Apple Watch Series 6 Battery Replacement

Written By: Dominik Schnabelrauch

Comments: 16

Apple Watch Series 6 Battery Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

45 minutes - 2 hours

Introduction

Use this guide to replace a worn-out or dead battery in your Apple Watch Series 6.

This guide shows the procedure on the cellular/LTE version of the watch, but the GPS-only version is similar.

Note: The battery replacement procedure for the 40 mm Series 6 Apple Watch differs slightly from the 44 mm version. This guide shows how to replace the battery for both sizes.

Before you begin, make sure you have the appropriate replacement battery for your watch.

If your battery is swollen, take appropriate precautions. For your safety, discharge your battery below 25% before disassembling your watch. This reduces the risk of a dangerous thermal event if the battery is accidentally damaged during the repair.

You’ll need replacement adhesive to reattach components when reassembling the device.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Before starting repairs, take your watch off the charger and power it down.
If your touchscreen is broken and you can't power off the watch, use this alternate method to power it down.

Step 2

Because the gap between the screen and watch body is so thin, a sharp blade is needed to separate the two. Read the following warnings carefully before proceeding.
Protect your fingers by keeping them completely clear of the knife. If in doubt, protect your free hand with a heavy glove, such as a leather shop glove or gardening glove.
Be careful not to apply too much pressure, as this might cause the knife to slip and cut you, or damage the watch.
Wear eye protection. The knife or glass may break, sending pieces flying.
Attach or remove the watch band as needed to provide more control as you make repairs.

Step 3

Prepare an iOpener (or use a hair dryer or heat gun) and heat the face of the watch to loosen the display adhesive.
Leave the iOpener on the watch for at least two minutes to fully heat the screen and soften the adhesive holding it to the case.
You may need to reheat the iOpener and repeat this procedure several times until the display adhesive softens.

Step 4

Place the edge of a curved blade into the thin gap between the display and the outer case. Start at the short side of the display, most distant to the digital crown.
Press firmly straight down into the gap.
Once inserted, tilt the blade to pry the display open slightly.

Step 5

Insert an opening pick in the gap your created.
Slide the opening pick along the short edge of the watch to cut the adhesive.

Step 6

Slide the opening pick around the corner and along the long edge on the opposite side of the watch crown to cut the display adhesive.

Step 7

Slide the opening pick around the corner to cut the remaining adhesive on the short edge of the watch next to the watch crown.

Step 8

Place the watch on a flat surface and use an opening pick to slice through any remaining adhesive.
Try not to slice near the watch crown to prevent damaging the display cables. If you must slice near the crown, don't insert the opening pick deeper than 1/16th of an inch (~2 mm).
Slide an opening pick under the opposite display edge of the watch crown.
Twist the opening pick to loosen the display off the watch case.
Don't try to remove the display. It is still connected to the watch assembly.

Step 9

Be careful not to strain the display cables when you fold the display to the side.
Lift the display and carefully pull it towards the watch crown.
Swing the display open to an upward position.

When I opened my watch I saw two layers of adhesive or are they gaskets? I broke one accidentally but not sure if I should keep the undamaged one in there? Or should both side be totally bare and the adhesive itself is also the seal?

Also I think I damaged my battery when prying it up since it won’t hold a charge now. I bought a replacement battery and will try that but is there anything else it could be?

Melina Jefferson -

Step 10

Prepare an iOpener (or use a hair dryer or heat gun) and heat the rear side of the watch to loosen the battery adhesive. Leave the iOpener on the watch for at least two minutes.

Step 11

From this point, the battery removal procedure for the 40 mm watch differs slightly from the 44 mm version.
If you're replacing the battery for a 40 mm watch, continue with this step.
If you're replacing the battery for a 44 mm watch, continue with this step.

These links for replacing the battery for the 40mm and 44mm are going to the battery section of the screen replacement instructions page. They should go to the battery replacement instructions below instead. (This is likely a copy-paste error from that other page)

Beopaul - 20/08/23

Yeah, bad links in step 11

Christopher Truesdell -

I have edited the links to stay on the correct guide so they should work right once the edit is approved by the admins.

Jerry Wheeler -

Step 12

The following four steps show how to remove the battery from a 40 mm Apple Watch Series 6.
Insert an opening pick between the battery and the Taptic Engine.
Use constant, steady pressure to slowly pry the battery up, separating it from the adhesive securing it to the mainboard.
Make sure you don't puncture or deform the battery, as it can catch fire and/or explode if damaged.
Don't try to remove the battery all the way yet. It is still connected to the watch assembly.

