What to do if your Apple Watch won't turn on
A smartwatch can make answering calls and texts convenient. But if your Apple Watch® won't turn on, it's useless. Don't worry, there are several ways to fix this problem. We'll show you how.
Here at Asurion, we help people with their tech every day. From an iPhone® that won't update to an iPad® that won't connect to Wi-Fi, we make sure to get the devices you rely on back up and running fast. Here's how to fix an Apple Watch that's not turning on.
Turn off Power Reserve mode
Your Apple Watch may be in Power Reserve mode, which helps preserve battery life by limiting all watch functions except for showing you the time.
To get your Apple Watch out of Power Reserve mode, press and hold the Side button until the Apple® logo appears. Then wait for your watch to restart.
Turn off Screen Curtain
Screen Curtain is a feature that turns off the screen on your iPhone, iPad, Mac®, or Apple Watch when you have VoiceOver enabled. Here's how to turn it off and see if that's why your Apple Watch won't turn on.
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap the My Watch tab.
- Tap Accessibility > VoiceOver, then turn Screen Curtain off.
Check your charging cable
If you don't see a green lightning bolt when your watch is charging, you may have an issue with your charger. Check to see if your charging cable is plugged into the USB power adapter, if your adapter is securely connected to a power outlet, and if your watch is properly on the charger.
Make sure you're using the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable or the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable that came with your device. Also, don't forget to remove any plastic wrap from both sides of the charger.
Test other chargers
Still having trouble? Try using a different stand, cord, or adapter to see if that solves the problem.
Force restart your Apple Watch
If you've tried the above steps and your Apple Watch still won't turn on, you may need to try a force restart. Here's how:
- Press and hold the circular Digital Crown and the Side button at the same time for 10-15 seconds.
- When you see the Apple logo, let go of the buttons and wait for your watch to turn on.
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