Personally, I had the same power on/off issue on my favorite Garmin smartwatch which needed an immediate fix the damn watch could not turn on a single press but after almost ten presses, which felt like a thousand presses.
I had to press the power key numerously to get the smartwatch to turn on which was annoying after paying much for it.
This left me wishing I had bought its refurbished version instead and save some money.
I later realized this was a common problem with smartwatches especially when they stop operating or when they are left inactive for a long time and there’s a fix.
Don’t throw your smartwatch away just yet because with me today I have a number of solutions to help fix your watch and have it turn on.
So how do you fix a smartwatch that won’t turn on? The best and easiest way to troubleshoot a smartwatch that won’t turn on is hard resetting it. Troubleshooting the issue by hard resetting has worked for most people who have experienced the same issue. If fixing the issue by hard resetting doesn’t work out consider trying the fixes listed below.
What Should I Do If My Smartwatch Won’t Turn On (With 6 Possible Reasons)
1. Consider Changing Your Battery because It Is Not Working
Your smartwatch won’t turn on because the battery is exhausted/bad, and the only thing you should do in such a case is to replace the battery.
Steps to Follow to Replace the Battery on Your Smartwatch
Here are the 5 simple steps to follow to replace the battery on your smartwatch and have it up and running again.
- Remove The Bands To Release The Watch
You don’t need tools or any special skills to remove the straps on your watch. Fitbit users can find this article on how to replace the bands on Fitbit Charge.
I encourage them to read the article because it will help remove the bands from the watch.
Luckily smartwatches like Garmin Forerunner Series, Apple Series, and Samsung Series among others watches are easy to remove straps.
- Slide the Battery Cover at the back of Your Smartwatch
The battery cover is at the back of the watch and is easy to remove. But first, turn the smartwatch off by pressing the power button for about 10 seconds.
With a thin flattened needle lift the plastic bezel surrounding it. Remove the area where straps go by lifting it starting with the end that is closest to your wrist.
List the area that holds the strap from the body of your watch. Press down the edges of the back plate to take the back plate out.
- Remove and Replace Battery if Necessary
Carefully remove anything that is in the way of the battery like the black plastic that you will find on most smartwatches to get to the battery. Replace the battery with a new or working one
- Plug In Your USB Charging Cable To The Smartwatch
Connect the USB cable to a charging adapter and plug it into the watch. You will see your watch starting to charge.
There are other smartwatches that will light either blue or red when charging. Most smartwatches replace any data that got lost at this point.
- Reattach Back Your Smartwatch
Since your smartwatch now shows it is charging after the fix it means it can power on and off. It is now time to put things back the way they were before snipping into the watch.
Start by turning the smartwatch off. Since the battery is already in place back the black plastic and other things.
Put back the area that holds the bands/straps in place. Slide back the battery cover at the back of the smartwatch. And attack the bands back to the watch.
When all is done, press the power button to turn the watch on. Your watch MUST turn on by now since we have just fixed a new battery.
In case the battery is okay but your smartwatch is not turning on, then consider doing the following things to have the problem solved:
2. Clean the Charging Cable And The Charging Port On Your Smartwatch
Use clean cotton and clean the charging port on the smartwatch. Also, clean the end that plugs into the watch as well as the end that goes to the adapter or PC.
Doing so ensures no charge is prevented from flowing by dirt. With all these parts clean connect your smartwatch and see if it’s charging.
3. Turn The Smartwatch On With A Force Start
Perform a hard reset on the smartwatch. Doing a hard reset is easy and even a beginner can do it. A hard reset will force all processes running on your watch and clear the memory.
Your smartwatch automatically disconnects itself from the battery when the restart happens. The hard reset process is the same for Wear OS and Apple smartwatches.
4. Use Your Laptop or Desktop To Charge The Smartwatch
In case you are busy and can’t find time to go to the store to shop for another adapter to charge your smartwatch to get it working consider using the charge running on a laptop or desktop (PC) to charge the smartwatch.
5. Replace Your Current Power Outlet
The power outlet might be the reason your smartwatch is not turning on and that’s because the battery is not getting charged.
If the power outlet is not working consider replacing it with another that will deliver a charge to the battery so that your smartwatch can turn on.
6. The Smartwatch Needs Charges To Turn On
The battery doesn’t have power and for that reason, the smartwatch won’t turn on. Always leave your smartwatch at the charging station when it runs out of juice.
Charging your wearable when it’s out of charge is important because it is yet another way of caring for it.
Also, use the specific method of charging advised by the manufacturer any other form of charging will harm your watch and worst kill your watch, and hence won’t ever turn on.
Why Won’t My Smartwatch Turn On?
Your smartwatch might not turn on because of a couple of reasons. Here are 6 possible reasons why your smartwatch isn’t turning on:
1. Your Battery Is Empty At 0%
The possible reason why your smartwatch isn’t turning on is that its battery is used up. A battery at a level of 0% can never turn on your smartwatch.
Ensure you have an idea of how much battery is left on your watch before you turn it on. You can easily figure out how much battery is left on your smartwatch by plugging the watch into its charger.
2. Internal Damage As A Result Of An Intense Drop
Your smartwatch might cease to function when it hits the surface so hard. This hitting might cause the crucial part of the watch to dislodge hence the work won’t turn on no matter how many times you try to turn it on.
3. Period Of Service Is Up
Smartwatches also have their own life expectancy just like any other tech product on the market.
So, the reason why your smartwatch won’t turn on is that its period of providing service has expired.
In such a case the best thing you can do is consider buying a new smartwatch because even fixing the problem will still persist.
4. Your Band Is Broken
The other possible reason why your smartwatch is refusing to turn on is that the band is either stuck or broken. An extremely loose or tightened band can make your smartwatch not power on.
5. The Battery Isn’t Charging
There are a lot of reasons why your smartwatch is not charging. Your watch should be able to transfer current from the USB cable to the battery which gives the watch the power needed to turn on.
6. Area of Coverage isn’t Powerful Hence The Smartwatch Refuses To Turn On
Those with smartwatches that come with GPS connections may have a difficult time having their watches turn on because the area of coverage is not strong enough.
To solve this, ensure the GPS setting is correct when toggling between the GPS and Cellular.
How Do I Charge My Smartwatch?
As luck would have it, we have an article on how to charge the Fitbit smartwatch consider reading it if don’t know how to charge it.
Anyway charging a smartwatch is the simplest thing to practice. So:
- Before connecting the watch to the charger make sure the adapter/charging head is properly plugged into the power.
- Also, make sure the cable being used is bringing power so that your smartwatch can charge and turn the smartwatch turning on.
- You will also want to ensure your smartwatch’s charging port is clean and working so that it can supply charge to the battery.
- With all the above considered, plug the charger to power and plug the USB cable into the watch. If the adapter isn’t working consider plugging the USB cable into your PC.
Note, the way you would charge a wearable that charges via USB is not the same way you will charge a wirelessly charging smartwatch.
What to Do When Your Smartwatch Won’t Turn On Even After Fixing
In case you have done all of the above and your smartwatch still isn’t working consider visiting a smartwatch repair shop.
Click on the Google search bar, type “Smartwatch Repair Shop near Me”, and then click search or press Enter on your keyboard.
Feel free to leave us any questions and we will be happy to help. In case you have a solution we haven’t outlined please share it through the comment section.
Must Read – Check out the 9 amazing things a smartwatch can do for you.
