Your Apple Watch is functioning correctly except for a tiny detail: Its touch screen is not working. You’ll still be able to view the time on your Apple Watch, but you won’t be able to do much else with your device.
If you think that your Apple Watch might have a problem with its screen, try to force-restart, resync, and update it. If these steps don’t work for you or if there are other problems as well, then contact Apple Support.
This guide will show you how to troubleshoot, fix, and calibrate your Apple Watch’s touch screen. You’ll learn how to reboot your Apple Watch, update its software, etc. So let’s get started.
Why is Your Apple Watch Touch Screen Not Working?
When you set up your first Apple Watch, you enabled the device to pair with your iPhone. This means that the watch is constantly looking for a signal from your phone, even when you’re not using it. Suppose you’re not receiving any signals or getting very intermittent signals. In that case, the watch will go into “airplane mode” to save power.
If you’re experiencing this issue, the first thing to try is disconnecting your phone from the watch and connecting it again. This will force the watch to refresh its connection and re-establish the connection. If you’re still experiencing issues, try these other steps.
Fix an Unresponsive Apple Watch Touch Screen
If the Apple Watch screen is black, you can try the following quick steps to fix an unresponsive Apple Watch screen:
- First, try switching the Apple Watch to Airplane mode. This will force it to shut off all wireless features, including the screen.
- Next, try restarting your Apple Watch. You can do this by holding down the Digital Crown for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears, then waiting for it to reboot.
- Finally, try charging your Apple Watch. If you haven’t used it in days, it may be running out of battery and unable to sync with your iPhone.
- And if the touch screen is still not working? Try these tips:
Force-Restart The Watch
If your Apple Watch is unresponsive, unplugging and reinserting the charging cable may help the device respond again. If that fails, you can try force-restarting the Apple Watch.
Press and hold the side button and Digital Crown simultaneously for about 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears to force-restart the watch. You can now wait for the watch to restart, which may take 10 minutes. While it’s restarting, try switching to other apps and then back to the Watch app. This may help to identify the issue.
Resync Your Apple Watch
One strategy for fixing an Apple Watch showing the black screen is to unpair it with your iPhone, then connect and repair it again. Restoring the watch will be time-consuming but may fix this specific issue. Alternatively, you might reset it entirely or avoid restoring from a backup altogether – if there’s any problem with the backup, you’ll only replicate an earlier error.
One issue is if you’ve changed your iCloud password on your iPhone, this will prevent the Apple Watch from syncing with the new account. You can try resetting your iCloud password on your phone to fix this or connecting your watch to a computer to sync it.
Update Your Apple Watch
If your Apple Watch’s touch screen is still unresponsive, it’s worth updating its software. If you have an iPhone running the latest software, you can download the update through the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
Once the update is installed, go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and select the My Watch tab. Then select General and make sure the box next to Software Update is checked.
Contact Apple Support
If none of the above steps fix your Apple Watch’s touch screen, you can try contacting Apple Support. Ensure you have the model number and your device’s serial number handy when you speak with an Apple Support representative. You can also try posting on the Apple Support Communities.
How to Force-Reset Your Apple Watch if the Touch Screen is Not Working
If the screen on your Apple Watch is unresponsive, but you have access to a lightning port, you can try resetting it.
Follow these steps to factory reset your watch:
- Connect your watch to a lightning port on your computer.
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Select the watch from the list, then select General > Resets and wipe.
Conclusion
Your Apple Watch is a highly advanced device, but it’s also just a watch. The touch screen doesn’t always have to be responsive. Maybe you’ve downloaded the wrong watchOS software version, or maybe you’ve inadvertently disabled Touch ID, or maybe you have not charged your watch correctly.
Whatever the reason, our above guide should help you fix Apple Watch’s touch screen if it’s not working.