While it is common that electronic devices come across issues, for me – the most frustrating are the scenarios where you need the device the most, and it refuses to charge especially one that I need to track my day-to-day activities like my Apple Watch.
The amount of times I have put my Apple Watch on charge and forgotten to turn on the switch is embarrassing.
However, there were a few unfortunate times when my watch had been placed on the charger and it didn’t charge. I have here a few reasons why this happens and what helped me fix my Apple Watch when it was not charging.
Reasons why the Apple Watch is not charging
- The charging cable could not be attached properly, which prevented the watch from charging correctly. Apple Watch has a magnetic charger that snaps onto the watch as soon as you place it on, make sure the charger and the cable are connected properly to the power source.
- If you wear your watch often, dust can collect on the base and hinder the charging process.
- The charging cable might have become worn out and faulty.
- The adapter may not be functioning properly.
- A firmware crash or a hardware malfunction could lead to your watch not responding to the charger.
- If the watch has been physically damaged or exposed to water or extreme temperatures. Exposure to direct sunlight can cause overheating, which leads to the watch not functioning properly. Keep the watch in a cooler environment and wait till it’s back to a normal temperature before placing it on the charger again.
- Battery health can decrease over time, leading to charging issues.
7 fixes for your Apple Watch not charging
- Check for protective covers
If your Apple Watch is new, check for protective covers on the back of the Apple Watch and the magnetic charger. Make sure to remove the protective plastic cover from the sides of the charger, as I have found these could prevent the watch from charging properly.
- Clean your watch and charging pad
With constant use and exposure to the watch in outdoor environments such as on hikes, dirt and debris can get stuck to the base of the watch and prevent it from making proper contact with the charger.
Using a damp soft cloth or alcohol pad to clean the watch as well as the charging pad and immediately drying it off with a dry soft cloth helps prevent dirt from getting clogged.
- Check for proper cables and adapter
See if the cable has frayed or not working. Check the cable and the adapter separately with other devices to see if there’s a fault in any of these individually, and check their connection again.
- Restart or force restart your watch
In case all your connections and cables are working fine, the watch and charging pad are clean, and it still doesn’t start charging, restart your watch and put it back on charge. If it still doesn’t work, force restart your Apple Watch by holding down both– the side button and the Digital Crown for a count of 10 seconds till the Apple logo shows up. This is the quickest way I have found that reboots my watch and is mostly just the right thing to restart the charging process.
- Update your software
There are often glitches in software, and because of this, I suggest updating it regularly to keep it bug-free and keep the device working smoothly. To check for any software updates,
Open the Watch app on your iPhone > General > Software Update
- Replace the battery
If the watch is old, the battery’s health can be affected over time. To check the battery health of your Watch, head to
Settings > Battery > Battery health
If the battery health is severely low, get it replaced with a genuine battery.
- Get in touch with Apple support
Even if, after following all the steps mentioned above, your Apple Watch refuses to charge, there might be a defect in its hardware. Get in touch with Apple support or take your watch to the nearest Apple care center.
Note: Some people have mentioned that when the Optimized Charging is turned on, their watch doesn’t charge above 80%, but I have this setting enabled in my Apple Watch, and mine charges to 100%. It might be the case for certain models or certain software versions, but I haven’t found it true in my case.
Wrap Up
I relate to anyone who owns a health and fitness tracker, always keeping their devices charged to get the most out of it. Sadly, instances where they die on you and decide not to power up again are more common than not. But it is nothing a quick read of the article above wouldn’t solve.
I hope I’m able to solve this issue for you in case you were wondering why your Apple Watch is not charging. If not, I’ve always found Apple support to be my last resort. If you’ve ever had this issue before and something that I missed out on worked for you, let me know in the comments below.
