Skip to main content

Don’t update your Apple Watch unless you want this ugly display bug

Last week saw the launch of watchOS 9.5, a relatively small update for Apple Watches that added the Pride Celebration watch face as well as fixed a few unspecified bugs. However, the update seems to be causing an irritating display issue for many users.

Posted to the subreddits r/AppleWatch and r/watchOS, users are reporting that the update has added a noticeable green/gray tint to their screens that changes the colors of the display and makes the usually crisp OLED screen look washed out. You can see what it looks like in the photos below.

Luckily, the issue is purely a visual one, so you won’t need to worry about any functionality problems if you’re experiencing it. That said, it doesn’t exactly make this any less annoying. It also seems to vary in intensity from watch to watch, with some users experiencing a much weaker green/gray tint than those with the very obvious color issues seen in the images above.

Recommended Videos

Based on the numerous posts online and the comments beneath them, this issue seems to affect Apple Watches from all generations — including the new Apple Watch Series 8. The only smartwatch that doesn’t seem to have been affected — at least that we’ve heard about from the posts we’ve seen — is the Apple Watch Ultra. Even so, it’s still possible that Apple Watch Ultra owners might still experience the bug.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

If you still haven’t downloaded watchOS 9.5 yet, it might be a good idea to hold off until Apple patches the issue. While not every Apple Watch is impacted by the bug, it’s still irritating and is something of an eyesore, so if you can avoid it, you should. Plus, unless you were planning on using the 2023 Pride Celebration digital watch face, you aren’t exactly missing a whole lot with the rest of the update.

Apple has had display issues like the one Apple Watch users are experiencing before, and usually, fixes for them come pretty swiftly. Hopefully, watchOS 9.5.1 is coming soon and completely resolves the problem.

If your Apple Watch is experiencing a display bug, make sure to keep auto-updates on so that as soon as Apple pushes a fix, you’ll be able to get it as quickly as possible.

Peter Hunt Szpytek
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A podcast host and journalist, Peter covers mobile news with Digital Trends and gaming news, reviews, and guides for sites…
Apple Watch 11.1 beta 3 pulled following bricking reports
The Apple Watch Series 10 on someone's wrist with the screen on.

The occasional risks associated with downloading beta releases have been highlighted by Apple’s decision on Wednesday to pull the watchOS 11.1 beta 3 update following user reports that it had bricked their Apple Watch. The company made the decision just hours after releasing it to developers for testing.

A MacRumors reporter noted the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that Apple had pulled tha watchOS 11.1 beta 3 update after users on various online forums started complaining about their watches "locking up” until they were rebooted, though in some cases, even rebooting was met with limited success.

Read more
Why I’m ditching my Apple Watch Ultra 2
The front of the Apple Watch Ultra.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a fantastic smartwatch. It's big, stunning, and still the most capable Apple Watch you can buy today.

It's the Apple Watch I've been wearing for the past year, but recently, I decided to get rid of it in favor of a different model. Why? Let me tell you.
My relationship with the Apple Watch

Read more
Your Google Pixel Watch is about to get a big update to Wear OS 5
Notifications shown on the Google Pixel Watch 2's screen.

Though Google launched the Pixel Watch 3 this year, those who are still rocking older Pixel Watches aren’t being left behind. Google has just announced that the original Pixel Watch and the Pixel Watch 2 will receive the latest Wear OS 5 update, which will begin rolling out today.

Those who still have the Pixel Watch 1 and Pixel Watch 2, which should be running Wear OS 3.5 or Wear OS 4.0, respectively, are now getting the September 2024 software update to Wear OS 5.

Read more