Apple Watch 7 Stuck on Black Screen After Update? Here’s How to Fix It

If your Apple Watch Series 7 screen suddenly went black after installing the watchOS 8.3 update, you’re not the only one. Many users have reported their watch becoming unresponsive, with no signs of life except for a pitch-black display.

The good news? In most cases, it’s not a hardware failure but a post-update software glitch. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you troubleshoot and (hopefully) revive your watch.

1. Force Restart Your Apple Watch

Sometimes a simple forced reboot is all it takes to snap your watch out of a black screen loop.

To do a force restart:

Press and hold both the Side button and the Digital Crown at the same time.
Keep holding them for at least 10 seconds.
Release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

Let your watch finish rebooting—it might take a bit longer than usual. If the screen stays black, move on to the next step.

2. Charge the Watch for 30 Minutes, Then Force Restart Again

If your watch battery drained during the update process, it may appear dead even if it’s just out of power.

Here’s what to do:

Connect your Apple Watch to its charger and let it charge for at least 30 minutes.
While it’s still plugged in, force restart the watch using the steps above.

This can help flush out software bugs while ensuring the watch has enough power to boot properly.

3. Disable Screen Curtain via iPhone

If VoiceOver is accidentally enabled, it might have triggered Screen Curtain, which turns off the display even though the watch is still working in the background.

To check this:

Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap the My Watch tab.
Go to Accessibility > VoiceOver.
Tap Screen Curtain and toggle it off if it’s on.

Then restart your Apple Watch and see if the screen comes back on.

4. Check If Power Reserve Mode Is On

Power Reserve Mode disables most features and makes the screen appear unresponsive.

How to exit Power Reserve:

Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

This should reboot your Apple Watch normally.

5. Update or Remove Buggy Apps

If your watch comes back to life, make sure to update all installed apps—especially third-party ones that might be misbehaving after the update.

To update apps:

Open the Watch App Store directly on your Apple Watch, or update from the paired iPhone using the Watch app > Available Updates section.

6. Still Dead? Contact Apple Support

If you’ve tried all of the above and your Apple Watch 7 still won’t respond or power on, you may be dealing with:

A hardware issue triggered by an impact or water exposure
A botched update that bricked the watch
A battery or display failure

In that case, contact Apple Support or visit the nearest Apple Store or authorized service provider for a full diagnostic and possible repair.

If your watch is still under warranty or covered by AppleCare+, repair costs might be significantly reduced—or even free.