iFixit - Answers With Device "Apple Watch"

Apple Watch: Why my watch is pulsating

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 14:07:12 -0700

why my watch is pulsing all the time

⟐ Commented July 15, 2025 at 14:07 MST

Apple Watch: Screen will not respond after adhesive replacement

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 20:30:04 -0700

I replaced the adhesive on my Apple Watch screen and my touch screen stopped responding. I did several hard resets, which did not work. I removed the screen to check the connections, and the force sensor come off so I replaced the adhesive under the force sensor as well. Everything appears fine with the connections and the watch runs normally but the touch screen will not respond. I unpaired and erased the watch and that didn’t fix it either. I’ve replaced the adhesive in the past without unplugging the screen and taking it off the watch with no issues. This time I detached the display and digitizer cables per the instructions and now the screen Isn’t responding. Help!

⟐ Answered November 16, 2022 at 20:30 MST

Apple Watch: replaced Battery screen turned on and is now black and will not work

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:28:42 -0700

I have an original Apple Watch and a Gen 1. I purchased a new sapphire screen, and battery kit. I replaced the battery, and turned on the watch and the battery would not hold a charge but the screen was working fine. Ifixit was so good that they sent me a new battery. I also replaced the pressure sensor so had to remove the screen and the battery. however when I put it back together, the screen would never turn on, and when I charged it. it got so hot that I could barely hold the watch in my hand. I tried to hard boot it by pushing both buttons and still will not turn on. NOTE: I did not peel off the tape on the pressure sensor yet, to close the screen since I do not want to do that until it is working. NOTE: the very same thing happened on my Gen 1 Apple Watch, after I changed the battery. what could be the issue?

⟐ Edited by author August 29, 2022 at 7:28 MST

Apple Watch: Battery percentage issue in software

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 17:47:58 -0700

After replacing the battery, Apple Watch only charges to around 13 to 25 percent. It can go as low as 0% but it is still possible to use. Is it possible to fix this issue?

Apple Watch: Strange charging issue after battery replacement

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 09:23:23 -0700

I recently replaced the battery and force sensor on my Apple Watch Gen 0 with the battery/force sensor kit from iFixit. I had no issues performing the repair. The watch powered up and worked as expected.

Following the suggested battery calibration things got a bit strange. The battery was at about 35%, so I did not place it on the charger when I went to bed since the calibration said to wait until 10%. In the morning the battery was dead.

I placed it on the charger and it got up to 70% and stayed there for about 2-3 hours. Thinking this was due to the calibration process I gave up on getting it to 100%. The watch still worked fine and I wore it the rest of the day. When it got back down to about 10% I put it back on the charger. This time it appeared to be charging (green lightning bolt), but the % kept dropping, eventually to 0%, but it still stayed on being connected to the charger. I tried removing it from the charger and performing a hard restart, but, I don’t think there was enough battery to do it and it showed the red snake. I tried putting it back on the charger and it changed to the green snake, but still would not charge.

At this point I put the old battery back in, unpaired the watch, put it back on the charger, re-paired the watch as a new watch, not from backup, and it charged to 100% and worked fine. Unfortunately, the old battery is slightly swollen, so I can’t continue to use it.

I have put the replacement battery back in and get the green snake, but the watch will not power back up and the apple logo never shows up.

The charger worked fine prior to the battery change, and still works fine with the original battery and on my wife’s S3, so I don’t believe this is a charger issue.

⟐ Commented November 07, 2021 at 9:23 MST

Apple Watch: Apple watch - sound and vibration not working

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 13:01:39 -0700

Original apple watch. Replaced screen and battery and now sound and vibration does not work. i made sure they weren’t turned off/down in the watch and checked notifications settings on the phone as well…

My fear is i damaged the ribbon connector for it during the screen replacement when I pried up the LCD metal connector/clip. IS the LCD metal clip adhered to the haptic ribbon cable?

I noticed there isnt a replacement for this part listed on this site either… hate to be out $100 on this old watch :(

Apple Watch: Apple Logo flashes briefly when button is pressed

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 04:24:34 -0700

I have an Apple Watch 1st Gen. The issue is that it ran flat so I placed it on the charger and now it doesn’t start up. When I press and hold the crown and side button to do a hard reset I get a brief flash of the Apple logo then nothing. Any help appreciated

⟐ Commented August 11, 2021 at 4:24 MST

Apple Watch: Apple watch series 2 screw sizes

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 06:08:51 -0700

What is the size of the Y000 screw which retains the battery clasp in the Apple watch series 2?

