There are various reasons why your Apple Watch may have stopped responding, but regardless of the exact issue, the priority is always to get the watch working again.
This guide will answer the question “how to repair my Apple Watch” and cover the various problems you may need to fix in order to start enjoying your watch again.
How to Repair an Apple Watch That Isn’t Turning On
A watch that won’t turn on is as good as a burner with no electricity or gas. Fortunately, you can try a few different things to get your Apple Watch screen to turn on.
Check the Battery
Your Apple Watch might not be turning on because the battery is dead. For example, if you plug your watch into the cable and it’s not responding or charging without turning on, your battery might be dead.
Try to get another charger and connect it to your Apple watch to see if it works.
Turn Off Power Saving Mode
Sometimes, you may unknowingly put your phone in power reserve mode or set it knowingly, but you might forget to take it off.
When your phone is in this mode, it will only display the time, and you will be unable to unlock your watch. You can go to the Settings app to fix this.
Turn Off Screen Curtain
The Apple Watch has a feature called screen curtain. Your phone will be unresponsive to touch and will only display a dark screen in this mode. Mostly, you will only be able to operate your phone with your voice when it’s in screen curtain mode.
You can open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone to turn this off. Next, locate the General tab and find Accessibility. Once located, go to Voice-Over and toggle off the screen curtain on the left. This should put your phone back to a standard display.
Force Restart
A force restart can help you get your Apple watch in working condition again. First, hold down the two buttons for 10 – 15 seconds. Once the Apple logo comes on, release the buttons and wait a few seconds. After this, your watch should work smoothly.
Hardware Fault
Suppose none of the above steps work to repair your Apple Watch, that means it might be a hardware issue. Ensure you confirm your warranty coverage status before taking it to an Apple Watch Repair Service.
How to Fix a Broken Screen
It’s heartbreaking to have to repair your Apple Watch, considering the cost of a screen. Unfortunately, depending on the model of your watch, fixing a broken screen can be as expensive as the watch itself. Still, there are two ways your watch screen can break.
- Screen is broken, but you can still see the display
- Screen has dark spots or has completely gone off
If the screen breaks, but you can still see the display, this will be a cheaper fix than the latter. This is because the LCD, the most expensive component of your watch, is still intact. All you need to do is change the front glass and the digitizer.
Changing the Glass and Digitizer
This entire process needs expertise and care. First, you should loosen the damaged screen from the main body. Next, handle the screen with complete care as you detach the broken glass from the LCD. You may need to purchase technical tools for this.
After this, laminate the replacement glass to the screen and then use a water-resistant adhesive to glue the screen back to the watch pebble.
It would be best if you left this to an expert technician. However, you can learn more here.
How to Repair an Apple Watch That Isn’t Charging
If you plug in your Apple Watch and the lightning bolt comes on, but the phone refuses to charge, it’s most likely a software issue. However, if your Apple Watch doesn’t show the lightning bolt when plugged in, it’s most likely a hardware issue. So, here are some things you can try:
- Connect your charger and phone to a different outlet
- Ensure you use the magnetic charging cable and USB power adaptor that works with your phone
- Check both the watch and charger for physical damage or marks that may indicate damage
- Check if there’s any plastic wrap on the charger
- Use a clean cloth (without chemicals) to clean your charger
- Try another person’s charger to see if things change
- Disconnect your Apple Watch from the charger and force restart
If all these steps fail, you might need to pop into an Apple repair store to fix the issue. If you still have your warranty, this could be free.
Warranty
Apple Limited Warranty covers all Apple products. So, you don’t need to pay for manufacturing defects during the warranty period. The coverage may extend to screen costs or any other damaged part.
Warranty coverage differs by model, but there’s generally a one-year coverage on earlier models, while later ones have two or more. If you purchase the Applecare+ for Apple Watch, you can also extend your Apple Limited Warranty coverage by a few years.
Should I Sell My Broken Watch or Fix It?
This decision can be tough to make; however, there’s a way you can decide. First, determine the price of your Apple Watch model and subtract it from the cost of fixing it.
Final Thoughts
The question “how to repair my Apple Watch” is frequently asked. But, this might be something best left to technicians or, in some cases, you might want to forgo your watch altogether.
However, if you need your watch and plan on DIY, you can go right ahead. DIY repair for parts like the cable, battery, and digitizer LCD screen assemblies are relatively cheaper and can save you money in the long run!
