The Apple Watch features a scrollable wheel called the Digital Crown. Unfortunately, this wheel can stick due to use of lotion or debris, but the fix is pretty easy. Let’s take a look at how it’s done.
Sweating during exercise, use of lotion, or just dust or dirt can cause the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown scroll wheel to get stuck and not turn as it should. If your Apple Watch isn’t responding when scrolling or depressing the Digital Crown, follow these steps to get it back in working order.
First, perform this basic troubleshooting step:
Turn off your Apple Watch by holding down the button on the side until the Power Off option is displayed. If you’re unable to power off the device using the side button, then you can force a restart by holding down the button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds.
When the Apple Watch restarts, check to see if the buttons are working. If they’re not working, then you can try the following to get the Digital Crown back into working order:
- Turn off your Apple Watch (like above)
- If you have a leather band, remove it from your Apple Watch
- Hold the Digital Crown under warm lightly running water from a faucet for 10 to 15 seconds; while doing this, continually turn and press the Digital Crown, so the water can run between the housing and the small gaps in the crown
- When finished, dry your Apple Watch using a lint-free cloth, then let it finish air drying for a few minutes
- Power on your device
Yes, this is a bit of a shock, and it took us a while to try it on our own devices, but it does actually work if you have a stuck Digital Crown. This is actually recommended by Apple as a way to remove debris from around the Digital Crown. You should keep in mind that soaps and other cleaning liquids should never be used on your Apple Watch, as it could damage the device.
While a stuck Digital Crown is not something has happens often, if it does happen, you’ll now know exactly how to remedy the issue.
Do you have an Apple Watch tip or trick that you’ve discovered? Let us know in the discussion thread below.