Step 13

The battery flex cable is long enough to allow you to place the battery outside the watch case, but avoid straining the cable when you lift the battery out of its recess.
Carefully lift and swing the battery out of its recess.

Step 14

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery connector.

Step 15

Remove the battery.
Don't reinstall a damaged or deformed battery, as doing so is a potential safety hazard.
If you're reusing your old battery during reassembly, you can reuse the existing adhesive to secure the battery during reassembly.
Alternatively, remove the old adhesive with high concentration isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth and use a small piece of double-sided tape such as Tesa 61395, or a dab of liquid adhesive such as E6000.

Step 16

The following four steps show how to remove the battery from a 44 mm Apple Watch Series 6.
Insert an opening pick between the battery and the Taptic Engine.
Use constant, steady pressure to slowly pry the battery up, separating it from the adhesive securing it to the mainboard.
Make sure you don't puncture or deform the battery, as it can catch fire and/or explode if damaged.
Don't try to remove the battery all the way yet. It is still connected to the watch assembly.

My watch has a metal shield in between the battery and screen?

Eric Macfadyen - 31/01/21

Hi Eric,

I assume you own the 40mm version of the Apple Watch series 6 which has a slightly different build. The one you see here is the 44mm version.

Dominik Schnabelrauch - 04/02/21

Is removing the battery really necessary if you are only replacing the display? I can't see in the following steps where the battery would get in the way of detaching the old screen.

Christopher Truesdell -

Step 17

The battery flex cable is long enough to place the battery outside the watch case during the following procedure but avoid straining it when lifting the battery out of its recess.
Carefully lift the battery out of its recess and place it outside the watch case opposite to the Taptic Engine.

Step 18

Remove the single 1.2 mm-long tri point Y000 screw.

Step 19

Use a pair of tweezers to remove the metal shield covering the battery connector.

Step 20

Use the flat end of a spudger to pry up and disconnect the battery connector.

Step 21

Remove the battery.
Do not reinstall a damaged or deformed battery, as doing so is a potential safety hazard.
If you are reusing your old battery during reassembly, you can reuse the existing adhesive to secure the battery during reassembly.
Alternatively, remove the old adhesive with high concentration isopropyl alcohol and a lint free cloth and use a small piece of double-sided tape such as Tesa 61395, or a dab of liquid adhesive such as E6000.

Conclusion

If possible, turn on your device and test your repair before installing new adhesive and resealing.

Secure the new battery with pre-cut adhesive or double-sided adhesive tape. In order to position it correctly, apply the new adhesive into the device at the places where the old adhesive was located, not directly onto the battery. Press the new battery firmly into place.

To reassemble your Apple Watch Series 6, follow these instructions in reverse order. Apply a little bit of high isopropyl alcohol (>90%) to a Q-tip or use a cleaning pad to gently remove the leftover adhesive on the edges of the watch case and the screen before installing new adhesive.

For optimal performance, calibrate your newly installed battery after completing this guide.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Answers community for help.

Author

Dominik Schnabelrauch

Member since: 23/11/16

201132 Reputation

9 comments

Where do I purchase a replacement battery?

Salma Khan -

You can Google this. There are several sites offering batteries.

agrior -

Moin Team !

Welches Klebeband benötige um das Display möglichst Wasserresistent abzudichten und festzukleben ?

ike-bhv -

None is needed for the series 6. You seal it with glue. I.e. B-7000 glue.

agrior -

Does the watch is still water resistant after replacing the battery ?

Nicolas Kalogeropoulos -

Not really, but I glue with certain types of glue and cure it for 1 hour and it seems to hold well. but I still wouldn't recommend going into pool.

iFIX smartphone -

Muss ich denn das Display ausbauen beim Akku Tausch? Oder reicht es einfach einen neuen Akku einzusetzen

Melanie -

Just completed the battery replacement for a series 6 40mm watch. The repair went smoothly, but now that it's all back together there are two bright blue vertical lines through the display. Any idea what I damaged? I'm assuming I damaged a cable or something and there is no fix, but I would like to know what I damaged so that I can be more careful next time.

Nicholas Sweeney -

It sounds like you damaged OLED. You will need new display for it but also want to make sure you transfer NFC chip in order to save Apple Pay function. but then, maybe it's time to upgrade.

iFIX smartphone -