How to fix sudden yellow screen glitch after taking off Apple Watch Series 8?

Update: So the “fix” was only temporary and the following day after installing the new update, the yellow flash returned. Thankfully I was due a call from the Apple Team yesterday as a “catch up” to see how things were going and explained the situation.

She reiterated that this issue is known and they are genuinely working on a solution. It’s not just affecting Series 9s but watches all across the board as far back as Series 5/6. As I am one of the first apparently to push this issue they are using my Watch device to gather as much data stamps to figure out what is causing the issue. Again, they seem to believe it’s relating to the sensors on the underneath. In terms of what to do with your watch if you’re having this problem, she advised to just keep hold of it until the Engineering/Development Team suggest otherwise. They are confident a future OS update will fix the problem.

I just thought I’d keep you all in the loop (as there isn’t much advice out there on this issue) and to kind of reassure you all that as it stands the watches you have aren’t “faulty” but are just experiencing a temporary “glitch” due to something hiding in the software.

Nobody here knows what Apple is working on, but it does not sound too serious, particularly as it happened to multiple watches

First force restart the Watch 

i.e. press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds, then release both buttons when you see the Apple logo. 

 Then, although it may seem irrelevant, while it is restarting Force Restart the paired iphone   Force restart iPhone – Apple Support (UK) 

Test it for a while. If it is still misbehaving... and the issue is worrying you, Contact Support again.

 Click here > Contact - Official Apple Support

or phone numbers  

Click here > Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

and or Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Sorry for the delay in an update. The senior advisor I spoke to initially last week never returned the call on Friday… I’ve chased it up and spoke to another senior advisor today who once again asked for the data logs so she can have the issue escalated; which the advisor last week didn’t do for whatever reason. However, with the release of the new iOS and WatchOS this morning and having updated both devices, I’ve failed in being able to make my watch do the “yellow flash”; slightly to my annoyance haha.

Due to this advisor needing my watch to flash so she can send the data onwards, I’ve been trying almost all day to replicate the issue; but to no avail. So… I’m thinking and hoping that with this latest update they may have possibly fixed this ongoing issue? I’m still trying as I’m typing this out and my watch just refuses to produce the yellow flash. If you haven’t updated your watch/iphone I suggest doing so and hopefully, like myself, it looks to have solved/fixed it.

Yes, the update I installed was 10.1.1 for the Watch and 17.1.1 for my iPhone.

Funnily enough yesterday my watch was at its all time worst too. It would flash every time I took the watch off properly, and even if I laid it on my wrist and then pulled it off; it never did that previously. So I was getting a bit weary of it which is why I chased Apple up again this morning to say the issue had become worse. But with this update, everything seems to have done a 360, which is both bizarre but thankfully good. Fingers crossed something clicks and your watch sorts itself out. If I’m able to find anything else out from this Senior Advisor I’ll be sure to update you on here. All the best!

Daniellema18 wrote:

I’m having the same problem, it starting yesterday and has done it once since then, but it happens when it’s on my wrist, I see it out of the corner of my eye,

Sorry to be pedantic but that sounds like a different problem, possibly hardware. We are talking about taking it off the wrist.

Restart the Watch by holding in the crown and side button together til the Apple icon appears then release.

If it still happens then contact Apple under warranty.

You said "Yellow screen appears for very small time"

If it lasts long enough to take a photo of it then it is not normal, but as it had occurred on replacement watches it is unlikely to be hardware.

Report it

Click here > Product Feedback - Apple 

NB put your OS and iOS versions etc in the problem text box as the dropdowns are usually out of date. 

I’m on 10.1? I think if 10.1.1 is the latest. Even before this update its happening more than before again. I think it might have to do with AOD, way less frequent when having AOD off.

Updated to 10.3.1 today. My yellow screen glitch when taking off my wrist has gone. How about yours? Series 9

There is no advice to give except that it is cosmetic, it’s known to Apple, and to inform Apple.

It has been highlighted by a number of users for at least the last year while I have been responding on Watch forum. I don’t think it affects all watches.

It’s been a while since I last posted, but having installed the latest updates for both my 15 PM and AW9 the issue has, if anything, got worse😅Almost every time I take the watch off now, the screen will flash yellow. I’ve just determined and accepted that certain watches are/may suffer from this issue which I’m still certain is software related, rather than hardware.

Being that I only take the watch off mostly to charge it, and maybe a couple of times throughout the day, I’m happy to just live with it now. The watch itself is flawless in everything it does, so for the small inconvenience of seeing the screen flash, I can deal with it. But fingers crossed, future updates/patches may offer the solution.

Update: I spoke once again with a senior engineer yesterday, and trying to turn a long story, short, this issue of the yellow flickering display is known to Apple. They are aware of it, but as it currently stands they aren’t overly sure as to the cause of it. Over the phone (through his suggestion), I gave him access to both my iPhone and Watch so he could look at the data logs and pinpoint the moment the issue happens. Whilst on the phone I was able to replicate the issue by taking my watch off, and through sharing my analytics he was able to find the exact moment/data coding of when the yellow flash appeared. This was then sent to the team that develop/build the watches in hope they can figure out the root of the problem.

I’m due a call tomorrow so hopefully should have some more information regarding this and finally having an answer to this annoying hiccup. I’ll keep you all posted.

It’s on my new Series 9 watch too. It’s software related no doubt.