The Vtech Kidizoom Smart Watch DX is a children’s smart watch, released in August 2015 and identified by product number 80-171600. It is designed for ages 4-9 years, and we have made the troubleshooting guide as easy to use as the watch itself.
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The screen is black, and the watch doesn’t appear to be on.
The first task to try is to flip the master switch on the back of the watch to “ON”. Without doing this, the watch will not turn on when the home button is pressed.
The battery of this smart watch can last up to 2 weeks on a single charge, but it still needs to be recharged on a regular basis. You can do this by connecting a USB cable between the watch and a computer. Allow it to charge for about 3 hours for maximum performance.
The master switch may be faulty, if neither of the above solutions solve the problem. In this case, you may need to replace the master switch.
If the master switch is in good condition, and charging the battery doesn’t allow the watch to turn on, then the issue may be a bad circuit board. Replacing the circuit board entirely will be the solution.
The screen doesn’t display fully, the graphics aren’t displayed in the right colors, or something just doesn’t look right.
The screen may simply be dirty, as many children’s toys become. Clean the screen with an alcohol-based wipe, or similar kid-friendly cleaning agent. Once dry, the display should look good as new.
If the display does not load correctly and entirely, the watch software may be the culprit. Flip the master power switch to the “OFF” position for 30 seconds. Then flip the switch back to “ON” and press the home button to turn on the watch. This will reboot the watch in a fresh state, and the screen display should look normal.
If the above solutions don’t work, the problem may lie in the display itself. In that case, the circuit board (to which the display is permanently attached) may have to be replaced.
Pushing the buttons doesn’t make anything happen.
If the buttons feel stuck or sticky to the touch, they may need to be cleaned. To do so, the buttons need to be removed. Once this is done, wash the buttons and watch casing with a water-based cleaner. When fully dry, reassemble the circuit board and buttons.
Despite your best efforts, the smart watch doesn’t appear to connect to the computer.
Resetting the watch will reboot the software, and possibly get rid of any issues the watch has in connecting. To reset the watch, flip the master power switch to the “OFF” position for 30 seconds, then flip it back to “ON”. Push the home button to turn the watch back on, and try connecting to the computer again.
If rebooting the watch doesn’t work, the problem may lie in the connecting cable being used. Test the cable with another device and USB port, and if the cable fails to connect, then it may need to be replaced.
The USB port on the computer may be the issue. If connecting the watch works on another computer, then there’s a possibility that the port on your computer is faulty. Using a different port should work.
If none of the above solutions fix the problem, then the USB port on the watch may be faulty. The only way to fix this is to replace the circuit board.
Pictures and videos you’ve placed onto the watch can’t be viewed.
When downloading images or videos onto the smart watch, be sure that they are going into the right directory. In the Kidizoom Smart Watch location on your computer, photos should be placed in the DOWNLOAD/PHOTO folder, and videos should be placed in the DOWNLOAD/VIDEO folder.
If your files do not show up on the watch, check which format the files are in. The watch can only accept JPEG and AVI (also known as Motion JPEG) formats for pictures and videos. If they are not in these formats, they will not be displayed.
This watch may be splash-proof, but it isn’t water-proof. After exposure to water, the watch doesn’t work right.
After a fall into water, you should not attempt to turn the watch back on. Doing so can cause it to short circuit, and stop working for good. Flip the master switch to “OFF” and unscrew the back of the watch. Place the watch casing (including the circuit board) in a cup full of rice, or another drying agent such as silica gel. After 3 days, replace the back plate, and the watch should hopefully function as normal.
If any of these parts are exposed to water, that may cause them to stop functioning. Test these parts using the relevant troubleshooting guides. If the part in question still does not work after troubleshooting, the entire circuit board may need to be replaced.
