Face popped off of my AW

[convergent]

So finally the face popped off my Apple Watch this week. I was talking on the phone and it just popped off. I tried to push it back on and it popped off again. Looks to me like the battery is the cause.

So I use it a lot and wanted to get it replaced quickly; so I talked to Apple Support to decide whether I was going to mail it in or go to the store. Simple question... do the stores do in-store replacements/repairs. They said yes, but no guarantees. So I make an appointment to go in. Wasted and hour and a half going into the store to have them tell me stores don't do repairs/replacements and mail it away.

The girl that waited on my... the "genius" looks at it and says the battery isn't swollen. Um, well then why does the face keep popping off when I push it on? I've got a bad feeling they are going to tell me they won't take care of it under AppleCare for some crazy reason. She made some comments about it having scratches on the underside. Duh... its a nearly 2 year old stainless steel watch that I wear daily. The only scratches it has are from that... not a mark on the face or body that I would call a "scratch".

 

[BarracksSi]

Okay.

Let us know what they say and when you're supposed to get the replacement.

 

[SDColorado]

So finally the face popped off my Apple Watch this week. I was talking on the phone and it just popped off. I tried to push it back on and it popped off again. Looks to me like the battery is the cause.

So I use it a lot and wanted to get it replaced quickly; so I talked to Apple Support to decide whether I was going to mail it in or go to the store. Simple question... do the stores do in-store replacements/repairs. They said yes, but no guarantees. So I make an appointment to go in. Wasted and hour and a half going into the store to have them tell me stores don't do repairs/replacements and mail it away.

The girl that waited on my... the "genius" looks at it and says the battery isn't swollen. Um, well then why does the face keep popping off when I push it on? I've got a bad feeling they are going to tell me they won't take care of it under AppleCare for some crazy reason. She made some comments about it having scratches on the underside. Duh... its a nearly 2 year old stainless steel watch that I wear daily. The only scratches it has are from that... not a mark on the face or body that I would call a "scratch".

From what I understand, the issue isn't necessarily from the battery swelling, but from heat cycles due to recharging, breaking down the adhesive. iFixit has a kit, for replacing your own battery and it basically consists of a microwavable heat pad to break down the glue. Seems there was an issue with the adhesive on some of the Gen1's that would fail over time.

Mine has some scuffs on the bottom too. Mostly caused from 18+ months of being put on the charger daily. That doesn't effect the screen and luckily mine has yet to pop out. But they shouldn't give you any grief or deny a repair due to scuff/scratches on the underside. It isn't as though they haven't seen or heard of this issue before.

 

[Julien]

From what I understand, the issue isn't necessarily from the battery swelling, but from heat cycles due to recharging, breaking down the adhesive....

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/pouch_cell_small_but_not_trouble_free

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/
https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/28/apple-watch-expanded-swollen-battery-repair-coverage-warranty/

 

[SDColorado]

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/archive/pouch_cell_small_but_not_trouble_free

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/
https://9to5mac.com/2017/04/28/apple-watch-expanded-swollen-battery-repair-coverage-warranty/

Yes, I understand that some watches suffer from battery swelling, which causes some screens to pop off. But it seems there is also another group, like Convergent, who have had screens pop off and who are told the battery isn't swollen.

It seems as though there is more than one issue going on here?

 

[44267547]

So finally the face popped off my Apple Watch this week. I was talking on the phone and it just popped off. I tried to push it back on and it popped off again. Looks to me like the battery is the cause.

So I use it a lot and wanted to get it replaced quickly; so I talked to Apple Support to decide whether I was going to mail it in or go to the store. Simple question... do the stores do in-store replacements/repairs. They said yes, but no guarantees. So I make an appointment to go in. Wasted and hour and a half going into the store to have them tell me stores don't do repairs/replacements and mail it away.

The girl that waited on my... the "genius" looks at it and says the battery isn't swollen. Um, well then why does the face keep popping off when I push it on? I've got a bad feeling they are going to tell me they won't take care of it under AppleCare for some crazy reason. She made some comments about it having scratches on the underside. Duh... its a nearly 2 year old stainless steel watch that I wear daily. The only scratches it has are from that... not a mark on the face or body that I would call a "scratch".

