Apple Watch Temperature Warning Screen
The Cupertino-based manufacturer informs that both its revolutionary devices are designed to provide optimal performances within ambient temperature values of 32° to 95° F (0° and 35° C). This range extends when it comes to storing the devices. In power-OFF status, iPhones and Apple Watches can be deposited at room temperatures between -4° and 113° F (-20° and 45° C).
This means that you can harm the battery and other components if you forget your Apple Watch exposed to direct sunlight, leave it in a sauna or hot car for a prolonged period of time. Similar to the iPhone, the wrist-worn device will display a temperature warning screen when it’s operating outside the optimal values. The Apple Watch automatically enters in Power Reserve mode and displays a thermometer icon. If the thermometer bar is filled it means that the Watch is overheated, else you must have used it in freezing conditions!
How To Manage Apple Watch Temperature
1. Overheating
If the Watch is displaying the overheating alert screen and you are wearing it, remove it from your wrist immediately and place it in a cool spot. Yes, it’s water resistant, but don’t throw it in a cool liquid because drastic temperature changes are not recommended either! Let it cool down naturally instead. Check it with your fingers. When ready press simultaneously the digital crown and the side button to perform a force reboot.
2. Freezing
If you exposed your Watch to the blizzard, you might wanna take it off from your wrist and store it within an inside pocket of your coat until you reach shelter. When you’ve escaped the freezing conditions you can snap the Watch back on your wrist and let your body temperature bring it back to life. You most probably have to restart it, when you consider that it has returned to normal operating temperatures.
Fact: The Apple Watch, together with watchOS, has also a few self-protection mechanism, to counterattack overheating, which include: dimming the display, pausing data transfers, suspending charging, closing unnecessary apps and so on.
Hello , my series 2 apple watch just recently shut off and wont turn back on ive tried doin the restart on it but it only shows the apple and then a red thermometer before it goes back to a black screen . I could really use some other ideas on what it could be thanks.
Hi Kelly. Did you expose your watch to extreme temperatures? If so, bring it to a place where it can gradually cool down, before attempting to reuse it. Connect your AW to the charger after it came back to a normal temperature range. Let me know if this helped.
I have got the same issue, did you find out what it is Kelly?
Please be more specific Richard. Is the thermometer warning justified? Is the watch overheated or was it exposed to extreme cold?
I’m having the exact same issue. Any solutions?
If the temperature warning is caused by extreme heat or extreme cold, you have to remove the Apple Watch from your hand and store it in a place that has a temperature withing the normal operating range. Allow it to gradually return to normal temperature. After this happens connect it to your charger and it should turn back on.
What about when you live in Darwin and we are in the middle of he build up wet season and it is constantly hot 24/7
I think that you can power it back On while indoors in a normal temperature environment. If the device won’t start after you connect it to a charger you might be dealing with a hardware issue.
I also got the same issue… anybody have the solutions ??
Thanks for commenting Jeffrey. To be able to suggest a fix we need to know more details about the issue that you’re facing. Was the Apple Watch exposed to extreme temperatures?
me also
Donna, is the temperature warning screen on your Apple Watch caused by exposure to extreme heat or cold conditions?
I also have the same issue. This is the second time with the exact same symptom and lack of response. I recovered the first time by letting the battery drain completely. It took 3 or more weeks. After the battery was drained, I recharged it, un-paired, re-paired, and all was good. That is until I inadvertently wore it into a sauna.
I wish there was a faster method to recovery.
Thanks for sharing your experience with your overheated Apple Watch John. Have you tried to force restart the Apple Watch after it got back to normal temperature range?
Hello , my Series 1 Apple Watch just recently shut off and wont turn back on. I’ve tried doin the restart on it but it only shows the Apple and then a red thermometer before it goes back to a black screen. I could really use some other ideas on what it could be thanks.
Hi Keith. Was your Apple Watch overheated when it turned off? Did you forget it exposed in the sun, or in a hot environment for a long time? What you can do is let it cool down gradually in a normal environment for a couple of hours. Connect it to the charger after that and let us know what happens.
