Touchscreens have come a long way since they were first invented back in 1965. Bulky early devices could only register one touch at a time, and even early consumer models retailed for thousands.
Today, a compact and affordable Apple Watch includes a powerful touchscreen that registers multiple touches, understands how hard you’re pushing, and has low latency to make every interaction a breeze.
However, with only two physical buttons, these devices rely heavily on their digital surface – which can lead to serious frustration when your Apple Watch touchscreen is not working! If you’re dealing with a laggy, glitching, or frozen screen, here’s how to troubleshoot.
Do a Quick Cleanup
Before you assume the worst, consider how clean your device is. Your Apple Watch is designed to stand up to sweat, liquid, and grime, but those substances aren’t great for the touchscreen’s sensitivity. Worse, every time you use the device, you may leave residue from your fingers behind on the screen.
Do a gentle cleaning of your Apple Watch. Apple has specific instructions for this and does not recommend using cleaning products or soap on your device.
Instead, power down your Apple Watch and remove the band to be cleaned separately. Use a damp microfiber cloth to clean the surface of the device. You can also run water over the surface of your Apple Watch to help.
While you’re cleaning your watch, wash your hands as well. If your hands are dirty or oily, they might interfere with your touchscreen’s sensitivity.
Check Your Screen Protector
If you’ve installed a screen protector over your Apple Watch, its design might make it harder for the touchscreen to sense your movements. Consider removing this barrier to see if it fixes the issue.
Apple does not recommend using screen protectors on its Apple Watch line, as these durable devices have crack-resistant surfaces. If you must use a screen protector, make sure you’re choosing a high-quality product.
Disable Water Lock
Unlike older iPhones, which were notorious for taking easy water damage, an Apple Watch can take a splash with no issue. To work more effectively when wet, these devices use Water Lock, a setting that blocks the touchscreen from interacting with moisture. This is helpful when you’re swimming or showering, as the screen won’t recognize each drop of water as a touch.
However, the feature may also cause touchscreen issues. It may also make your device trickier to use if your hands are wet.
You’ll only be able to see if Water Lock is switched on if your touchscreen is still functioning enough for basic use. Swipe up from the bottom of your Apple Watch’s screen to see the Control Center. The water drop icon controls the Water Lock feature, so deselect it if it’s highlighted and see if it resolves your issue.
Restart Your Apple Watch
If the steps above haven’t helped and your touchscreen is still malfunctioning, do a restart.
To do this, hold down the button on the side of your Apple Watch. After a few seconds, you’ll see the power slider appear. Drag the power icon to the right to turn your device off, then press the side button to power it on again.
Keep in mind that you can’t restart an Apple Watch while it’s charging.
If your touchscreen is completely frozen or malfunctioning badly enough you can’t slide the power icon, you can still force a restart. Hold the side button and the Digital Crown (the elevated knob on the side of the device) for ten seconds until the Apple logo appears.
Perform a Software Update
Software updates may not fix every issue, but if you’re lucky, one of the fixes in the latest update will patch whatever bug you’re experiencing.
If you can use your touchscreen enough to navigate your Apple Watch’s settings, try updating that way. You can do this by visiting Settings > General > Software Update and following the instructions on the screen.
If not, you can perform an update on your phone via the Apple Watch app. You’ll have to go to the My Watch tab before selecting General > Software Update and following the instructions on the screen.
Check the Accessibility Settings
If you recently went through your Apple Watch’s settings, it’s possible that you adjusted the accessibility settings by accident. These settings help users who need special accommodations, and they can affect how your Apple Watch screen reacts to touch.
Using the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, select Accessibility > Touch Accommodations. You can either turn these accommodations off altogether or play with them to see if adjusting the settings resolves your problem.
Unpair Your Apple Watch
Last, try unpairing your Apple Watch from your phone. Repairing the device might create a fresh connection that resolves whatever issue made your touchscreen malfunction.
It will also wipe your Apple Watch. This shouldn’t be an issue, as Apple creates a backup on your phone to let you restore your data fast.
You’ll use your iPhone to unpair the devices. In the Apple Watch app, select My Watch > All Watches and find the faulty device that’s paired with your iPhone. Tap the info button next to this device and select Unpair Apple Watch.
Choose to keep your cellular plan at the next step. You’ll need to enter your Apple ID passcode to confirm the unpairing.
Once it’s unpaired, your Apple Watch should pull up a screen that asks you to pair it with a new device. See if the touchscreen functions better now, and follow the on-screen instructions to pair it with your iPhone again. If you don’t mind ditching your backed-up data, you can also select Set Up as New Apple Watch during the pairing for a fresh start, which may help keep touchscreen issues at bay.
Apple Watch Touchscreen Not Working? Call Us!
Hopefully, the steps above have helped you resolve your frustrating touchscreen issues. However, if your Apple Watch touchscreen is not working even after troubleshooting, or if your screen is completely bricked, call a pro.
Expert Apple Watch repair can help you get the personalized support you need to get your device back up to speed. As Virginia’s trusted repair team, Fruit Fixed is here to help! Contact us for reliable Apple Watch touchscreen repair or drop by one of our locations.