Apple Watch not charging on the magnetic charger

Your Apple Watch sits on its charger but the battery won't go up. Most of the time it is a dirty back, plastic wrap, a loose cable or a weak adapter, and you can fix it at home in a few minutes.

Use the Apple charging cable that came with your watch, plugged all the way into a working USB power adapter in a wall socket. Remove any plastic wrap from both sides of the charger, clean the back of the watch and the charger, then place the watch back on and wait for the charging symbol. If nothing happens after up to 30 minutes, force restart by holding the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.

• 1. Check the cable and adapter: Stick to the charging cable from your watch's box (the Apple Magnetic Charging Cable or the USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable). Check it sits fully inside the USB power adapter with no gap, then plug the adapter into a wall socket and turn the switch on.
• 2. Remove all plastic wrap: A new charger ships with a thin see-through film on it. Check the front and the back and pull off every bit, because even a small leftover strip can block charging.
• 3. Clean the watch back and the charger: Sweat, dust and sunscreen build up fast in Indian summers and can block charging. Wipe the back of the watch and the face of the charger with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth.
• 4. Place the watch back on the charger: Put the back of the watch on the charger so the magnets line up. A green lightning bolt should appear on the screen when charging starts (it shows yellow if Low Power Mode is on).
• 5. Wait up to 30 minutes: A watch that ran completely flat needs some patience. Leave it on the charger for as long as half an hour before you expect to see the lightning bolt or the watch switching on.
• 6. Try another socket, cable and adapter: Swap one thing at a time: first another wall socket, then another Apple charging cable, then another USB power adapter. If the watch charges with the new setup, your old charger was the problem. If nothing works, the watch itself needs a look.
• 7. Force restart the watch: Press and hold the side button and the Digital Crown together for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo. Then put it back on the charger.
• 8. Adjust the charger for larger watches: Using a charging dock or a MagSafe Duo with a bigger watch (44 mm, 45 mm or 49 mm)? At some angles the magnets don't quite meet, so change the angle or let the charger lie flat. Ultra owners can also try charging with the band removed.