How do you unfreeze an apple watch

Apple watch gets stuck with an Apple logo mainly because of internal software or settings’ misconfigurations. This may range from issues in connection modules to having a mismatched timezone. When the watch gets stuck on the logo, either the logo stays on the screen indefinitely or shuts down after a little while. This problem is a common recurrence in almost all Apple watch models.

Here are some of the main reasons why this scenario occurs:

• Mismatching Calendar or Time Zone Between the Watch app and Apple Watch: If there is a mismatch between the calendar or time zone of the Apple Watch and the iPhone’s Watch app, then that may cause the issue at hand as the Watch is failing to properly authenticate the communication with the Watch app.
• Corrupt OS of the Apple Watch: If the OS of the Apple Watch has become corrupt due to an OS update that may have failed to properly apply to the device, then that may result in the Apple Watch’s boot loop at hand.
• Hardware Malfunction: A user’s Apple Watch may be stuck on the Apple logo if a hardware component (like a faulty battery) has malfunctioned or become faulty.

Force Restart the Apple Watch

A temporary glitch of the Apple Watch may not let it bypass the Apple logo screen and performing a force restart of the watch may solve the problem. Keep in mind that a user should not perform a force restart on an Apple Watch if it is updating its OS (a progress bar may be shown on the Watch screen), otherwise, the watch may be bricked.

1. Press and hold both buttons (the side button and digital crown) of the Apple Watch.
   
   Force Restart the Apple Watch
2. Now wait for 30 seconds and release the buttons to check if the Apple Watch has powered on.
3. If not, again press and hold both buttons till the apple logo reappears on the Apple Watch.
4. Afterward, check if the Apple Watch issue is resolved.
5. If that did not work, check if retrying the above steps repeatedly (like 5 times) resolves the problem.
6. If that fails, put the Apple Watch on charge for 30 minutes, and afterward, repeat the above steps to check if it is working fine.
7. If the issue persists, bring the paired iPhone close to the Apple Watch and unlock the iPhone.
8. Now, while the iPhone is unlocked, perform a force restart (by repeating steps 1 to 4) of the Apple Watch, and upon restart, check if the Apple Watch has powered on without issue.

Ping the Apple Watch from the Watch App

A user may fail to start up the Apple Watch and be stuck on the Apple Logo screen if a temporary communication glitch between the Apple Watch and paired iPhone is hindering the startup mechanism of the Apple Watch. In this scenario, pinging the Apple Watch from the Watch app of the paired iPhone may solve the problem.

1. Launch the Bluetooth settings of the paired iPhone and force restart the Apple Watch (as discussed earlier).
   
   Wait Till Apple Watch is Shown as Connected in the iPhone’s Bluetooth Settings
2. Now keep an eye on the Bluetooth Settings of the iPhone and when it shows it is connected to Apple Watch, switch to the My Watch app.
3. Then head to the My Watch tab and tap on the Apple Watch’s name.
4. Now press the i (information) button and tap on Find My Apple Watch.
   
   Play Sound on the Apple Watch Through the Watch App
5. Then log in using your Apple credentials (if asked to).
6. Now, in the list of devices, tap on the Apple Watch and open Actions.
7. Then tap on Play Sound and afterward, check if the Apple Watch is forced out of the logo screen. In some cases, a user may have to press the Play Sound button more than once.

Completely Drain the Apple Watch Battery

An Apple Watch stuck in the boot loop may fail to pass the Apple Logo screen and cause the issue at hand. Here, completely draining the Apple Watch’s battery may clear the loop and thus solve the problem.

1. Perform a force restart of the Apple Watch and place it on a side until the Watch’s battery drains (it may take a day or two).
   
   Battery Drain Apple Watch
2. Once the battery is drained, put the Watch on charging till it is fully charged, and afterward, check if the Apple Watch is operating normally.

Change Calendar and Time Zone Settings in the iPhone’s Watch App

If there is a mismatch between the calendar or Time Zone settings of the Apple Watch and the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then that may also cause the stagnant Apple logo as the app fails to properly communicate with the paired iPhone. In this scenario, changing the Calendar and Time Zone Setting in the Watch app may solve the problem.

1. Launch the iPhone’s Watch app and head to General.
2. Now open Language & Region and tap on Calendar.
   
   Set Calendar to Gregorian in the Watch App
3. Then select Gregorian and force restart the Apple Watch to check if the issue is resolved.
4. If not, check if manually setting the time zone to the user’s time zone solves the problem.
5. If the issue persists, check if changing the time in the Watch app to non-daylight saving time clears the issue. If the Watch boots up fine, make sure to delete the infograph faces as it sometimes clashes with daylight saving time.

Reset the Apple Watch to the Factory Defaults

The Apple Watch may be stuck on the Apple logo screen if the watch’s OS is corrupt (may be a failed OS update failed to apply) and due to this corruption, the watch is failing to load its startup sequence. In this scenario, resetting the Apple Watch to the factory defaults may clear the issue. The following three methods can be used to reset the Apple Watch but the method depends on the particular use case as discussed below:

Use the iCloud Website

1. Force Restart the Apple Watch and once it is stuck on the Apple logo screen, navigate to the iCloud.com website on a web browser.
2. Now open Find My iPhone and click on All Devices.
   
   Open Find My iPhone on the iCloud Website
3. Then select the Apple Watch and click on Erase the Apple Watch.
   
   Erase Apple Watch from the iCloud Website
4. Afterward, confirm to reset the Apple Watch, and once done, check if it is working fine.

Reset the Apple Watch Through the Watch App

1. Launch the Watch app on the paired iPhone and tap on My Watch.
2. Now open General and select Reset.
3. Then tap on Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings.
   
   Erase Apple Watch Through the iPhone Watch App
4. Afterward, confirm to reset the Apple Watch, and once done, check if the Apple Watch is not stuck on the Apple Logo.

Hard Reset the Apple Watch

1. If the above did not work or is not an option, launch the Watch app on the paired iPhone and unpair the Apple Watch from the phone.
   
   Unpair Apple Watch Through the iPhone’s Watch App
2. Now press and hold both buttons (side button and Digital Crown button) of the Apple Watch.
   
   Hard Reset the Apple Watch
3. Then wait for 10 seconds and release the buttons when the Apple logo is shown.
4. Now, wait for a few seconds and press/hold the side button of the watch.
5. Then wait till the Erase All Settings prompt is shown (maybe around 20 seconds) and afterward, tap on Erase All Content and Settings.
6. Afterward, wait till the watch’s reset process completes, and once done, check if it is booting normally.

If none of the above resolved the issue, then a hardware issue might be triggering the problem and the user may contact Apple support to resolve the issue.