Apple Watch Ultra - Digital clock displayed over apps

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Apple Watch Ultra - Digital clock displayed over apps

I have an Apple Ultra watch, purpose built for adventure. Yet during sessions using all apps other than the native apple Workout app, or those that have been specially configured for the Ultra watch (Waterspeed, Ocean+), the Ultra fades to a digital clock and obscures all activity data. It needs manual intervention to re-awaken the app! This includes Strava. It massively undermines the utility of the watch. I have read elsewhere that there is no fix, the problem is longstanding and that it is evident in all Apple Watches. Is this genuinely the case? If so, why doesn’t Apple provide a simple optional fix, like ‘turn off the digital clock fade’? Why isn’t this problem better disclosed by Apple and the app manufacturers, like Strava? Am I missing something? Is there a fix?

With thanks!

Apple Watch Ultra

Posted on Jan 6, 2023 1:20 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

portland er

Level 1

14 points

Feb 9, 2023 7:47 AM in response to Stevofromthehills

This was happening to me and it was driving me crazy. How I fixed it - settings - always on display. Click on always on and scroll down to show apps and make sure that is toggled on. Mine was off and when I turned it on, it fixed this issue. You can choose which apps this applies too as well. Hope this helps!

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Answer 2

Jan 8, 2023 8:35 PM in response to JJRASC

Thanks JJRASC. Unfortunately that doesn’t fix the issue. I suspect the option you suggest is a delayed return to the selected ‘watchface’. The problem I have encountered is an almost immediate fade to a standard blurred screen with a digital clock at the top right. See image attached (sourced from another thread on this site, also with the issue unresolved).

Thanks.

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Answer 3

Jan 10, 2023 10:40 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

Thanks stevofromthehills. I have encountered this same problem. It’s maddening. I have searched elsewhere and it seems this is a systemic problem with later version Apple Watches, including the Ultra. There is no fix. The workarounds suggested by community experts do not work. It is galling that Apple ignores the problem. For mine, it is a massive failing for an expensive watch that is promoted for its adventure, exploration etc credentials.

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Answer 4

Jan 24, 2023 10:31 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

Hi all, I have been in touch direct with Apple. They have not been able to shed any light on the problem and indeed, simply suggest a bunch of fixes that don’t work (similar to those suggested on this forum). However an app developer kindly passed on that the fix requires apps to be completely re-coded in Apple’s latest coding language (SwiftUI). This language appeared long after many apps were released. Until the recoding is done (a massive task I think, for the more complicated apps like Strava) the always on display will not work. Still, it’s odd that (a) this problem stretches back a few years at least and clearly affected other watches long before the release of the Ultra, (b) Apple can’t fix the problem itself, and (c) it seems to affect other native Apple apps!

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Answer 5

Feb 20, 2023 3:51 PM in response to portland er

Hi all, I just wanted to post a final note on this matter, in case it helps others. I have now had a detailed response from apple confirming my conclusions in my earlier note; the problem is app dependent, and unless the (non-native) app is coded in the latest language the ‘always on’ feature will not work. The app will fade, regardless of how your wrist is positioned. In case it’s of interest, my workaround (for my sports) instead of using apps like Strava directly, has been to use Waterspeed (kayaking etc), Komoot (MTB, if needing maps on a phone integrated) and the native workout set of apps (all of which are pretty good, for cycling, MTB, swimming, hiking). As an aside the native scuba diving app is great!

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Answer 6

JJRASC

Community Specialist

Jan 8, 2023 6:20 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

Hello Stevofromthehills,

Thank you for posting to the Apple Support Communities.

As it turns out, you can change the settings for your Apple Watch to customize how long before your watch returns to the clock face from an open app.

Try these steps first:

Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
Tap General.
Tap Return to Clock.
Choose your apps to customize when you want the clock face to show.

The following Apple Support article contains more information on this feature: Turn on and wake Apple Watch.

If this is not the solution you need, you can provide feedback to Apple to help improve these features: Product Feedback.

All the best!

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Answer 7

chuckbl

Community Specialist

Jan 9, 2023 11:19 AM in response to Stevofromthehills

Hello Stevofromthehills,

If you are using the Always On feature, let's disable it temporarily using the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch. To do this, press the Digital Crown to see the Home screen, then tap the Settings button .

2. Tap Display & Brightness.

3. Scroll down, then tap Always On.

4. Tap Always On to turn on or turn off the feature.

You can also find those steps in this resource: Use the Always On feature with your Apple Watch

If that behavior subsides while that feature is disabled, you can further adjust what items are displayed using the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.

2. Tap Display & Brightness.

3. Scroll down, then tap Always On.

4. Tap Show Complication Data, Show Notifications, or Show Apps. The apps that can show that type of information appear on the next screen.

5. Turn off the apps that you don't want to show information on the screen when your wrist is down. You can turn off the category of information entirely by tapping the button at the top of the screen.

Should that behavior still persist, you'll want to reach out to Apple Support: Contact - Official Apple Support They'd be in the best position to assist further.

Take care.

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Answer 8

judysings

Community Specialist

Jan 10, 2023 1:44 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

Good afternoon Stevofromthehills,

It might be helpful for you to speak directly with an Apple advisor about this issue. Click the link below, choose the phone number for your region from the list, and call when it is convenient.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Take care.

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Answer 9

Jan 17, 2023 11:42 AM in response to Stevofromthehills

Hi,

I, too have been frustrated by this issue, it seems to randomly come and go. Although, I have no fix for the issue but two ways we can get rid of it:

Charge the Watch for 2-5 minutes
Turn it off and on again after 2-3 minutes.

Seems to work, at least temporary. The two occasions this happened to my watch was immediately after I used stopwatch for an extended period of time.

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Answer 10

Jan 10, 2023 12:37 PM in response to chuckbl

Hi Chuckbl, thanks for the note. Unfortunately that fix does not work on the Ultra. In short, when ‘Always On’ is disabled, 3rd party apps (like Strava) quickly fade to a darkened screen when in use.

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Answer 11

Pilerman

Level 4

2,063 points

Jan 17, 2023 12:09 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

Me too.

Series 8, wOS 9.2

Screen fades and the clock appears while I am actively reading a text message reply in messages.

I figured that it was just the latest and greatest because I never saw this happen on my Series 3 watch (which was running the latest update available to that series of watch).

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Answer 12

Feb 3, 2023 5:50 PM in response to Stevofromthehills

i go the very same issue. its irritating coz it just started.... also i went to the apple store in chadstone here in

Melbourne and after the staff google the same i google, we could not fix it.... and she couldn't figure it out... and yeah we tried all the steps suggest too, to no success. it also seems to have just started with the last watch os update... anyways its annoying af. please fix it or give us a solution...

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Answer 13

Dwrdnet

Level 1

8 points

Jan 12, 2023 5:12 PM in response to Ultrasally

I just had this start tonight during a workout, and now that it has started, it seems to be doing it on any app on the Ultra.

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Apple Watch Ultra - Digital clock displayed over apps

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