Have you just bought a slick new Apple Watch? Or perhaps your existing watch unexpectedly powered down and you need to figure out how to turn it back on?
Not to worry – I‘ll walk you through the entire process step-by-step!
Let‘s first quickly cover the key steps involved:
To turn on your Apple Watch:
- Locate the Side Button on the right edge below the Digital Crown
- Press and hold the Side Button for 3 seconds until you see the Apple logo appear centered on the display
- Wait about 30 seconds for the system to finish booting up and show the watch face
Pretty simple, right?
Now I‘ll go much more in-depth on properly powering up your Apple Watch, maximizing the convenient Always On display, troubleshooting any issues, and even force restarting the device if needed.
Grab a refreshing beverage, put on your curious tech hat, and let‘s get started!
Tracing the Evolution of the Apple Watch
As a serious smartwatch enthusiast, I always like providing some historical product context. So before we dive into usage specifics, let‘s briefly highlight how the Apple Watch has evolved technically over various model generations since its 2015 debut:
The following table summarizes the core hardware capabilities introduced with each sequential series:
| Model | Release Date | Notable New Features | Battery Life |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Generation | April 2015 | Rectangular shape, Digital Crown controller, 18 hours battery | 18 hours |
| Series 1 and 2 | Sept 2016 | Brighter display, faster processor, GPS, swim-proof | 18 hours |
| Series 3 | Sept 2017 | Cellular LTE option | 18 hours |
| Series 4 | Sept 2018 | Larger display, ECG, fall detection | 18 hours |
| Series 5 and 6 | 2019-2020 | Always On display, ECG, oxygen sensing | 18 hours |
| Series 7 | 2021 | Larger display, faster charging | 18 hours |
| Series 8 | 2022 | Crash detection, temperature sensors | 18 hours |
Reviewing this history lets us appreciate how much Apple has packed into these wrist-worn wonders while maintaining that handy side button for quick power on capability.
Now with the right context, let‘s explore the hands-on process…
Step 1: Locate the Apple Watch‘s Side Button
Every Apple Watch model features a discreet yet essential button along the case‘s right side – aptly named the "side button." Locate this on your model:
On Series 1 through Series 4, the chrome-finished side button sits nearly flush to the body, requiring a firm and precise press to activate.
From Series 5 forward, Apple made an ergonomic improvement by slightly recessing the matte black side button into the curved watch chassis. This helps your finger easily find the button by touch to press it.
Let‘s compare photos indicating the side button placement on older versus newer Apple Watches:
Apple Watch Series 3 Side Button Placement (Credit: Annette Shaff / Shutterstock)
Recessed Side Button on Series 6 (Credit: Frame Stock Footages / Shutterstock)
Take a moment locating the side button on your Apple Watch model now. This important power control remains consistent across every generation – crucial for the next step!
Step 2: Press and Hold the Side Button for 3 Seconds
Found your Apple Watch‘s side button? Excellent!
Now simply press and hold this button for about 3 seconds until the iconic white Apple logo prominently fills the center of the screen.
Here is what happens in sequence:
- At 2 seconds – Screen wakes up
- At 3 seconds – Apple logo fade-in begins
- At 4 seconds – Okay to release the side button
Release your finger promptly once the Apple logo finishes fading in to avoid unwanted inputs.
Hold the side button down when powered off to switch the watch back on (Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock)
This quick button hold triggers a full system initialization procedure behind the scenes, loading up the core software and features.
Give your watch about 30-60 seconds to finish booting up. You‘ll know it completed when the stylish watch face transitions smoothly into view!
And that‘s all you need to manually power up any Apple Watch! The ultra convenient wrist detection does the rest to activate your watch whenever you raise and look at it.
Now let‘s build on the essentials and customize extra display settings…
Enable the "Always On" Display
Starting with Series 5, Apple Watch models gained a game-changing Always On display mode. This keeps the watch face visible and legible even when your wrist points down and the screen dims.
Through meticulous hardware and software optimizations, Apple pulls off this feat without decimating battery life. The OLED display can refresh in as little as 1 Hz when dimmed while suspending unnecessary background processes.
You can tailor which elements remain visible in the dimmed state. I‘ll walk you through adjusting the Always On settings:
To enable Always On:
- Open Settings app on your Apple Watch
- Tap "Display & Brightness"
- Scroll down and tap "Always On"
- Toggle the switch on
A green switch indicates Always On is active.
Then customize appearances and behavior to your preference:
I suggest keeping "Show Watch Face" and current "Complications" on for convenient glanceable data.
With those powered up, only raise your wrist fully when you need to actively engage with notifications and apps. Enjoy!
Other Ways to Wake Up the Display
Aside from the wrist raise gesture, Apple offers some alternative tricks for waking your watch display from standby blankness:
Wake on Screen Tap
Simply tap the darkened screen firmly to instantly wake it. Avoid light grazes which won‘t register. Make sure this option is enabled under your watch‘s Settings > Display & Brightness menu.
Wake on Digital Crown Press
The rotating crown side button doubles as a display wake function when pushed inward with force. I prefer using this sturdy metal button over the tap.
