Apple Watch suddenly won’t ping iPhone- help

Since an update on my Iwatch the swipe down option to ping my phone is gone

I bought a new iPhone and then had to sync it with my Apple Watch and upgrade to the new Apple Watch. Now I cannot open the control center and ping my phone. I found the control center by using the button on the right side but when I press the button to ping my iPhone, nothing happens.

New iWatch (series8) won't ping iPhone but they are connected and 'find my device' works .. but icon for pinging in the home apps (looks like a mobile phone symbol) goes 'blue' but not connect to my iPhone. What do I do? Everything I can think of is switch on ...

I have had this same problem since the series 17 updates, which fried my phone screen so bad I had to get a new phone. Then iwatch updates required a complete watch reset to pair with the new phone. Then no pinging ability on the typical up/down swipe to access the control center on the watch. So frustrating! From what I can tell, iwatch changed the coErrol center accessibility to now require pressing the flat button on the right side of the watch, below the crown. This should bring up the control center and allow you to access the same features as before. This info is buried deep within the tips/tutorial for the iwatch updates and you have to search “ping” to bring it up. I hope this works for you!

Found the solution! Click the oval button below the dial on the side of the phone. Magic!

I had the same issues. I restarted my phone and my watch. Unpaired and repaired them and my phone still wouldn't ping. Until, I paused the Sound Recognition feature on the phone. Every time I turn that feature on, my phone won't ping. Problem solved.

Hello Sissyinal7,

Thank you for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. To help troubleshoot the inability of pinging your iPhone from your Apple Watch, we suggest to restart both devices. This is a step that can help resolve unexpected behavior.

If that doesn't help, we recommend to update each device. Updating to the latest software for both the iPhone and the Apple Watch helps provide software improvements that may help you in this situation. The latest update for the Apple Watch is watchOS 9.5 and for the iPhone it is iOS 16.5. If needed, here's how to update each device:

Update your iPhone or iPad wirelessly

1. Back up your device using iCloud or your computer.

2. Plug your device into power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi.

3. Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update.

4. If you see more than one software update option available, choose the one that you want to install.

5. Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. If you don't know your passcode, learn what to do.

Update your Apple Watch using your iPhone

You can wait until Apple Watch notifies you when a new update is available. Tap Update Tonight in the notification, then go to your iPhone to confirm that you want to update overnight. At the end of the day, leave your Apple Watch and iPhone charging overnight so the update can complete.

Or you can update your Apple Watch with your iPhone manually:

1. On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then tap the My Watch tab. 

2. Tap General > Software Update.

3. Download the update. If asked for your iPhone passcode or Apple Watch passcode, enter it. 

4. Wait for the progress wheel to appear on your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. 

Leave your Apple Watch on its charger while the update completes. Don't restart your iPhone or Apple Watch, and don't quit the Apple Watch app. When the update completes, your Apple Watch restarts on its own.

Update directly on your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has watchOS 6 or later, you can install updates without your iPhone:

1. Make sure that your watch is connected to Wi-Fi.

2. On your watch, open the Settings app.

3. Tap General > Software Update.

4. Tap Install if a software update is available, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Leave your Apple Watch on its charger while the update completes, and don't restart your Apple Watch. When the update completes, your Apple Watch restarts on its own.

Following these steps can help and is outlined in these two helpful articles:

Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support and Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support

We look forward to hearing back from you with an update.

Kind regards.

Sorted by reinstalling phone from factory settings...

I updated both devices to latest version but still doesn’t work I can not pinging my iPhone using my Apple Watch s9 just ring it doesn’t not show the distance ft to find the iPhone I even tried to reboot them both and rest the Apple Watch but still same issue I can only ring my iPhone can’t pinging

That worked!!!!

I solved this on my Apple Watch !

open watch app on phone

go to Sounds & Haptics

turn off silent mode

this worked for me!!