Apple Watch SE Overheating (HeatGate) Flares Up In South Korea
Apple Watch SE Overheating Issue
If you’re an Apple Watch SE owner you have to read this! It appears that a certain batch of the low-cost 2020 Apple Watch is having a manufacturing problem that causes serious overheating! The issue is significant because it bricks the watchOS 7 device!
According to a Reddit topic, the Apple Watch SE overheating is so strong that a yellowish burnout mark remains visible in the top-right corner of the screen! That’s the area above the display connectors. The Taptic Engine and the Digital Crown should be also nearby, if the Apple Watch SE internals are similar with older models.
Apple Watch SE yellow burnout marks from overheating. Source: Reddit
Apple Watch SE Overheating Facts
- All cases that have been documented on Reddit have happened in South Korea, which is a strong indicator that the problem might be isolated to a single manufacturing batch.
- All Watches that have overheated are the smaller 40 mm size, and come with both GPS and cellular functionality! The manufacturing flaw occurs in both Silver and Space Gray color models. Nike Edition Apple Watch SE seems to be affected to.
- The yellow burnout mark on the display is quite far away from the battery, which makes the manufacturing flaw a bit less dangerous for the user.
- The Apple Watch SE doesn’t turn on anymore after the overheating incident. It does react with audio alerts when pinged via the Find My app, however its rendered unusable!
- All owners plagued by this Apple Watch SE heatgate have received a replacement model from Apple!
Apple Watch SE HeatGate Risks
If you own an Apple Watch SE that fits the profile of the overheating cases described above, avoid to sleep with the device strapped on your wrist.
Users hand with red skin marks from Apple Watch SE overheating. Source: Reddit
Two out of the six overheating incidents occurred while the smartwatch was on the wrist, causing red skin and discomfort to the user. In one situation the owner was woken up by the heat on its wrist.
All other 4 cases happened while the Watch was connected to the charger.
All incidents occurred in a short time frame after the Apple Watch SE was unboxed. Some in the first couple hours of usage while others up to 3 days after the new owner started using the smartwatch.
Important: If you’re an Apple Watch SE owner, don’t panic, but act with caution. There have been millions of Apple Watch SE models already sold and only 6 devices have been plagued by the Heat Gate. However, it’s better to be careful until we get an official point of view from Apple.
Are you an Apple Watch SE owner? Let us know if you experienced any overheating since you purchased the device. Use the comments section available below.
Related: How to fix Apple Watch randomly restarting in watchOS 7!
I bought my Apple Watch SE on October 25, 2020.
After 11 days, on November the 5th, it overheats and almost burns my wrist; a yellow spot was formed near the Digital Crown. I took it for repair, of course, where I bought it.
After 5 weeks of waiting, the service accuses me of tampering with it and for this reason my watch hasn’t been fixed.
On the web I found the same flaw, same spot and identical location in every overheated Apple Watch SE, including in these discussions.
I called Apple Italy for an appointment to send it back to the service center, obviously still under warranty. After a few weeks, for the same reason, it was returned to me still broken; I re-called Apple Italy to explain the problem, I advised that I would also send it at my personal expense with photocopies, but they replied that they wouldn’t replace it because Apple doesn’t look at unofficial sources, even if the defect is evident on the web, including on their own site.
In two assists I haven’t had the evidence of this tampering accusation, although it was requested as mandatory, as it wasn’t replaced.
Apple Italy therefore advises me to sue Apple, as the only way to solve the problem. Is it normal?
I used Apple Watch SE, paid € 309, for 11 days, and still haven’t solved the problem after more than two months.
This is Apple Italy’s fraud.
Jonathan, thanks for sharing this. That’s a very unpleasant experience. Apple should replace your Watch in this situation. Have you bought it from an official Apple store, or form a third-party retailer?
This is crazy indeed. Have you tried to visit a different Apple Store in Italy and ask for a replacement. Go to a bigger city. Apple staff might be more ‘open minded’ in big central shops.