How to Fix a Apple Watch Screen that is Too Dark (STEPS)

Why is my Apple Watch screen darker than usual?

Your Apple Watch screen may look darker than usual because the brightnes is manually set too low, the auto-brightness feature is on, or because of a faulty ambient light sensor.

 

• Manual settings
• Auto brightness
• Faulty ambient light sensor

 

Manual settings

You may have manually set your Apple Watch screen way too dark, which is making it look unusually dim.

 

Auto brightness

The Apple Watch is equipped with an Auto Brightness feature, which makes the screen look darker when you are in a low light condition. This function automatically adjusts your screen brightness according to the lighting condition of your environment.

 

Hardware failure

Though this is quite unlikely to happen, an unfortunate hardware failure can make the screen look darker than usual. It could mean that the ambient light sensor in your Apple Watch is not working properly.

 

 

Why is my Apple Watch screen so dark even on full brightness?

Your Apple Watch screen is dark even on full brightness because of the auto brightness feature or low light ambience in the surroundings.

The auto brightness feature makes use of a sensor to detect the surrounding light and adjust the brightness of the screen accordingly.

• Auto brightness feature
• Low light ambience in the surroundings

 

How do I make my Apple Watch screen brighter?

You can make your Apple Watch screen brighter by manually increasing the brightness or using your iPhone.

• Manually increasing the brightness
• Using your iPhone

 

Manually increasing the brightness

If you think that the brightness on your smartwatch screen is constantly low, it means that the brightness of the smartwatch must be increased manually.

 

How to manaually increase brightness in Apple Watch settings:

1. Press the digital crown of your Apple Watch to list the various apps.
2. From the apps that appear on the screen, touch the Settings
3. Scroll down the menus and then touch the Display & Brightness
4. Touch the sun icon on the right to drag the brightness slider up. Tapping on the left sun icon will drag the slider down and reduce the brightness.
5. As the screen brightens, adjust it to the level you want.

 

Using Your iPhone

An alternative way of increasing the brightness is by using your iPhone. But before you start, make sure your iPhone is paired properly with your Apple Watch.

 

Once the pairing is established, follow the steps below:

1. Launch the iPhone Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Go to My Watch and then tap Display & Brightness.
3. Drag the brightness slider up to the level you want.

 

If none of the above methods are working, it might be due to hardware failure. You need to contact customer care and ask for their assistance to fix the issue.

 

How to turn off the auto-brightness setting on an Apple Watch?

You can turn off the auto brightness setting on an Apple Watch through its Setting app by following a couple of simple steps.

1. Tap Settings followed by Accessibility.
2. Tap on Display & Brightness.
3. Move the brightness slider to the extreme left.

 

You can also do this setting through an iPhone that has been paired with the Apple Watch by carrying out the steps given below.

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Tap My Watch followed by Display & Brightness.
3. Move the slider to the left as much as possible.

 

Why does my Apple Watch too dim in sunlight?

Your Apple Watch may be too dim in sunlight because of a too low brightness setting that has been set manually.

It could also be due to a hardware issue such as the light sensor not functioning. The dim issue can be fixed by following the steps given below.

1. Locate the digital crown in your Apple Watch and press it to highlight the list of apps.
2. Press the Settings icon to display the various smartwatch settings.
3. Scroll through the different settings and select the Display & Brightness
4. Press the sun icon present on the right side to move the brightness slider upwards until you get the desired brightness. The sun icon on the left helps to lower the existing brightness.

 

If your Apple Watch is working perfectly, the light sensor is definitely raising the brightness level up in sunlight. But since the brightness is set too low, you are unable to notice the illumination.

In case of a hardware issue, the best way to solve the problem will be to take the smartwatch to an authorized service center and seek their assistance.

 

How to fix an Apple Watch Series 3 screen that is too dark

Apple Watch Series 3 is the oldest version of the manufacturer’s smartwatches and comes with a full screen retina display. A low brightness setting is often the reason for a dark screen.

If you notice that the display is too dark in your Apple Watch Series 3, here’s how you can fix it by adjusting the brightness through your smartwatch or iPhone.

 

Adjusting the brightness through the smartwatch

1. Tap Settings on your Apple Watch Series 3.
2. Tap on Display & Brightness from the menu.
3. Touch the big sun icon on the right side to elevate the brightness.

 

Adjusting the brightness through the iPhone

1. Open the Apple Watch app from your iPhone.
2. Tap on My Watch and then Display & Brightness.
3. Move the slider to the left or the big sun symbol on the right until you’re comfortable with the brightness level.

The above methods work only if the ambient light sensor in the Apple Watch functions properly. You can check for the proper functioning of the sensor by following the steps below to ensure the same.

1. Cover your Apple Watch face with your palm for 10 seconds.
2. Take your hand away and see if the brightness has increased.
3. Cover the screen once again with your palm if the brightness has increased.
4. Turn your iPhone’s flashlight ON and point it to your Apple Watch.
5. Check the brightness has increased.

If the brightness has increased, it means that the ambient light sensor is working properly.

 

How to fix an Apple Watch Series 7 screen that is too dark

The Apple Watch Series 7 is the latest model that features an always-on retina display of more than double the size of the screen of the Apple Watch Series 3.

The existing display setting is most often the cause of a dark Apple Watch Series 7 screen. You can adjust the brightness through your iPhone or smartwatch.

 

Fixing the brightness issue through iPhone

1. Press the Apple Watch icon on your iPhone to open it.
2. Press on My Watch and then press the Display & Brightness option.
3. Keep pressing the big sun symbol on the right of the screen to raise the brightness.

 

Fixing the brightness issue through iPhone

1. Press the digital crown of your smartwatch to display the list of apps.
2. Press on the Settings app icon.
3. Select Display & Brightness from the list.
4. Press the rightside sun symbol to increase the screen brightness according to your preference.

 

How to fix an Apple Watch SE screen that is too dark

You can either choose to change the brightness directly from your Apple Watch SE or from your iPhone that’s paired with your watch. Here, I’ll explain both methods for your convenience.

The Apple Watch SE is an iconic model from all the Apple Watch series because of the numerous features and an unbelievable low price.

Here are some probable causes for the screen of your Apple Watch SE getting dimmed.

• A low brightness setting
• Operating system of the smartwatch not updated.

 

Brightness adjustment through Apple Watch SE

1. Wake the screen up by touching its digital crown.
2. Tap on its Settings app and go to Display & Brightness.
3. Touch the sun icon on the right multiple times to increase the brightness to your preferred level.

 

Brightness adjustment through iPhone

1. Go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll until you reach Display & Brightness.
3. Drag the brightness slider towards the right to adjust the brightness.

 

Operating system of the smartwatch not updated

In case adjusting the brightness doesn’t resolve the darkness problem in your smartwatch, you must consider updating the operating system of your Apple Watch.

The watchOS controls the overall operation of the Apple Watch SE. Hence, not keeping the watchOS can be a significant reason for the display getting too dark.