Troubleshooting The Apple Watch: Common Problems And Solutions

Amica Graber November 7th, 2016

Troubleshooting The Apple Watch

1. How To Reset An Apple Watch Without A Passcode

2. I Can’t Pair My Apple Watch And iPhone

3. Activation Lock

4. How To Remove An Activation Lock From Apple Watch

5. Apple Watch Not Charging

6. Apple Watch Red Exclamation Mark

7. Apple Watch Crashing And Freezing

How To Reset An Apple Watch Without A Passcode

Whether you’ve forgotten your passcode or your screen just isn’t responding, try the steps below. For more details, check out our full article about resetting the Apple Watch.

1. Hold down the Digital Crown and the side button

2. Keep holding down these buttons for 10 seconds, or until the screen goes black and the Apple logo pops back up

3. Let go of the buttons

I Can’t Pair My Apple Watch And iPhone

You can read our existing article about how to easily set up an Apple Watch. But what if you’re holding your phone over the animation displayed on the Apple Watch and it refuses to pair? Try this:

1. Follow the instructions above for resetting the Apple Watch

2. Turn your iPhone off and on again

3. Try pairing again

Activation Lock

So you’ve managed to pair your watch successfully with your iPhone, but now you’re getting this screen:

This means that your Apple Watch has been previously paired with another user’s iCloud account. If you’ve bought it new, return it to the store. Otherwise, follow these steps:

How To Remove An Activation Lock From Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has an Activation Lock in place, you need to contact the original owner. If you were gifted an Apple Watch Series 2 by a friend or family member, it’s easy for them to turn off the activation lock by following these simple steps:

If your Apple Watch has an Activation Lock in place, you need to contact the original owner. If you were gifted an Apple Watch Series 2 by a friend or family member, it’s easy for them to turn off the activation lock by following these simple steps:

1. Place your Apple Watch next to your iPhone

2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap “My Watch”

3. Tap on the name of your watch at the top of the screen, and then tap the “i” button

4. Hit “Unpair Apple Watch”

5. Enter your Apple ID password

6. Confirm by tapping again

You can send the following instructions to the seller in an email:

1. Login to your iCloud.com account and sign in using your Apple ID

2. Click on “Find My iPhone”

3. Select “All Devices” and then click on “Apple Watch”

4. Click “Erase Apple Watch”

5. Select “Next” until you’ve erased your Apple Watch

6. Click the “X” next to your Apple Watch to remove it from iCloud

If you can’t locate your seller, you’re out of luck. The original owner is the only one who can reset the Activation Lock. You can visit an Apple store to see if they can determine whether or not it was stolen, and if you’ve used a website like eBay, you can file a claim against the seller.

Apple Watch Not Charging

Users — including myself — have been greeted by a message on the Apple Watch reading “Charging with this accessory is not supported by Apple Watch.” Before you take your Apple Watch to a genius bar, try these troubleshooting tips:

• Make sure the protective film is removed from the battery face. This can prevent your device from charging

• Try charging the Apple Watch with a wall charger, instead of a USB port

• Reset the Apple Watch by holding down the digital crown and side button as listed in the first paragraph of this article

Apple Watch Red Exclamation Mark

This is the Apple Watch’s custom version of the dreaded spinning wheel of death. In most cases, a standard reset is enough to reboot the Apple Watch. But if the red exclamation point persists, swing by your local Genius Bar. You may have a defective model.

My Apple Watch Keeps Crashing And Freezing

If your Apple Watch repeatedly freezes, crashes, or lags, make sure you have all the latest software updates installed. Like other Apple products, the Apple Watch performs best when it’s fully up-to-date.