How To Restart Your Apple Watch (Even Without A Power Button)

While the Apple Watch has yet to fully replace the company's game-changing iPhone, the wrist-bound device has, arguably, become as integral to the lives of many of its users as its celebrated predecessor. But just like Apple's iPhone and iPad, or really any piece of mobile technology from any of the major tech brands, the Apple Watch is sometimes prone to glitches and even outright malfunction. And just like most devices, one of the most tried and true ways to get your watch back in working action is to simply restart or reboot it.

There are, of course, no guarantees that restarting or rebooting your iPhone enhancing Apple Watch will solve whatever problems the device might be experiencing. If the reboot doesn't do the trick, a trip to the Apple Store may be in order for a repair job. But you'd be wise to power the device down and back up before you make that trip, as a good, old-fashioned reboot can solve many a glitch-y issue. Regularly restarting the device may also ensure it continues to function as it is intended. 

As for restarting or rebooting the device, there are actually several different ways you can take that potentially system-correcting course of action. And if you want restart the watch without the use of the device's power button, you should know that it's easy to do so. In fact, it may be as simple as just asking Siri to do it for you.

If you want to use Siri to restart your Apple Watch, you'll need to ensure the function is enabled, which you can do by simply speaking "Hey Siri" into the device. If the AI assistant with the interesting name responds, you're good to go. If not, you'll need to navigate to the Settings menu on your device, then click on the Siri option. In the ensuing menu, you'll want to click on the Listen For tab, then select the Hey Siri option, which enables the device to hear and respond to you when that command is spoken aloud.

Once you've ensured that Siri is listening and ready to carry out your command, you should simply be able to say, "Hey Siri, restart my Apple Watch." From there, the Apple assistant will ask you to verify the command with the prompt, "Just to confirm, you want to restart this device?" You can verify the order by clicking the Restart button on the screen. On some models, you may also be able to confirm the order vocally. Either way, once you've confirmed, the device should restart automatically.

As noted, there are other ways to restart your Apple Watch if you'd rather not engage Siri, though they do require the use some of buttons. Perhaps the easiest method is to simultaneously press and hold down the watch's digital crown and the side button just below it for approximately 10 seconds. If your screen isn't frozen, holding down that side button will also engage the Power Off slide button. You can turn the watch back on by pressing and holding the same side button.