As an Apple Watch owner, I know firsthand the frustration of not knowing if your battery is dead. I recently had this same issue, so I did some research and testing to determine the signs that a battery is dead. In this blog post, I’m here to share how I solved this problem, as well as other solutions I discovered. So if you’re having problems with your Apple Watch battery, keep reading to learn how to tell if your battery is dead.
You can tell that your Apple Watch battery is dead if the screen goes black and doesn’t respond to pressing the side button, but turns back on when you connect it to a charger. You can also check the watch’s battery level from your iPhone. Other than that, the issue may be related to a different component apart from the battery.
| Signs & Issues | Description | Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Battery | Screen goes black and doesn’t respond to power button, turns on when connected to charger | Charge the battery and ensure everything is properly connected |
| iPhone Battery Indicator | Check the Apple Watch battery life from your iPhone | Add a battery widget to your iPhone’s Home screen or Today View |
| Faulty Charger or Cable | Apple Watch not charging or displaying a charging indicator | Use a different charger or cable, replace if necessary |
| Apple Watch is Stuck | Watch freezes with a black screen | Reboot by pressing and holding the side button and Digital Crown for 10 seconds |
| Theater Mode or Power Reserve On | Watch features limited, appears switched off | Turn off Theater Mode in Control Center or turn off Power Reserve by holding the side button |
Table of Contents
How to Know if Apple Watch Battery Is Dead
If your Apple Watch isn’t working, the most common reason is that the battery is dead.
But what if the real culprit behind turning off is the battery’s charge? Well, first you need to make sure.
Here’s how to know that your Apple Watch stopped working because of a dead battery:
The Screen Goes Black and Doesn’t Respond When You Press the Power Button
First of all, if your Apple Watch runs out of charge, the screen will go black. Once this happens, you may try to press the power button to boot it back up.
If there’s a tiny bit of charge left, the screen may display a low battery indicator for a few seconds and then go black again. If the battery is completely dead, nothing will happen at all.
Any other response may indicate an issue besides an empty battery.
It Boots up When the Charger Is Connected
If your Apple Watch isn’t working but turns on when you connect it to the charger, this means that the problem was indeed a dead battery. If this doesn’t happen, then you should look into other possible issues.
Read more: Does Apple Watch use a sim card?
Your iPhone Tells You So
You can check the battery life of your Apple Watch using your iPhone. All you need to do is add a widget to your Home screen. Here’s how:
- Long-tap any spot on your Home screen.
- Wait for a “+” icon to appear in the upper right corner of the screen and then tap it.
- Locate the Search bar and then type in “batteries”.
- You should see the widget come up.
- Tap the widget, press “Add Widget”, and then tap “Done”.
Alternatively, try the following steps:
- Swipe right on your Home screen to access the “Today View”.
- Long- tap on the display.
- Press the “Edit Home Screen” option.
- Tap the “+” icon.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 mentioned above.
Other Reasons Your Apple Watch Isn’t Turning On
If your Apple Watch battery isn’t dead, there are a few other reasons it may not turn on as follows:
Your Charger or Cable Is Faulty
You can check this by using a different charger or cable. If the watch displays a charging indicator when it didn’t before, then the problem is probably your charger or cable.
This is particularly common in worn-out original charges/cables and third-party chargers/cables.
Read more: Can you leave an Apple Watch on the charger overnight?
Your Apple Watch is Stuck
Sometimes an Apple Watch will freeze while displaying a black screen. This usually happens if you use a glitchy app or your watchOS needs an update.
You Turned on Theater Mode or Power Reserve
If you turn on Theater Mode or Power Reserve, the features of the Apple Watch get limited to the point that it may seem switched off.
However, in this case, simply pressing the side button will wake up your device and show you that the battery isn’t dead.
How to Get Your Apple Watch to Work Again
If the issue you’re facing is one of those discussed above, the following solutions can help you get your Apple Watch to work again:
- Charge your battery and make sure everything is plugged in and connected properly.
- Replace your faulty charger and/or cable.
- Reboot your Apple Watch by pressing and holding the side button and Digital Crown at the same time for at least 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears.
- Update to the latest available version of watchOS.
- Switch off Theater Mode by accessing the Control Center and then tapping the Theater Mode icon.
- Switch off Power Reserve by pressing and holding the side button until the Apple logo pops up. Then, wait for the watch to restart.
Wrap Up
So, how to tell if the Apple Watch battery is dead?
If the screen goes black and doesn’t respond to pressing/holding the side button, but turns back on when you connect it to a charger, then the battery is out of charge. You can also check the watch’s battery life from your iPhone.
Other reasons your Apple Watch may not be working include a faulty charge/cable, a frozen black screen, or Power Reserve/Theater Mode.