Apple Watch: Apple Watch screen not working and no charge

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 21:05:38 -0700

My Apple Watch screen stopped working and I don’t think it is charging anymore

Apple Watch: Problem with my watch paring

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 13:18:13 -0700

Hello I am having issues with my Apple Watch I reset it and I am trying to connect it’s not connecting to my phone it tells me to update the watch and when the update is finished it tells me to connect to my network while I am already connected please help me out

⟐ Commented September 29, 2020 at 13:18 MST

Apple Watch: Apple watch screen finicky after screen replacement

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 08:00:06 -0700

I just recently replaced my apple watch series 3 screen. The gasket is in place with the adhesive but I have not yet put the screen in place w/ adhesive as it has been finicky in different positions. Prior to replacement there was no cable damage, however, the cables have to be held in a certain position in order for the screen to become fully functional. Has anyone experienced this during an apple watch screen replacement or have any suggestions on how I can keep the screen fully functional before adhering it to the rest of the watch?

Apple Watch: The battery percentage doesn’t show up after battery replacement .

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 05:30:22 -0700

Hi , i recently change the battery on my original Apple Watch 42mm , but when I try to see how much battery I have left doesn’t show nothing , I try to factory reset , soft reset , and still the same , also the battery it would last longer . Thank you

Apple Watch: Apple Watch (42mm) Adhesive Strip

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 08:23:17 -0700

I ordered one of your (42mm) adhesive strips to reattach the new screen. After cleaning the watch surface well and applying the new strip, the side away from the buttons popped open. I tried a little rubber cement but I still can’t get it to stay down.

Apple Watch: Why is it blinking the white Apple logo?

Tue, 05 May 2020 06:21:38 -0700

I replaced the battery and everything seemed fine before I closed it up. It connected to the charger and showed the charging screen. After leaving it on the charger it started blinking the logo. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Apple Watch: Name of male connector that plugs into the display cable part

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 23:39:06 -0700

So as a fun project I wanna try and replace a damaged ribbon connector(the long rectangular black plug) on a series 0. The display ribbon end that’s soldered to the board I’m gonna buy from ifixit but i wanna know what exactly the male black plug thing is called so I can order one. Its the black connector at the end of the display ribbons. They are called board to board or mezzanine connectors on molex’s website but search results end up confusing..also the exact size would be nice too..thanks!

Apple Watch: Still not up and running

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 20:33:54 -0700

I recently replaced the battery and screen for a Series 1 Apple Watch. After first attempt I had no picture. Thought maybe a connection broke loose after reassembly. So I took it apart and assembled it again to get the same result. Anyone have any ideas?

Apple Watch: Why would touch input suddenly stop working?

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 04:59:49 -0700

I dropped my Series 0 several years ago, and didn’t have time to do anything other than wrap it in sellotape at the time. It continued to work like that for years, despite fairly large gaps in the upper part of the glass, and two cracks diagonally across it. It was very hardy - even getting wet a few times and not really having any issues.

When I got a new one, I took off the tape to clean it for someone else. A few small pieces of glass came loose, and I used some 100% isopropyl alcohol to clean the tape residue from the back and the glass. I re-taped it but have found that - whilst the display still works - touch input is totally gone. It has not been knocked around since working, the cables seem to be attached as they were originally, no obvious separation that I can see at the back of the screen. What could have happened here? Is there anything to check before trying to replace the screen entirely? I see a lot of reports of people who did replacements which didn’t fix touch input.

⟐ Edited by author October 21, 2019 at 4:59 MST

Apple Watch: Replaced battery and force touch. Watch will not charge or turn on.

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 13:24:22 -0700

After replacement of battery in an I watch 3rd generation I saw the charging cable symbol show up for a short time. Kept it on the charger overnight, now I can not get it to power on. All I get is a black screen. Tried hard reset but no luck.

Apple Watch: Touch screen not working after watch battery replacement

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 06:18:21 -0700

I successfully replaced my watch battery and the Force touch sensor. The display works fine BUT it is not responsive to touch. I went back in and tried the original touch sensor but it still did not work. Is this a function of the DISPLAY not working properly OR is it the FORCE TOUCH sensor that enables the display to react to the touch on the screen? I don’t want to replace the screen if not necessary. I could try another Force Touch sensor but everything looked good and the connections were in place properly. Also, I did not see anything torn or ripped.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Apple Watch: How do I remove the first side of adhesive seal

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 06:37:52 -0700

I have separated the two sided adhesive from its sheet. I am having difficulty removing the first side (I am assuming this is the blue clear plastic side. The brown backing seems to want to release but not the blue. Does it matter which side I use first and will the blue plastic release easier if I seal down the other side first? It is a low tech part of the installation but it is essential to do it properly.