One of the most common reasons an Apple Watch fails to update is it doesn’t have enough battery power. If you notice your device has frozen while updating, checking the battery level should be the first thing you do. The Apple Watch must be charged at least 50% to initiate an update. It may stop updating or freeze entirely if the battery life falls below this level. This is a protective measure to prevent data corruption or other software issues. Since updates can take up to an hour to complete, it’s a good idea to keep your watch plugged in for the duration of this process.
While updates are meant to fix bugs, they can sometimes introduce new glitches that cause your watch to freeze. These glitches can range from minor software conflicts to bigger issues that disrupt the normal functioning of your device. New updates may not always be fully compatible with the software configuration of your Apple Watch model, especially if the software you’re trying to update is outdated or has known issues. If you have an older model Apple Watch, you may find it struggles to handle the demands of new updates, which could slow the time it takes to update your watch or cause it to freeze during the update. In some cases, underlying hardware issues, such as a failing battery, can result in the watch freezing during an update.
