Skip to main content

Apple is investigating an issue with flickering Apple Watch displays

Some Apple Watch owners are experiencing an issue where the display flickers or pulses when the Always On mode is enabled.

The good news is that Apple is now investigating the issue, according to the contents of an internal service memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and seen by MacRumors.

Recommended Videos

The memo, which was reportedly sent out on Tuesday, doesn’t say which Apple Watch models are experiencing the issue, though reports suggest that the recently released Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models running watchOS 10 and later are most affected.

Disgruntled users have been sharing their experiences on various Apple-focused forums, with some describing the problem as a “jitter” or a “random flicker.”

The memo also mentioned an issue where complications on the watch face temporarily turn pink, a matter that has also been described by a number of Apple Watch owners, MacRumors pointed out.

Apple told service providers that they needn’t take in affected watches for repair and should instead tell customers to ensure that the software on their Apple Watch is kept up to date, advice that suggests Apple will roll out a fix before too long — possibly as part of watchOS 10.1, which may get a public release as early as next week.

Until then, affected users who find the issue annoying can turn off the Always On display by heading into Settings on the Apple Watch, selecting Display & Brightness, and then Always On.

The Always On feature dims the display when it’s not in use and lights it up when the device is raised. It was introduced with the Apple Watch Series 5, which the company released in 2019. It also works with the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2, though not with the company’s more affordable Apple Watch SE.

Despite plenty of pre-launch testing, issues with new software can sometimes emerge soon after it becomes available. Apple recently rolled out a software fix for the new iPhone 15 Pro after some users complained that the handset was heating up way more than expected.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Is a $500 OnePlus Watch 3 still worth buying? The answer is complicated
A person wearing the OnePlus Watch 3.

The OnePlus Watch 3’s price has suddenly increased to $500, but we reviewed the smartwatch when it cost $330. It hasn’t become a different device overnight, no additional features have been added, and it doesn’t come with a solid gold bracelet. OnePlus has not made a comment on why the price has increased, but as it has (so far) only increased in the U.S., it’s fairly safe to assume the price increase is due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, as the OnePlus Watch 3 is made in China.

The question now becomes, is the OnePlus Watch 3 worth $500 and should you still buy it? The answer is complicated.
The OnePlus Watch 3 is excellent

Read more
We just got our best look yet at the Google Pixel Watch 4
Active watch face in Rosebush color scheme on Pixel Watch 3.

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is the next entry in Google's celebrated wearable lineup, and we just got a great look at a set of new leaks. The images come courtesy of Steve Hemmerstoffer, better known as OnLeaks, as well as 91mobiles. In addition to 5K renders, we also have a 360-degree video that lets us examine the phone from multiple angles.

Right off the bat, you'll notice the Pixel Watch 4 hasn't shifted away from the circular design of the Pixel Watch 3 in any major way, but it does look to have smaller bezels. That's not surprising, given the ongoing push across the entire industry for smaller bezels on every display.

Read more
Apple Watch saves another life by helping detect woman’s fast-spreading cancer
The Apple Watch Series 10 and the Apple Watch Series 3, seen from the front.

There are countless heartwarming stories about different ways the Apple Watch has helped saved people's lives. In addition to the emergency SOS and fall detection features, the Watch offers a suite of insights which can help identify precursors to life-threatening diseases. Recently, a similar story made news when a woman's cancer was caught, thanks to active alerts from an Apple Watch 10.

Amanda Faulkner, a consulting psychiatrist from New Zealand, recently narrated her story where her Apple Watch 10 helped diagnose a rare form of blood cancer, which, if left undiagnosed, would have left her dead in a matter of few days. Faulkner told the New Zealand Herald that her Apple Watch notified her of her unusually high resting heart rate of around 90 beats per minute -- which would typically be around 55 for her.

Read more