Apple Watch 7 green snake of death

This question was asked in these forums but never usefully answered. Just the usual 'golly, take it to Apple' — where the battery repair is $79 (about $95 with shipping and taxes). Here's a more useful answer:

The problem: Apple Watch shows a green snake ("charge me please") when on the charger but it doesn't charge or respond — except perhaps by getting very hot when sitting on the charger. People have had this happen to them after installing a new battery, or sometimes just randomly. It happened to me in June 2020 after installing a new battery bought from iFixit into my original ("series 0") Apple Watch.

The solution:

Leave the watch alone until the battery dies completely. That is, until nothing happens when you press the side button — no red snake, no green snake, just a black screen. It might take a day or two. Then start charging, and let it charge for a long time, such as the officially recommended 2.5 hours. Ta dah! Fixed!

One way to tell if this "cure" is working: When it’s NOT working, my watch and charger got really, really hot to the touch. Like REALLY hot — too hot to touch. But after I let the battery die completely and started charging, the temperature while charging was normal, not hot at all. 

Note: This solution is findable if you spend a lot of time scratching all over the internet, and ignore all the suggestions that don't actually work, but I thought it should be here in the forums too.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

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I got a New Apple watch series 7 and I was all excited to use it, BAM "Green/Red snake of death" appeared before I could switch it on. After a couple of hours of charge and Force restart somehow it started. Will this issue keep on happening with the watch because on the first day before I pair my watch I faced this issue? Is there any possibility of replacement of the watch?

Apple Watch Series 7, watchOS 8

Posted on Apr 29, 2022 3:21 AM

3 replies

Apr 29, 2022 4:02 AM in response to suhashv

I had the same but it was only because my watch was fully dead! Once the battery dies it goes into a mode where you just see the time! After a while it just goes completely black which means it is dead! Then it will go like a snake then it should boot back up!

So it is normal but you shouldn’t have to restart it everytime

May 12, 2022 2:14 PM in response to suhashv

I’m facing the same issue red snake of death - charging is not responding - force restart is not responding neeeed Help please

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Green/Red Snake of Death

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User profile for user: HElShafei_0

HElShafei_0 Author

User level: Level 1

12 points

My apple watch is showing Red/Green snake of death - Not charging - tried force restart nothing happened please help

Apple Watch Series 7, watchOS 8

Posted on May 12, 2022 2:20 PM

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User profile for user: Zedairder

Zedairder

User level: Level 3

603 points

Try visiting If your Apple Watch won't charge or it won't turn on - Apple Support.

If it doesn’t help, get support at Apple Support.

Posted on May 12, 2022 2:25 PM

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Question marked as Apple recommended

User profile for user: Zedairder

Zedairder

User level: Level 3

603 points

May 12, 2022 2:25 PM in response to HElShafei_0

Try visiting If your Apple Watch won't charge or it won't turn on - Apple Support.

If it doesn’t help, get support at Apple Support.

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Apple watch series 7 Red/Green Snake

What is the green snake of death on Apple Watch?

But in reality, the green snake of death error represents a scenario where your Apple Watch is charging but you cannot use your watch even after hours and hours of charging. This usually appears once the red snake error has gone and your watch has started charging again giving you a lot of hope.

Why is my Apple Watch stuck on green lightning bolt?

https://locate.apple.com/ The symbol of a charging cable and lightning bolt appears when your watch battery still has a low charge level. Try charging your watch again for at least 2 hours (and perhaps also for a few more, such as overnight).

How do I know my Apple Watch is charging when its dead?

The easiest way to tell is to watch when you plug your Apple Watch up to a charging station. Once the watch connects to the charger, a green lightning bolt will appear on the screen for a few seconds to let you know the watch is charging.

How long does it take for an Apple Watch to turn on after it dies?

The most obvious reason for your Apple Watch not turning on is that the battery is dead. Luckily, this is the easiest solution to fix. On the Series 7, charging from 0—80% takes only 45 minutes.