Did the battery look swollen to you after the watch face popped off? Were you able to see the battery physically?

Also, Apple Stores do not do in-store repairs for the Apple Watch and they mail them out to a depot for repair. They also do not carry replacement watches in store as well. So if anybody told you otherwise, they misinformed you.

 

[Njmacman]

So finally the face popped off my Apple Watch this week. I was talking on the phone and it just popped off. I tried to push it back on and it popped off again. Looks to me like the battery is the cause.

So I use it a lot and wanted to get it replaced quickly; so I talked to Apple Support to decide whether I was going to mail it in or go to the store. Simple question... do the stores do in-store replacements/repairs. They said yes, but no guarantees. So I make an appointment to go in. Wasted and hour and a half going into the store to have them tell me stores don't do repairs/replacements and mail it away.

The girl that waited on my... the "genius" looks at it and says the battery isn't swollen. Um, well then why does the face keep popping off when I push it on? I've got a bad feeling they are going to tell me they won't take care of it under AppleCare for some crazy reason. She made some comments about it having scratches on the underside. Duh... its a nearly 2 year old stainless steel watch that I wear daily. The only scratches it has are from that... not a mark on the face or body that I would call a "scratch".

The exact same thing happened to my stainless steel Apple Watch today! I took it to the Apple Store and they told me I was out of warranty and they charge $250 to ship it out to get it fixed or replaced which is absolute BS! My Apple Watch the I paid $650 for lasted a little over a year....and they want $250 for an issue with the adhesive??? That's not a $250 fix. I'm glad I found this thread, I will go back to the Apple Store tomorrow and speak to a manager being that I'm not the only one with this issue.

 

[SDColorado]

The exact same thing happened to my stainless steel Apple Watch today! I took it to the Apple Store and they told me I was out of warranty and they charge $250 to ship it out to get it fixed or replaced which is absolute BS! My Apple Watch the I paid $650 for lasted a little over a year....and they want $250 for an issue with the adhesive??? That's not a $250 fix. I'm glad I found this thread, I will go back to the Apple Store tomorrow and speak to a manager being that I'm not the only one with this issue.

How about your battery? Did it seem swollen? If so, would that not fall under the extended warranty?

Or does it appear as though it fell off without the battery being swollen?

 

[Mythicstatus2]

I had a series 0 SS watch with a swollen battery and the screen came off.

I had a chat with apple support last Sunday and they set up an appointment with the genius to get my watch looked at. I had to be specific about the new extended warranty apple has otherwise they wanted to charge me. In the end all i had to do was take the watch to the apple store to get it shipped. Took it in Monday at about 4:30pm. They called me Thursday to go and get my watch.

In the end they replaced it with a brand new one with a 3 month warranty on it. Could not be happier.

 

[convergent]

Did the battery look swollen to you after the watch face popped off? Were you able to see the battery physically?

Also, Apple Stores do not do in-store repairs for the Apple Watch and they mail them out to a depot for repair. They also do not carry replacement watches in store as well. So if anybody told you otherwise, they misinformed you.

The battery didn't look like a balloon kind of thing, but having not seen it originally it looked like it might have swollen a little bit. The bottom line was if I tried to push the face back down it would just pop back off immediately. It could just be that the adhesive broke down.

The Apple support person I chatted with online did tell me that stores can do a replacement. I specifically asked her that. Apparently she was wrong.

So I went to the store on Thursday at noon and they took it to send off. Today is Monday and Fedex showed up at about 10:00am with a box containing a new or refurb stainless steel watch. So that is 2 business days later I received the replacement.

It did come in a nifty looking box that I guess I get to keep since there is not return information. This may be one advantage of going into the store because other people that mailed it in liked the box and weren't able to keep it.

I was still under AppleCare which does expire in another 2 weeks.

Now that I have a replacement, I will also say that I wear the watch all the time, including exercise, running, yard work, swimming, and showering. So not sure if any of that helped kill the adhesive or not.

 

[Julien]

....it looked like it might have swollen a little bit. The bottom line was if I tried to push the face back down it would just pop back off immediately.....

