The screen on my watch 3 suddenly cracked all around the edges (just along the curve of the plastic) and literally lifts off of the watch. Watch now won't work even when I hold the screen back in place. I didn't hit it or bang it...it just suddenly appeared while I was wearing it. Just over a year old. What should I do? Anyone else have this issue?
You should contact Apple and arrange for them to evaluate it. I find the easiest way to make an appointment is through the Apple Support app on my phone. However, you can also use the Contact Support link at the top right of every page.
You should contact Apple and arrange for them to evaluate it. I find the easiest way to make an appointment is through the Apple Support app on my phone. However, you can also use the Contact Support link at the top right of every page.
I am pretty sure, they will refuse to repair it under the warranty. Wait a couple of days until you get back a message from their tech.
The most interesting thing will be, is that they will also not explain why 🙂
I have exactly the same problem with my wife's watch (aw3). 2 Months old. The screen broke around the edges. Very clean crack, no signs of impact. And... they refused. They even couldn't explain why. There is no tech report or something. It just says, that Apple tech thinks, that it was a damaged caused by the user. And that's it. Now I have a 400 Euro piece of garbage.
Apple Genius couldn't help me, because they don't do anything with Watches and can't even decide anything. All watches, they say, are to be send to Apple tech. I spent a lot of time on telephone support. They also couldn't help me. I was even trying to just find out, what exactly Apple tech has found. Because I don't see any damage caused by the user or any point of impact. The glass simply has a very clean crack on edges...
But the fun starts now. Yesterday I have notice a small crack on my watch (also aw3, early release). It's like glass starts to break from inside. No damage on the surface. But has exactly the same patter as on my wife's watch - started on the edge. It is probably because of a glass tension on the edges. I immediately took my watch to Apple to send it for repair/replacement under the warranty. But something tells me, they will again refuse. I can guess, that Apple tech will not be able to see any damage or will simply not explain their decision as in the case of my wife's watch.
I can't even describe how much I am disappointed with Apple's warranty service on Apple Watch. There are a lot of reports, even on this site about AW 3's screen cracking on edges (for example:Apple Watch series 3 screen crack , hairline crack on their new Apple Watch 3 (Aluminum Case)). But Apple doesn't take responsibility for it, they even refuse to repair/fix the issue. I am done with Apple's Watch. Obviously the tech process is not yet ready for their design decisions. And I have already payed more than 800 Euro (2 AW3) for their experiments.
Looking now to buy either Samsung Gear or Garmin. I need a sport watch for swimmers.
just an update. My watch is less than a year old. I called support and they are going to fix it for free under the Warranty. This may be a defect....there seems to be a lot of folks with the same problem. Phone support helped me un-tether it to my iphone so I can mail it in for repairs. Great support!
EatMyRandom: you were correct. After I sent it in, I got a rejection notice via email from the repair dept!! Called Apple Support and was transferred to the higher up authority and after an hour on the phone with them, they finally agreed to replace the watch. I have just about every product Apple makes (and have since 1993), including a brand new iMac desktop I purchased in December. I was about to go Samsung and Dell if they didn't resolve this.
There is without a doubt a design flaw in the watch glass, and Apple needs to own up to it and make good. If enough people post here with the same issue, they won't be able to sweep it under the rug anymore. Hold on to your broken watch and wait for a RECALL in the future.
I now have a new watch, but I'm only wearing it to bed to track my sleep, for fear of the same thing happening again. What a waste!
Glad it worked for you. 😉 I still wait a result for my watch. Really wandering what they will answer. Pretty sure they will find a reason to reject, even when the break is actually inside and no damage on the surface.
And yes, I also have a lot of Apple hardware. I am a software developer and always used to prefer only apple hardware. I buy a lot on per year basis - only last year I spent almost 10K on Apple hardware.
I will hold with my wife's watch. Honestly I don't know how to proceed. The fact that they simply reject without actually saying what exactly our fault was, is disgusting and totally unprofessional. The watch doesn't have any impact points, nothing.
Had the same thing happen after 14 months to my watch, Apple said I damaged it but as with yours, it popped off cleanly at the seam. The only program to fix it they had was for swollen batteries but mine wasn't swollen. Probably a good idea to take it in, the more they see of these, the more they will realize they have a problem and your battery may have caused it.
That is absolutely horrible customer service, there is no way to drop or hit a watch and have it separate at the seam like that, the problem is that the glue just fails. Mine popped off after 14 months.
Oh, man, don't be so naive.
Apple knows exactly what is happening and why. They have detailed statistics from all service centres. I am pretty sure they are aware. This is just their way to put that issue on hold. Any official confirmation of the issue will cost them millions of dollars.
Excellent point, Apple probably has the failure analysis down to a science and when the cost of ticked off customers gets higher than fixing the problem they will miraculously relent and create a program to address their quality issue, as they did with the swollen batteries.
I baby my iPad Pro 10. Seriously. Recently, I pressed the screen to take a photo and the screen went haywire with lines, and day later the screen went black. Simply pressed the camera button on the edge of the screen. I did not see a visible crack, but something beneath the screen happened that was BAD. No idea what occurred. 6 months old, under warranty, plus have Apple Care, thank the gOds.
My wife’s Apple3 watch screen failed as well without any impact damage. The screen simply fell out. Contacted Apple and they said it is not covered. It failed when it was less than 6 months old. This is a product design defect. I expect it will take a law suit for Apple to own up to the defective product.
I know this an older thread but I wanted to share my experience for anyone further that has this issue. I had my watch for only 3 weeks and the case split just as all of you described. What was weird was the split got worse and worse and I knew for certain I did not hit it against anything.
I went on Apple to chat with support and they suggested to send it in. That’s really the only thing they can do. Unfortunately, the Apple store seat to me was closed for renovations. My husband still insisted that I go to a physical store. So I drove to the next closest one and spoke with a genius, he took it back and evaluated. He stated that could not see any point of impact and also checked for water damage which there was none. He said they would send it off to a 3rd party to evaluate and make a determination. However, since he agreed with me he went the extra step to make detailed notes in order for me to get approval for a replacement. I would strongly suggest taking the time to go to a store. The geniuses know the protocols and what needs to be stated. Had I just sent it in my charges for a replacement would be $289 since I did not have Apple care. I went in on a Monday, got approval by Wednesday and my replacement arrived by Friday.
I am concerned with wearing the watch which is a shame and I’m hoping Apple addresses it the issue for all the watches. I
Apple Watch 3 screen broken w/o impact