Apple Watch serie 2 nike + after swimming in the sea it keeps showing small screen and thermometer it’s been like this for 2 days sometimes it shows the snake line I put in the fridge the thermometer goes off but the battery is low when charging just after few mins the thermometer comes back again forcing the reboot never worked
Hi Radouane. Thanks for commenting. Was the sea salty? Is the device overheating when it’s displaying the small screen and thermometer?
Mine did the same thing just now-I was recharging my apple watch series 5 and when I picked it up to see if it was done there was a thermometer showing and when I tapped the screen it wouldn’t do anything then it rebooted. It wasn’t hot at all in the room. Watch doesn’t feel hot.
P.S.: only odd thing is I was just futzing with the settings on my phone and one of the things I did was click on the haptics and clicked on ‘prominent’, then clicked back to ‘default’. That was right before I picked up the watch and noticed the thermometer
Sandy, thanks for sharing. This is strange. Can you please confirm watch watchOS version your device is running? Is it working normally now, after the reboot?
My series 3 watch has the same issue. It was not used in cold/hot temperatures nor in saunas or wet environments. The overheat icon keeps showing up and the watch wont charge or turn on. Apple assistance could not tell me what to do.
This is the same exact thing i am experiencing now
Are you also owning a Series 3?
Today I was wearing my watch, looked to see the time, the screen was flashing and fading in and out and finally went black. It was 63° out when I was wearing it. I’ve tried the reboot, watched all the vids, nothing. Took the bands off and suddenly the temp icon and time appears, then goes black again. I’ve only owned this 4 months! Help?!?!
Lisa, can you please mention the Apple Watch model and watchOS version that’s currently running on the device?
I’m having this temperature icon showing after using my series 4 to swim in a pool
Was the water in the pool hot (thermal water) or you entered a sauna with it? Or just regular swimming water? Did the watch recover in the meantime?
it has not yet recovered after like a week now.. it’s still not charging.. and there was this one time I plugged it and the charging icon popped up but it was just like that for sometime and didn’t charge.. since then it only pops up the temperature icon once in a while but refuse to turn on I want to know if it’s spoilt already so I can stop trying
I see. It could be water damage. You have to bring it to an Apple store to have it checked out.
But I can recall I used my series to swim on different occasions but I didn’t get that experience.. I think the battery was down when I used it to swim and it got pretty low and turned off while I was still swimming
Thanks for the additional details. In this case, why would it refuse to charge? It doesn’t make sense.
Is there a possibility that you’ve hit or shocked your Apple Watch in any way since the last time you went swimming? … in such a way that it could compromise the waterproofness?
Or. you suggest that there’s a bug that bricks the Watch if the battery depletes while you perform a swimming workout?
P.S.: Was your watch actively tracking your swimming session?
Hi! I encountered the same issue yesterday with my Series 4 Apple Watch. I placed it near an air conditioner over night but this morning it remains frozen on the same icon screen. It is updating the time but it won’t allow me to reset (crown + button simultaneously). Any other suggestions?
Does it charge if you connect it to a charger?
Hi Patricia
We have experienced the same issue with series 3 running OS 7.3.3. A day after being in the sea (salty) the watch was charged then following this the watch kept rebooting itself, then the temp screen comes on. Trying the force reboot just reboots but then flickers and then goes to a white screen. Charging it like this it gets very hot.
Thanks for your feedback. It looks like salt water might have leaked inside of your Series 3? You have to bring it to an Apple service unit. I’m afraid that there’s nothing else you can do to fix it. Keep us updated.
When I charged my series 5 today my phone sent me notification saying watch is fully charged. When I went to put it on I noticed the temp symbol was showing. I left watch in window sill overnight to cool down but it still shows the temp bar and time only. I can’t get watch to reboot any help would be good.
Have you tried the Apple Watch force restart sequence? Digital Crown + Side button simultaneous press & hold!.
Yes I have also tried to reboot from my iPhone but nothings working
That’s unfortunate. When the issue started, while the watch was charging, was it under direct sun exposure or near a source of heat? Your device might have gotten a hardware failure. I suggest you to bring it to an Apple Store and have it checked out.