Google's blank, frozen or error message article says a Pixel Watch has no physical reset button and warns not to insert items such as paper clips into the mic hole on the side or into the charging pins on the back of a Pixel Watch 2 or 3. For a blank, frozen or unresponsive screen, a restart should fix it: press and hold the crown for 3 seconds, scroll down and tap Restart. If the screen is still unresponsive, hard reset by pressing and holding the crown and the side button for about 35 seconds or longer until the G logo appears;
if that fails, try the hard reset while the watch is connected to the charger. For an error message or a startup freeze, factory reset from the watch (Settings, Disconnect and reset) or from the Pixel Watch app (System, Reset and unpair watch), then, if the watch will not reset, the Fastboot route. A restart keeps your data; a factory reset erases apps, settings and data. Water on the screen can also make touch behave oddly, and the watch is designed to lock its screen when submerged.
Differential
Likely causes of “Google Pixel Watch touchscreen, crown or buttons are not responding”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A frozen screen
What separates it Touch and the crown do nothing because of a frozen screen
How to confirm Restart, then hard reset with the crown and side button
- 2
A stuck startup
What separates it There is a frozen G logo because of a stuck startup
How to confirm Factory reset or use Fastboot as Google describes, if the startup is stuck
- 3
A depleted battery
What separates it The screen is blank because of a depleted battery
How to confirm Charge for 10 to 30 minutes and press the crown
- 4
Water on the screen
What separates it The touch is erratic because there is water on the screen
How to confirm Dry the watch, and try the touch again
- 5
Hardware damage
What separates it There are dead zones or a crack because of hardware damage
How to confirm Contact Google; the Pixel Watch 3 is replaced, not repaired
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- What the screen does and whether the crown and side button respond
- Whether the watch charges and whether a G logo appears
- Whether it was dropped, wet or updated recently
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedRestart
ReversibleRestart, by holding the crown 3 seconds, scrolling and tapping Restart, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Hard reset
ReversibleHard reset, by holding the crown and the side button for about 35 seconds until the G logo appears.
Try it on the charger
ReversibleTry it on the charger, by repeating the hard reset while the watch is connected to the charger.
Use the phone route
ReversibleIf it will not reset, forget the watch on the phone and restart the phone.
Use Fastboot
ReversibleUse Fastboot, by following Google's Fastboot steps as a last resort, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Contact Google
ReversibleContact Google, and if nothing works, contact support with the model number, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Hard reset by model
- Google's article gives the same crown and side button hard reset for all models, about 35 seconds; the charging pin warning applies to the Pixel Watch 2 and 3.
- Screen glass
- Google lists custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and a 320 ppi AMOLED LTPO display on the newer models.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the Pixel Watch 2.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the watch stays frozen after a 35-second hard reset on the charger, contact Google support
- !If the screen is cracked or has dead zones, contact Google
- !If a factory reset fails, use Fastboot or contact support
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Restart, hard reset, no reset button and the warnings.
Factory reset and Fastboot steps.
The screen locks automatically when submerged.
Charging a watch that will not start.
The Pixel Watch line and its generations.
Exact questions
Common questions
How do I hard reset it?+
Hold the crown and side button about 35 seconds or longer until the G logo appears.
What if it is stuck on the G logo?+
Factory reset from the app or use Fastboot.
What fixes Something went wrong?+
A factory reset fixes Something went wrong, per Google.
Can Google repair a Pixel Watch 3?+
No, Google does not repair a Pixel Watch 3, and it replaces the watch.