My Apple Watch won't turn on or charge

My Apple watch won't turn on, apparently there is some charge as when I press the side button and small microphone icon appears. How do I get it to turn on or charge?

Symptom: Won’t charge. (Tried EVERY other suggestion.) Pressing crown: red lightening bolt, green digital time to the right (enough battery to display those.)

Solution: Battery must be drained to dead. i.e. pressing crown displays nothing. Note: this could take a long time to drain as there’s no way of knowing how much power is ‘actually’ remaining, as I believe this is some edge condition that is HW or SW related (or both) which is why all other ‘duh’ suggestions don’t work. I kept my watch in glove compartment in car in (above freezing temps) for a week before the battery was truly dead (pressing crown: nothing.) Upon placing watch on charger, it immediately displayed the green charging symbol. I let it charge fully, and Bob’s your uncle.

Summary: Drain battery dead. Voila.

I’m a retired senior QA engineer from Apple, and I understand the ‘duh’ suggestions, but this is the only way to actually fix this weird state which I think is more common than anyone wants to admit.

It’s a Festivus miracle! You’re welcome.

-Bob

[Edited by Moderator]

I've got same issue yesterday with my Apple Watch 7. Went to Apple authorised service and after 30 min diagnostics that watch don't charge and don't turn on, they said that can only offer paid replacement. Apple support confirmed this.

Watch is only 2 years old. And has no physical damage.

I just don't get how such official unrepairability aligns with going green and all other eco-friendly activities of Apple.

I definitely know replacing of battery is not big deal from technical perspective. Even if you want to maintain same level of water/dust protection.

If you have left the Watch on charge for at least 15 minutes and then tried a forced restart using the instructions in the article linked to above and nothing happens, it's probably time to contact Apple:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

If your Apple Watch is not charging or turning on, there are several troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve the issue. Here's what you can do:

1. Check the charger and cable: Ensure that you are using the official Apple Watch charger and cable. Make sure they are securely connected to both the charger and a power source. Try using a different outlet or USB port to eliminate the possibility of a power issue.
2. Clean the charging contacts: Inspect the charging contacts on the back of your Apple Watch and the charger for any debris, dirt, or residue. Gently wipe them with a clean, lint-free cloth. Ensure that the charging contacts are not damaged or bent.
3. Restart your Apple Watch: Press and hold the side button (not the Digital Crown) until the power off slider appears. Slide it to turn off the watch. After a few seconds, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo appears, indicating that your watch is restarting.
4. Force restart your Apple Watch: If a regular restart doesn't work, try a force restart. Press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown simultaneously for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Release the buttons and allow your watch to restart.
5. Verify the battery level: Connect your Apple Watch to the charger and wait for a few minutes. If the battery is completely drained, it may take some time for the charging icon to appear. If it doesn't show any signs of charging after 30 minutes, proceed to the next step.
6. Contact Apple Support: If none of the above steps resolve the issue and your Apple Watch still won't charge or turn on, it's best to contact Apple Support or visit an authorized service provider for further assistance. They can provide additional troubleshooting steps or assess if there is a hardware issue that needs repair.

Remember to ensure that your Apple Watch and charger are not physically damaged, and that you have the latest software updates installed on your iPhone and Apple Watch.

Hey Bob,

I had a question my apple watch series 7 all off a sudden is displaying the watch charger on the screen. It was charged too but idk why it happened.

Could you help guide me on the same

[Edited by Moderator]

Me too. Woke up this morning and watch had not charged up. Just digital time and red charging symbol. Clearly something weird is going on.... I'll try the complete battery drain route and hope......

Mine just started the same thing. Only enough charge to display the red lightning bolt and time for a moment. Won’t force restart and won’t charge. I’m going to try draining it as well while I revert to my old Apple Watch and wait for the miracle. Fingers crossed!

My Apple Watch is not charging my charger is clean and I press both buttons and nothing. Theirs something wrong with Apple Watches

Hello Bob,

I hope you're still monitoring this forum message. I've run into the exact same problem. My watch suddenly stopped charging and the battery is near dead...although it's not completely dead as you recommend. I plan to wait another week to hopefully see nothing when I press the crown or flat button on the watch. Wish me luck!

It takes about a week for the battery to completely drain. To speed it up, I try hard reboots two or three times a day. Eventually the battery will empty.

My Apple Watch 6 had the same issue and, following a recommendation in this forum, I left it for a few days, trying every so often to reboot it. After about 4-5 days it suddenly rebooted and returned to normal. Interestingly it showed 13% battery life on rebooting but battery capacity was down to 71% (I've used in a lot in GPS mode over the 4 years I've had it to track exercise etc.). It seems to be back to normal .... 🤞 but I suppose I should get the battery changed.

So I waited over a week for my watch to finally completely drain its battery, and now I have a paperweight. For an entire week every time I pushed the crown, I would see a red lightning bolt and a display of the time after three seconds. Now I get nothing at all, and I’ve had it on the charger for 30 minutes. Out of warranty so I’m out of luck.