The tolerances in the watch are fractions of a mm so any swelling could be enough to dislodge the screen. Also if you saw any curvature (convex) then it was swollen. It should be a flat surface and solid to the touch. It sounds like you may have had a swollen battery.

 

[meeebee]

I purchased my Series 0 back in Dec 2015 with Apple Care. Last week the face popped up so I made an appointment at the local Genius bar. They said it looked like the battery was swollen (the one guy wasn't sure and had to validate with another employee). They said they had to send it in for repair and it would take 3-5 days. I called them 7 days later asking about it and they said the replacement was at the store. I then got the email to come pick it up. Went to the store and received what looks to be a new replacement, not refurb. Not sure why they couldn't just give me a replacement from the store or immediately send a replacement to the store instead of waiting a week.

 

[44267547]

Went to the store and received what looks to be a new replacement, not refurb. Not sure why they couldn't just give me a replacement from the store or immediately send a replacement to the store instead of waiting a week.

The reason is Apple does not carry replacement/refurbished watches in their stores. When they send out the Watch, it goes to a depot for repair, then goes back to either the customer or the Apple store depending on preference.

Also, a replacement could perhaps be a refurbished watch as well. They likely gave you a "New" watch with an assigned serial number. There have been times where you can receive a replacement device that might have internal parts that were changed with the casing being in very good condition.

 

[convergent]

Just updating the thread. No problems with the replacement thus far... still wearing it all the time as before.

The one thing I wanted to mention was that they told me when I unpaired the watch from my phone that it would backup the watch and let me restore to the new one. That didn't happen. I had to setup the watch from scratch, which actually didn't take all that long.... so no big deal; but be aware if you are doing a replacement. I may have done something wrong, but looked all over for a way to restore and it wasn't there.

 

[44267547]

Just updating the thread. No problems with the replacement thus far... still wearing it all the time as before.

The one thing I wanted to mention was that they told me when I unpaired the watch from my phone that it would backup the watch and let me restore to the new one. That didn't happen. I had to setup the watch from scratch, which actually didn't take all that long.... so no big deal; but be aware if you are doing a replacement. I may have done something wrong, but looked all over for a way to restore and it wasn't there.

When you initially set the Watch up (Assumingly it's been used/saved before), you have the option of choosing "Restore from back up" or "Set up as new". Unless your Watch information was wiped/Not backed up from your storage/iCloud from your iPhone.

 

[WarHeadz]

When you initially set the Watch up (Assumingly it's been used/saved before), you have the option of choosing "Restore from back up" or "Set up as new". Unless your Watch information was wiped/Not backed up from your storage/iCloud from your iPhone.

I actually had the same issue when i received my replacement watch. It's because the replacement doesn't run the newest version of WatchOS like the original watch did. You have to set it up as new, do the software update, unpair it again, and then you can restore from the backup.

 

[44267547]

I actually had the same issue when i received my replacement watch. It's because the replacement doesn't run the newest version of WatchOS like the original watch did. You have to set it up as new, do the software update, unpair it again, and then you can restore from the backup.

I actually didn't know that the latest version of watchOS isn't installed on the replacement device. This makes sense as to why there is no option to restore. Good to know. Thanks.

 

[WarHeadz]

I actually didn't know that the latest version of watchOS isn't installed on the replacement device. This makes sense as to why there is no option to restore. Good to know. Thanks.

Yeah you gotta figure the replacement watches weren't manufactured the day before being sent out. They probably sit around for at least a few weeks before going to their new homes. Within those few weeks a new update comes out, and they've been coming out pretty frequently lately. A watch that's been sitting in a warehouse for a few months would be completely outdated by the time it reaches the customer. Same as when you buy a new iPhone and have to perform a software update right away.

 

[convergent]

That makes sense, and that was my suspicion. But as I said, it wasn't a big deal to set it up since I knew what I was using. I think it probably seemed like it would be a lot since the first time around there was a lot of learning and discovery on how I would use it. Knowing that, I think it took me about a half hour to get it set the way I wanted, then a few tweaks over the first week.

 

[Mac Tyson]

My wife's AW face popped off. I did some research after a friend that works at the Apple Store said they wouldn't fix her watch. I came across an article that said they extended warranty coverage for those with battery swelling.

