My 3rd Party Apple Watch band is stuck

I used to be a jeweler, still have the majority of my tools. Please post some pictures of the problem, I may be able to help. What’s wrong with the watch outside of the band? What material is the band made of? Do you need to recover the watch too? Do you want the band fixed so that it will come on and off the new watch?

Isopropyl Alcohol (a cleaning product) did it for me. Dip a cotton tip into the alcohol then dab along both sides of the “slot” and on the release button. Pressed the button and the strap slid straight out!!!

You might want to try WD40 spray to try to loosen the button. Overtime oils and dead skin as well as sand and salt can jam up the button. Spray both the button and aim the snorkel into the gap of the strap both top and bottom. Give it some time to do its thing and give it a try. You may need a few treatments and don’t worry about over doing it the spray won’t get into the watch and the strap can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.

Try cleaning it out with a warm water jet from a WaterPik or similar. Aim it in and around the release button. I have had success with my series 2 & 4 watches using this technique.

When all of the suggestions didn't work, I wrapped some rubber around the watch case and held it in a vise so it was secure and wouldn't move. I got a automatic machinist !$$&* punch that has a sharp point and pushed on the end of the slide until the punch internal hammer released. The first impact moved the slide about 1/8 inch and continued to move about the same with each impact. After moving it about 1/2 inch, I was able to get it free by tapping it out with a small rod or nail. The aluminum case corrosion had occurred in many spots the length of the slide so it takes a snap force to free the bond. The sharp point on the punch is necessary to prevent it from hitting the watch case. I suggest that Vaseline be used to wipe the slide and groove and act like a sealant when installing a new slide to prevent corrosion from occurring from sweat and water.

I was struggling with a third party silicone woven loop that kept stretching but wouldn’t budge as I tried to remove it. I tried everything. After an hour it finally dawned on me that I was pressing the release button with my thumb but nothing was happening.. it was not actually depressing. When I pressed it with the tip of my fingernail, the button went down immediately and the band slid out. Duh. Stupid, I know, but hopefully this “revelation” will save some new watch owners some time and aggravation. I had already changed bands several times, but it was never “easy” to get them off - when this one got stuck I really got nervous and was already planning a trip to the Apple store, but … the thumbnail technique saved the day. I know this isn’t exactly what others are commenting on, but when you’re unaccustomed to the new watch, you have no idea how things are supposed to work, so you don’t realize the button isn’t depressing sufficiently to release. It worked well enough, but it wasn’t easy ( when depressing button with the flat part of my thumb or fingertip). Pushing it in with my fingernail released it instantaneously.

I just pulled hard up and down on the band instead of side to side and it loosened it enough to properly depress the button! So glad I didn’t bring it to Apple.