Apple Watch Ultra locking while on wrist

Because you have said you have used other Apple Watches without issue I doubt what I am about to say will apply to you.

The symptoms you describe are a common problem for people who have tattoos on the area the watch touches.

It can also be an issue if you have a lot of arm hair.

I’m having the same issue, no tats and not very hairy arms! My old series 4 didn’t have the issue. Also my workout display turns off when I’m running, I have always on display enabled, the workout app display is enabled when my wrist is down, and I’m not on low power mode. Help Apple! Otherwise pretty epic device!!

Unfortunately my watch got worse and became erratic and the touch screen stopped working and the crown started wigging out too. The funny thing is it worked fine when plugged in. I returned it to Apple and they sent me a replacement which works fine. I would definitely recommend Apple Care + for that reason. The agent did ask me if I had been in a cold and wet environment...which I was outside running in the cold and was sweaty. Kind of disappointing so far...plus the rumor mill is that they may or may not warranty for water related damage...who knows but I have Apple Care + so I should be fine either way.

Mines been doing it since I got it too. Never had any issues with 2 previous versions of Apple Watch. Makes it pretty much unusable for tracking activities especially swimming. Sounds to me like some may have defective sensors?

My I watch ultra locks when no one is touching it and it’s docked on it’s charging station? This time it locked itself so much it telling me to reset on my iPhone, but 99% of the time it just locks itself, and then adds more minutes.

Here guys Apple really care about us after weeks this is the answer for the problem.

“Wrist detection on Apple Watch can affect reliable readings if there is a tattoo on the wrist or other changes to the skin. So a temporary workaround to this would of course be to use it on another wrist”

There is no lock icon in my control center. And I have the same problem. I’ve also reset my watch 4 times in a day and a half. Still doesn’t work. And my always on display doesn’t work. Watch screen constantly shuts off.

That shouldn’t be the issue. I’ve owned many Apple Watches and never experienced any issues. This being the ultra at the price should be as good or better than previous models. Apple has done nothing for me!

I have the exact same problem. Apple said they looked on their forums and didn't see any issues. I guess they didn't look hard enough as I found your post immediately. They had me run diagnostics which didn't turn anything up, and reinstall the OS twice, and clean to the contacts on the back. The issue persists. As they can't find any issue with diagnostics, I can send it in for analysis but without product replacement. That is kind of bogus as I won't have my watch for weeks. Oh well.

I didn’t know about problems with tattoos and Apple Watch otherwise I wouldn’t have purchased one. The locking and it not counting my steps and my workout is driving me mad. I wear my watch on my left wrist where tattoos are but I definitely can’t change to my right wrist that would not work.

I have too. From the day I bought it it locks. But my daughters is not a problem. Her watch will move loosely around her wrist and not lock, if mine has the slightest bit of movement it locks. Really annoys me. Also Bought from different retailers.

It’s not because of the tattoos! I know a ton of people that are having the same problem that have zero tattoos. It’s always a different answer when you talk to someone at Apple. I’ve owned several watches from Apple, and never had this problem. You would think when they put out a new watch even if there is a problem they could figure it out. I had my watch for a week (bought it at the Apple Store) they told me I could replace it with a refurbished one. Yeah, like I want a refurbished watch to replace my brand new full price watch. Hopefully they can get this figured out and quit making up excuses!

No one in the right mind would swap for a refurbished one. I can’t even believe they would think that was a great deal for their customer. I disabled watch detection but even in workouts it pauses because it’s moved a millimetre on my wrist. If i could take it back and get a full refund I definitely would

Braoks wrote:

I had my watch for a week (bought it at the Apple Store) they told me I could replace it with a refurbished one. Yeah, like I want a refurbished watch to replace my brand new full price watch.

If the watch is less than 14 days old and you bought it from Apple, you can return it for a refund and buy a new one. Don't go through the Genius Bar. Just bring back all of your packaging and your receipt and return it.

I received my Ultra mid-December and it locks while on my wrist. Been doing this since new, but only under certain conditions. I think I've finally got the cause figured out, but not the fix. It's only happening when I'm riding my bike outside in temps of 25 degrees to about 50 degrees and when I'm wearing it under long sleeves and/or gloves. Upon locking, it prompts for the passcode. Once the passcode is entered it locks up again for about 10 minutes with just the Apple logo showing. So frustrating for an $800 disposable watch. However, I've ridden with the watch in warmer temps with short-sleeves and no issues. I'm not sure what the takeaway is here. Apples's only solution is for me to send the watch in for a replacement, which I'm doing.