Handwashing does not work very well

Question

Handwashing does not work very well

Handwashing detection does not work very reliably on my Apple Watch 4. There are really only two sinks in my life at which I wash my hands (covid house-arrest and all). My procedure for handwashing is the same every time I do it.

My watch seems to detect handwashing about 60% of the time. The other 40% it just does nothing when I've turned on the water and made the washing movement (which is always fairly vigorous).

Moreover, I have never yet experienced a haptic alert associated with handwashing. Not a single time. I keep seeing claims here on the Apple site that haptics are associated with this feature. Not for me.

And finally, after I updated my watchOS this morning to 7.2, the watch does not even make a sound when it does detect the washing. Before I updated, it would ring twice at the end of the 20+ seconds. Now nothing, only the words "Well done" silently appearing on the watch face.

Handwashing detection is, I think, a great idea that's not yet ready for prime time. Does anybody have any insights as to how to make this work?

Apple Watch Sport

Posted on Dec 15, 2020 12:31 PM

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Answer 1

jdo_apple

Community Specialist

Dec 19, 2020 7:54 AM in response to Dave Shepherd

Hey there Dave Shepherd,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. We understand that your Apple Watch is not detecting when you're washing your hands and you're not given any haptic alert. We're happy to provide some assistance.

Let's make sure your devices are updated and set up correctly by following the steps here:

Wash your hands with Apple Watch Series 4 or later

If you continue to experience issues, please reach out to us here: Get Support

We hope this helps.

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

Dec 20, 2020 5:57 PM in response to jdo_apple

I have read that article. I have also spent a long time on the phone with an AppleCare support tech. I did the all things she suggested, including resetting and restoring the watch.

Nevetheless, after doing all these things, the performance of the handwashing detection feature is sporadic at best.

At any given time when I am washing my hands, the watch might detect washing, time the sequence correctly, and give a haptic buzz followed by a ring. Or it might detect and time washing but fail to give any tactile or audible signal when the 20 seconds are up. Or it might give a haptic buzz without any sound. Or it might not react in any way at all during the entire time I’m washing.

I am unable to identify any specific circumstances that make any of these outcomes happen. The feature simply does not work a great deal of the time. As I said, from where I stand, it’s not ready for prime time.

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Handwashing does not work very well

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