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Apple Watch Ultra Black Screen

Hi, my Apple Watch Ultra goes to black screen unexpectedly. It is a bit of a complicated story, so I need your patients please 😰


My Apple Watch Ultra is connected to an iPhone 13 Pro Max. All software is up to date.


The watch’s screen, and for no known reason and with no specific pattern, becomes completely black. I know the watch is still on and working, but the screen is black. For example:

  • I would be working out and playing music from the watch (the phone is not connected), I can still hear the music and the feedback from Siri on my workout. 
  • I get the haptic alerts when I receive a notification. ...


Furthermore, it responds to touches and button pressing but the freaking screen is still black 🤪. I know this because I mirrored the watch's screen on my iPhone and I can see how it responds to touches, scrolls and other gestures.


Obviously, it happens even if the battery is fully charged.


The only way to get out of this black screen is to take it off for at least couple of seconds, then wear it again!!! No need to restart it or put it on a charger or anything else. Just take it off and wear it again!


Unfortunately this behavior happens very randomly and I cannot re-produce it. It could happen every few mins or in couple of hours or even a day or two, then it happens all of a sudden!


So I did what anyone who is driven crazy by these tech problems will do:

  • I reset the watch, no luck.
  • I un-paired it and paired it again (as new watch), no luck.
  • I reset the network settings on my iPhone (thinking it may it is may be the communication protocol that is causing this), no luck.
  • I reset the phone and the watch, no luck.
  • I reset the phone and set it up as new phone (you can imagine the amount of time that took), no luck.
  • Finally and after calling Apple Support, who asked me to do all the above again, I factory restored the iPhone and clean installed the ipws file of the iOS (may be the iOS was corrupted and causing this, this was an advice from Apple Support engineer). Then fresh installed everything, NOW YOU REALLY CAN IMAGIN THE TIME THIS TOOK, but NO LUCK


After all that, I took it to Apple Support, they did all the checks and everything was ok. So they send it to their tech guys who reset it to it is original setting, test it for few hours, decided there are no problems, send it back to me only to face the same problem next day 🤨


I have Apple Care+ on it, so after a lot of fighting with them, they replaced it for me. 


I wish the problem ended here. This was 8 months ago and guess what, the problem appeared again on the new watch couple of weeks back 😩😩😩


It is driving me crazy, and I really need help here


By the way, it is may be a coincident, but the problem started to appear after upgrading to the latest WatchOS 9.6

Apple Watch Ultra

Posted on Aug 9, 2023 2:35 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 14, 2023 5:50 AM

Have you had this resolved? I’m having the same issue and they want to send out out. I think it’s ridiculous especially reading others are having the same problem. I also did notice it happened after a recent update. I went to the Apple Store after speaking with supper over the phone and they didn’t do anything at the store. I’ve done all the troubleshooting and it keeps happening. I can’t take it off my wrist for a few seconds and magically it turns back on. I’ve only had it a few months and ridiculous issue for the price and it’s supposed to be the “ultra”. I first noticed when I was swimming but now it happens randomly.

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30 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 14, 2023 5:50 AM in response to ajundi

Have you had this resolved? I’m having the same issue and they want to send out out. I think it’s ridiculous especially reading others are having the same problem. I also did notice it happened after a recent update. I went to the Apple Store after speaking with supper over the phone and they didn’t do anything at the store. I’ve done all the troubleshooting and it keeps happening. I can’t take it off my wrist for a few seconds and magically it turns back on. I’ve only had it a few months and ridiculous issue for the price and it’s supposed to be the “ultra”. I first noticed when I was swimming but now it happens randomly.

Feb 4, 2024 8:56 PM in response to ajundi

It’s an absolute joke.

i had my AWU replaced after 5 months because of this issue, which eventually became the ambient light sensor failing.

My new (5 months old again) AWU has been blacking out daily for months.

I’ve taken it to the tech bar 3 times, many conversations complaining about it, sent it back to Apple to have it assessed… and they sent it back after a week saying “they can’t replicate the fault”

The day I got it back, within 10 minutes of setting it up.. it was black again.

I’m so angry they they just ignore the issue.. paying 1300 bucks for a watch I have to reset multiple times in a day just to see the time is BS

The worst part is, at the tech bar, they saw the issue first hand.. and even starting that in the report, the Apple techs at the “higher up” office just say “oh well.. we can’t figure it out.. here’s your watch back”


Sep 24, 2023 7:27 AM in response to ajundi

I`m facing the same issue for the last few months. Hard reset helps but that`s not the case to perform hard reset several times per day...

I thought initially that it was something related to water activities but not. few weeks without touching any water but still have the same.


While it happens randomly that defect can be easily reproduced if you enable the white torchlight ( brighter one) and switch it to dimmed and back several times, then cover the watch with your hand to cancel that app. The screen will be black until you take off it from the hand and rotate.


That bug was mentioned in discussion multiple times but looks like it was not given to any developers, as they can easily check logs or debug to find out the root cause ( most probably that is a software issue as the same steps with red tourch light are ok)

Feb 27, 2024 3:03 PM in response to Honch0

Came here to say I have exactly the same problem. This is frustrating. But I am grateful for the suggestion to have turned off Always On since at least now my watch seems usable (albeit 'disabled').


Apple, I am one of your biggest fanboys. No fix for this seems very disrespectful to your best customers. Please fix this!

Oct 1, 2023 10:53 PM in response to mitien

I tried your case, but could not reproduce the problem.


I noticed that the problem occurs mostly when the battery is below 50% and I start a workout or when I am driving (my phone is connected to my car's bluetooth).


However it happened when the battery is more than 50% and I am not doing anything, but much less frequent.


BTW, my battery's health is 97%

Oct 1, 2023 11:02 PM in response to ajundi

To work around the problem until Apple solve it, I created a shortcut to toggle the screen "Always On" on/off. I run the shortcut by Siri or by "double clenching" (Accessibility -> Assistive Touch -> Hand Gesture).


I am replacing my iPhone soon. I will set it up as a new phone and pair the watch as a new watch. May be this will solve the problem.

Apple Watch Ultra Black Screen

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