My Apple Watch Face Is Black! Here’s The Fix.

You’re trying to use your Apple Watch, but the screen won’t turn on. No matter what you try, the watch face is black and unresponsive. In this article, I’ll explain what to do when your Apple Watch face is black!

Charge Your Apple Watch

A common reason why an Apple Watch face becomes black and unresponsive is that the Watch isn’t charged. Try placing your Apple Watch on its charger to see if it comes back to life.

how to charge apple watch

Hard Reset Your Apple Watch

It’s possible the software on your Apple Watch has crashed. If this is the case, your Watch may appear to be turned off, even though it’s still on. A hard reset will force your Apple Watch to abruptly turn off and back on, which can get it unstuck if the software has crashed.

Simultaneously press and hold the digital crown and side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen. You may have to hold both buttons for 25–30 seconds before the Apple logo appears, so be patient and don’t give up!

While a hard reset may get your Apple Watch unstuck, it doesn’t actually fix the problem that caused the software crash in the first place. Even if a hard reset fixed the black screen issue on your Apple Watch, keep following the steps below!

Turn Off VoiceOver and Screen Curtain

Both VoiceOver and Screen Curtain can make your Apple Watch’s display appear black when they’re turned on. Turning these settings off can often fix the problem when your Apple Watch face is black!

Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap Accessibility -> VoiceOver. Make sure the switch next to VoiceOver is off. Then, scroll down the page and make sure the switch next to Screen Curtain is off.

turn off voiceover and screen curtain on apple watch

Update WatchOS

WatchOS updates can fix software bugs as well as introduce new features. Making sure your Apple Watch is up to date can help keep it running smoothly.

Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap General -> Software Update to check if a watchOS update is available. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if an update is available.

update watchos on apple watch

Erase All Content And Settings

Erasing All Content and Settings on your Apple Watch is the last step you can take to rule out a software problem. This step erases everything on your Apple Watch, reverting it to the state it comes in out of the box. Make sure to back up your Apple Watch if you haven’t already.

Once your Apple Watch is backed up, disconnect it from your iPhone. Keeping your iPhone and Apple Watch within close proximity of each other, open the Watch App on your iPhone and tap the My Watch tab.

Tap All Watches in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, then tap the Information button to the right of the Watch you want to erase. Finally, tap Unpair Apple Watch. If you have an Apple Watch with GPS and Cellular, you may also need to choose whether or not you want to keep your cellular data plan. For most people, the answer is yes!

unpair apple watch from iphone in watch app

Contact Apple Support

If your Apple Watch face is still black, it’s time to contact Apple support. There may be a hardware issue that needs to get fixed. Apple provides support over the phone, through mail, online, and in-person. Make sure to schedule an appointment if you plan on heading into your local Apple Store for help.

Watch Face: Fixed!

Now you know what to do when your Apple Watch face is black. I hope that this article was helpful for you. If you have any other questions about your Apple Watch, please leave a comment down below!

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Jack Mc
1 day ago

Thank you for you very helpful and simple step by step instructions!

alvo
1 year ago

My issue turned out an even simpler fix. Somehow Theater Mode got turned on. One tap and it’s back to normal.

John Cox
1 year ago
Reply to  alvo

Thanks for the tip. This resolved my black screen!!

Steve Hall
1 year ago
Reply to  alvo

Yep, Theater mode is what was causing my issue as well…

Kubesame
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Hall

How to turn off Theater mode when you have a black screen

Dana McManus
11 months ago
Reply to  alvo

theatre mode that was the problem thanks Alvo

Kelly Price
1 year ago

My watch is at black face and keep getting message on phone screen – cannot connect to Apple WatchI I can feel the little haptic issues and dings – But I have volume turned off as I am a teacher. NOTHING onscreen and I am just sunk!

Peter
2 years ago

Hi
Tried all of these fixes including contacting Apple . The watch is a series 4 and after a complete reset comes back to life only to start failing again after about a day . Screen flashes both white and green before going black. Apple quote to repair was the price of a new watch. Very disappointing .

Benita Williams
2 years ago

My screen is black but is making noises , called apple support and they dud nothing

Tiffany
2 years ago

I’ve done all these things and nothing seems to be working. My watch will work for a few minutes and then it just shuts off.

William Cherry
2 years ago
Reply to  Tiffany

This is the same for me. I have the series 3 and a little less than a year ago, it started doing what you’re saying. Work for a few minutes(sometimes a half hour) and then shut off. Once it’s shut itself off, it’s impossible to get it to start back up. Every method listed on here doesn’t work. So I would put it on the charger when it starts doing that and sometimes after a few hours, it’ll turn itself on. After a while, it stopped coming on at all and that’s when I gave up completely. I put it… Read more »