

To check on your Apple Watch, tap on the Settings app.
Then scroll down toGeneralandtap it.
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

In watchOS9 and above, theres a new power button. For earlier watchOS version, look for the slide to power off function.

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!