I made an appointment with the Genius Bar and told them the AW face popped off due to battery swelling.

They looked and agreed.

They send it off for repair. My wife got a brand new or newer looking refurbished one back.

 

[44267547]

My wife's AW face popped off. I did some research after a friend that works at the Apple Store said they wouldn't fix her watch. I came across an article that said they extended warranty coverage for those with battery swelling.

I made an appointment with the Genius Bar and told them the AW face popped off due to battery swelling.

They looked and agreed.

They send it off for repair. My wife got a brand new or newer looking refurbished one back.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/amp/

 

[alshut]

So finally the face popped off my Apple Watch this week. I was talking on the phone and it just popped off. I tried to push it back on and it popped off again. Looks to me like the battery is the cause.

So I use it a lot and wanted to get it replaced quickly; so I talked to Apple Support to decide whether I was going to mail it in or go to the store. Simple question... do the stores do in-store replacements/repairs. They said yes, but no guarantees. So I make an appointment to go in. Wasted and hour and a half going into the store to have them tell me stores don't do repairs/replacements and mail it away.

The girl that waited on my... the "genius" looks at it and says the battery isn't swollen. Um, well then why does the face keep popping off when I push it on? I've got a bad feeling they are going to tell me they won't take care of it under AppleCare for some crazy reason. She made some comments about it having scratches on the underside. Duh... its a nearly 2 year old stainless steel watch that I wear daily. The only scratches it has are from that... not a mark on the face or body that I would call a "scratch".

Include my stainless steel Apple watch too. I've had it just over three years and one day I noticed the screen hanging open like a door and then it just fell off and ripped off the ribbon cable. I bought my wife an aluminium Apple watch and now the back keeps opening up on that too so I've stuck it back with some parcel tape. Apple must be aware of these faults as lots of other people are reporting the same issues but they will do nothing about it unless you pay. We have bought lots of Apple products in the past and I recently bought an iPhone X but I think next time I'll check out the alternatives from Samsung.
The faulty screens and backs on series 1 Apple watches should be repaired free of charge. Apple can afford it.

 

[44267547]

Include my stainless steel Apple watch too. I've had it just over three years and one day I noticed the screen hanging open like a door and then it just fell off and ripped off the ribbon cable. I bought my wife an aluminium Apple watch and now the back keeps opening up on that too so I've stuck it back with some parcel tape. Apple must be aware of these faults as lots of other people are reporting the same issues but they will do nothing about it unless you pay. We have bought lots of Apple products in the past and I recently bought an iPhone X but I think next time I'll check out the alternatives from Samsung.
The faulty screens and backs on series 1 Apple watches should be repaired free of charge. Apple can afford it.

Then escalate your case if you feel that they are trying to charge you for something that is out of your control. Also, your stainless watch could be due to the battery swelling if the display popped off, which there was an extended warranty for the original Apple Watch.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/amp/

 

[TopGasMan]

Then escalate your case if you feel that they are trying to charge you for something that is out of your control. Also, your stainless watch could be due to the battery swelling if the display popped off, which there was an extended warranty for the original Apple Watch.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/amp/

Then escalate your case if you feel that they are trying to charge you for something that is out of your control. Also, your stainless watch could be due to the battery swelling if the display popped off, which there was an extended warranty for the original Apple Watch.

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/amp/

I’ve just had exactly the same issue last night with my series 1 42mm sport in black. It had been on charge in bedside mode for 5 days without being worn. I took it off charge and tapped the screen to find it was open like a hinged flap!
Pushed it back down and it popped back up again. Googled the fault and found lots have done the same and it’s due to the battery swelling. I contacted Apple support by online chat. They said if it’s under 3 years then they would replace it (I don’t have Apple care) they came back and told me I had bought it 3 years and 5 weeks ago so it would be £84.99 for a battery repair but would swap the watch. I said not good enough as it was a known fault with their batteries. Anyway after 90mins and being joined by senior advisors on the chat and emailing photos whilst still on the chat they agreed to exchange the watch free of charge. (Watch only, not the strap/band) Then today I have received a message from UPS to say they are delivering a package from Apple tomorrow. We shall see. Apple may have redeemed themselves after my disappointment.