Wake on Crown Rotation
Twisting the Digital Crown upward signals wake triggers too thanks to tactile rotation clicks. Disable either under Settings if unwanted.
Between raise, tap, button clicks, and twist, you‘ve got flexible options to illuminate the display!
Troubleshooting Display Wake and Boot Up Issues
With a robust understanding of power states under our belt now, let‘s address why your Apple Watch may occasionally fail to start up or wake properly:
Quick Checklist
- Dead battery? Power off won‘t boot and needs a charge
- Wrist orientation wrong? Adjust setting for current wrist
- Stuck in Power Reserve or Theater Mode by accident? Turn those modes off in Control Center
- Accessibility Screen Curtain enabled? Check iPhone Watch app to disable
Run through these common factors first before assuming bigger underlying issues. I‘ll now dive deeper on resolving each one…
Dead Battery Problems
By far the #1 cause of display blackouts stems from an exhausted battery. Apple Watch models can operate for around 18 hours before needing more juice.
Try placing your watch on its magnetic charger cradle immediately. Wait and observe closely for signs of power – seeing if the green "charging" lightning bolt icon appears.
If the dead battery was the culprit, charging for around 30 minutes should restore enough power to boot it back up. Whew!
Incorrect Wrist Orientation Setting
Here‘s a quirky issue I run into sometimes after shuffled which wrist I wear my Apple Watch on.
If you‘ve changed wearing wrists, double check that your watch‘s orientation setting matches. Wrist raise relies on knowing the proper direction to expect raises from.
Navigate to Settings > General > Orientation and select the wrist currently wearing your watch. Enjoy restored raise-to-wake reliability!
Accidental Theater or Power Reserve Mode
Under times of critical low battery charge, your Apple Watch will enter Power Reserve mode to keep basic timekeeping alive as long as possible. This cuts everything else.
Similarly for moments needing discreet silence, Theater mode mutes alerts and disables screen wake and raise detection.
Check Control Center for orange battery icons or mute badge icons indicating either mode is active. Hold power button to exit Power Reserve, or swipe up and tap icon to toggle off Theater.
Misactivated Screen Curtain Accessibility Feature
Apple offers a display disabling Screen Curtain intended for blind VoiceOver users relying on audio. But it can black out visually relied-on watch displays if accidentally triggered.
On your iPhone, open the Watch app, go to Accessibility settings, locate the Screen Curtain toggle and turn it off. This safely eliminates the possibility without losing other accessibility helpers still needed.
Whew – that covers a wide range of potential gremlins that could block proper wake and boot up! Running through checks and tweaks methodically should resolve most issues.
Now for last resort tactics…
Force Restart Apple Watch When All Else Fails
On super rare occasions, your Apple Watch may become totally unresponsive with controls and charging failing to revive it. This likely indicates deeper software freezes or glitches.
Your final troubleshooting effort before involving Apple Support is attempting an emergency force restart procedure to essentially "unfreeze" the rigid system – quite similar to the hard reboot process computers require under crashes.
To force restart your Apple Watch:
- Simultaneously press and firmly hold the Side Button plus Digital Crown
- Maintain pressure until the Apple logo illuminates then changes into the standard watch face screen
- Finally release buttons to complete forced reboot!
This more aggressively resets everything analogous to a power cycle. Hopefully it clears any troublesome software states gumming up the works!
However – force restarts come with risks you should consider:
- Data corruption if performed during a system update install
- Component damage if the device was already partly disassembled
- Accelerated aging of display and Battery from repeated hard reboots
I only recommend the forced restart as an absolute last resort before taking your stubborn watch to an Apple Genius. This gives technicians a fresh clean system to evaluate.
If display or power problems persist through the force restart too, then underlying hardware defects likely need covered warranty inspection and repairs. Schedule at your local Apple Store‘s Genius Bar for prompt assistance.
Alrighty – got that crucial force restart tip logged for future rare scenarios hopefully!
Let‘s shift gears and briefly talk about fully powering down your Apple Watch next…
Turning Off the Apple Watch
While automatic wrist detection keeps your Apple Watch conveniently powered on whenever worn, you may occasionally need to fully shut it down manually. This also uses the trusted side button:
To power off Apple Watch:
- Press and hold the Side Button
- When the sliders appear, drag the Power Off slider to the right
- Keep holding the Side Button down until the Apple logo shrinks away
- Release the Button after about 5 seconds when screen goes completely black
Powering off is mostly only required for extended multi-day storage, addressing troublesome system errors, or conserving battery during transportation.
Otherwise enjoy effortless automatic on-wrist activation!
We‘ve Come Full Circle!
And with that final handy power off technique covered, our Apple Watch power on journey has spanned full circle – hopefully arming you with deeper knowledge and troubleshooting confidence!
We dug into the historical evolution of Apple‘s wrist wearable marvel that started the smartwatch craze. Then stepped through practical power up and down best practices. You‘re now prepared to show off those skills at your next dinner party or water cooler conversation!
Did I miss any other power quirks you‘ve experienced on your Apple Watch adventures? Let me know in the comments!
