Apple Watch 8 Not Charging, How to Fix?

Apple Watches are so popular. Not just because Apple makes these, but because the device serves multiple purposes like sleep monitoring, music feature, tracking workouts, and heart rate monitoring, and the Apple Watch shows you nearly accurate data. So, if you are a fitness freak or an Apple fan, you can’t go out without an Apple Watch. It’s frustrating when you can’t wear the device because it is not charging. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some effective solutions to fix the charging issue on Apple Watch 8.

Here’s How to Fix Apple Watch 8 Not Charging Issue

Before I take you to the troubleshooting steps, it’s important to know the colour of a lightning bolt on the screen.

The battery is low if you see a red lightning bolt on your Apple Watch 8 screen. You should connect the device to a charger.
When you connect your Apple Watch to a charger, the red lightning bolt changes to a green or yellow one. It indicates that the device is charging. You should charge the device for 30 minutes.

Make Sure the Connecting Surfaces Are Clean

If you have not cleaned your smartphone and the wireless charger in a while, a lot of dust may have piled up, which could result in the charging failure. It is because the back of the Apple Charger won’t properly sit on the magnetic charger. You should clean the watch and the charging pad with a soft cloth and then place the wearable on the magnetic charger to see if the problem is fixed.

Make Sure You Have Removed the Plastic Wrap From Both Sides of the Charger

Some people forget to remove the plastic wraps from both sides of the magnetic charger. You can charge your Apple Watch without removing the plastic wraps by putting on the magnetic charger. Hence, check if there’s any plastic wrap. If yes, peel it off immediately, and put the wearable device on the charger.

Force Restart Your Apple Watch 8

There could be a software bug or a minor system glitch in your Apple Watch. It could be the reason why you can’t charge the device. You can remove common WatchOS issues and system glitches by forcibly restarting the device.

To force restart your Apple Watch 8, press the hold the digital crown and the side button for at least 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo on the screen. The device will reboot automatically. Once done, place the device on magnetic charging and check if the problem is fixed.

Update Your Apple Watch

Most of the time, the Apple Watch does not charge because of software issues. If mass users have reported the same issue, Apple should be working on a fix, which usually arrives as a software update. You should update your Apple Watch 8 and check if it can fix the issue.

You can update the Apple Watch using the Watch app. Within the app, tap on the My Watch tab and go to General > Software Update. If there’s an update available, click Download and Install and wait for the process to complete. If there’s no update for your Apple Watch 8, you’ll see a message that says, “Your Apple Watch is up-to-date with all the latest bug fixes and security enhancements“.

Unpair and Pair the Watch Again

If the charging issue persists, unpairing and then pairing your Apple Watch can do the trick. Here’s how to unpair your Apple Watch:

Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap on the My Watch tab at the bottom.
Click All Watches in the top-left corner.
Tap on the i-button next to your Watch.
Click Unpair Apple Watch.

Once you have unpaired your Apple Watch, pair it again with your iPhone, and then put the wearable device on the magnetic charger to see if the problem is fixed.

Factory Reset Your Apple Watch 8

If the problem is still aching in your head, a factory reset will probably fix it. Before you test this solution, let me tell you that it will wipe all the data from your Apple Watch and restores everything back to default. If you have paired the Watch with your iPhone, you do not need to worry as the iPhone automatically saves a backup.

Steps to factory reset your Apple Watch:

Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap on the My Watch tab at the bottom.
Tap on General and select Reset.
Click Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings.
Enter the passcode to factory reset your Watch.

Wait for the process to complete. Once it’s done, connect your Apple Watch 8 to the charger and check if it fixes the problem.

Try a Different Charger

While the charging problem is mostly caused by a software glitch, we can not rule out the possibility of hardware issues. The magnetic charger or some of its components could be damaged from the inside. Borrow the charger from your friend to check if the charger is the source of the problem. If the Apple Watch charges with the other magnetic charger, you should contact Apple for a replacement.

The problem could be linked to the wall outlet. Hence, you should connect the charger to a different wall outlet and place the Watch on the charger.

Final Words

These are some effective ways to fix the charging issues on Apple Watch 8. You can apply these solutions to other Apple Watch models too. I hope you were able to fix the problem. If the problem persists, contact Apple Support to get your Watch repaired.