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If your Apple Watch isn’t working properly even when all the settings seem correct, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue. Start with the simplest solutions and work your way up until you find a fix or decide to seek professional help at an Apple Store.
Begin by restarting both your Apple Watch and the paired iPhone. To force restart the Watch, press and hold both the side button and the Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds. Keep holding until the Apple logo appears, then release both buttons. While the Watch is restarting, also force restart your iPhone. You can find how to do this on Apple’s support page, but generally, it involves pressing specific buttons together for a few seconds until the device restarts. After both devices are restarted, test them for a while to see if the problem persists.
If the issue still isn’t fixed, the next step is to unpair your Apple Watch and then set it up again. This process takes around 20 minutes. To do this, follow the instructions on Apple’s support site for unpairing and erasing your Watch, then set it up as a new device. Keep in mind that setting it up as new will erase most of your data, except for some preferences like alarms and Watch faces. However, this can help if certain Apple apps, like the Workout app, are missing and you can’t find them in the App Store.
Before doing this, ensure your iPhone isn’t using any VPN or security apps from the App Store, as these can sometimes interfere with pairing. Check your Settings under General > VPN & Device Management for any profiles. Also, corporate VPNs might cause issues, and device management profiles from your employer can prevent pairing altogether.
Remember that the compatibility between your iPhone and Apple Watch is important. Up to watchOS 11, the watch needs to be paired with an iPhone running iOS 11 or later. From watchOS 26 onward, the iPhone should be running iOS that is equal to or newer than the Apple Watch OS version. You can use a newer iPhone with an older Watch OS, but not the other way around.
If you’ve tried all these steps and your Apple Watch still isn’t working right, it’s time to contact Apple Support. You can visit their support website, call their support line, or schedule a Genius Bar appointment for further help.
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