How to fix sticky Digital Crown on Apple Watch

Written By Sajid Reviewed By Apple Watch How-to 6 Min Read

Even though Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatches on the market, it’s not perfect. As a result, you might face a few issues then and now with your Apple Watch. One such issue is the Digital Crown of your Apple watch being stuck. You might feel that your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown is stiff and hard to turn or not able to press it but don’t worry. In this guide, I’ll show you how to fix a sticky Digital Crown on Apple Watch.

Things to know before fixing sticky Digital Crown on your Apple Watch

  • Remove any protective case or screen protector from your Apple Watch.
  • Take out the bands of your Apple Watch, especially if it’s a leather band.
  • Turn off your Apple Watch and remove it from charging.
  • Don’t use soap or any other cleaning products.

Once you’ve taken care of the above things, you can get started with the cleaning process of your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown.

4 Ways to fix the stuck Digital Crown on Apple Watch

There are various reasons why your Apple Watch or Apple Watch Ultra’s Digital Crown is sticking, making it stiff and hard to turn.

1. Clean Apple Watch in lukewarm water

One of the most common why it could happen is due to dirt, dust, debris, lotion, or similar things getting under the Digital Crown of your Apple Watch. But you need not worry; follow these steps to unstick Apple Watch’s Digital Crown:

  1. Take some lukewarm fresh water.
  2. Hold your Apple Watch over a sink.

    Wash Digital Crown with water
  3. Pour lukewarm fresh water on your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown while rotating it slowly.

    Hold Apple Watch over a sink
  4. Take a microfibre cloth to dry off your Apple Watch after cleaning. Ensure that you keep the speakers of your Apple Watch face down.

    Rinse Digital Crown with Cloth

While this should help you clean any stuck dust and debris under the Digital Crown, it also gets rid of any sand under the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown. You can test your Digital Crown and see if it’s hard to turn. You can also clean the band, speaker, and the display.

2. Update watchOS

There are times when a bug in watchOS can prevent your Apple Watch from taking any input from the Digital Crown, which might lead you to believe that the Digital Crown stopped working.

However, a simple update to the latest watchOS version might fix your issue. To learn how to do so, follow our extensive guide, where we show you different ways to update your Apple Watch

3. Restart your Apple Watch

Before you conclude anything, try restarting your Apple Watch. Sometimes, a simple restart can do wonders. To restart your Apple Watch, follow these instructions:

  1. Unlock your Apple Watch.
  2. Hold the side button on your Apple Watch until the power slider appears.
  3. Tap the On/Off icon on the top-right of the display and drag the Power Off slider to the right. Wait 15 seconds for the Apple Watch to turn off.
  4. Hold the side button until the Apple logo appears to restart your Apple Watch.

If that didn’t work, you should try hard resetting your Apple Watch.

4. Contact Apple Support

Even after updating and restarting your Apple Watch, if you cannot fix the sticky Digital Crown on your Apple Watch, you should contact Apple Support and visit your nearby Apple Store or authorized service provider.

The Apple service providers will ask you to deposit your Apple Watch for diagnosis and provide you with an estimated cost. You won’t have to face that if your Apple Watch is under warranty or Apple Care+. Once you agree with repair, they’ll take three to five days to repair your Apple Watch before handing it to you.

Take care of your Apple Watch’s Digital Crown!

The Digital Crown on your Apple Watch is one of the most essential parts as you use it in performing a variety of operations. If it gets stiff, sticky, or hard to turn, you’ll have to clean it. I hope the steps mentioned above will help you clean the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this guide, leave them in the comments below.

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By Sajid Senior Writer
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Sajid Shaik is a tech enthusiast who explains complex concepts in a clear and concise way. For the past 7 years, he has been a regular contributor to tech blogs and publications, including MakeUseOf and iGeeksBlog. Sajid also has extensive knowledge of the Apple ecosystem, which he shares with his readers through his words. He has created a wide range of content, such as How-Tos, Reviews, Listicles, and much more. Aside from that, Sajid has a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering, which gives him an advantage in better understanding technology at hardware level. Apart from writing, you can find him fiddling with Apple products or keeping up with all things Apple.
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