Find My iPhone button on my Apple Watch is gone

What do you see on the watch's screen after you quickly press the flat oval button? Anything?

Make sure you are pressing it in firmly--but not for long.

If you press and hold, the medical ID, emergency button and the ability to shut down the watch comes up. Does that work on your watch?

You might want to contact Apple tech support if nothing appears on your watch screen. But first, I would try just shutting your watch off and then back on, and see if that works. If not, maybe resetting it.

On your iPhone, Next to the round dial there is a long oval shaped dial. If you push it, the “ring my phone” button appears! It’s still there you just have to hold that long oval button on the side of your watch

rcmick wrote:

Thanks Bob Harris! Apple should pay you for that since there are many people that need that little app.

Apple sent me a winter knit ski hat that says "Apple Support Community", and it is very warm, which is good, considering we just got 3 1/4 inches of snow today and the temperature has not going above freezing all day. Does that count? 😁

PS. I do have a day job working on a Unix cluster file system, which pays very well, so I do this just for fun 🤩

The find my phone function is literally the watch function that I have used most frequently since getting the watch. It’s actually one of the 2 functions why I even bothered to get the watch in the first place. Adding extra steps to find this function in buried menus was a TERRIBLE DECISION. I’m an Apple die-hard but this has become a daily infuriation, making me curse Apple every time I misplace my phone. PLEASE FIX THIS. Why the news app displaced it in that easy up-swipe I don’t know- who is actually reading long news stories on their watch face? Ridiculous.

EDIT: thanks Bob for sharing the fix. I definitely complained before reading the thread because this has had me pulling my hair out. The side oval is easier than the swipe up, so I’ll eat my words a little. Hopefully I won’t accidentally notify 911 when trying to find my phone…

Apple please bring back swipe and hit find my iPhone. After the update it’s like we have regressed. Apple has declined in quality the helpful and efficient access of finding my iPhone. Please bring back the old way which is the BEST.

Sunny2023 wrote:

Apple please bring back swipe and hit find my iPhone.

Apple doesn't read here for feedback or suggestions. The feedback link has been given repeatedly in this thread.

You can access the feature with the same number of steps. It's just instead of swiping, you tap the side button then tap. What's even better about it is that you can now do it from an screen, not only the watch face.

Thank you so much. I was in a panic they took the feature away. I think it’s a dumb update, especially without notifying users. My daughter had a medical emergency and I couldn’t find my phone because they changed the location feature. I wish they wouldn’t mess with things that aren’t broken

Have you looked at this thread with its numerous responses to your question? This thread, with its dozens of photos and diagrams that explain exactly how you can access the Find My Phone feature with one press of the oval side button on the side of your watch?

This thread, that began with that very same question over two months ago? Have you not lost your phone since the last update?

You might want to review this thread. It'll solve your problem.

rkyobo wrote:

Your latest update made it a two-step function to find my phone with my watch. You should go back to the old way for us older people!

It's exactly the same number of steps. Before, it was swipe then tap. Now, it's tap then tap.

Signed,

An older person

Sanjay Sesodia wrote:

The fact that a convenient, on the surface feature, that I liked the location of, was moved to a less than convenient, and unannounced location. Is that specific enough?

It was moved to a location you liked less, not that was less convenient for everyone. And I absolutely support your having a preference, even if it's different than mine. It pays to keep in mind that not everyone likes the same things that you do or has the same difficulty coping with change.

Lawrence Finch wrote:

rkyobo wrote:

Click the oval button on the right side of your watch and it comes up. Dumb, I know 🙄

Dumb? It’s a brilliant improvement. Now you can open the Control Center from ANY app, not just the watch face screen. Someone at Apple was really on the ball with this enhanced feature.

I'm so tired of the complaining and whining about this feature change which is now months old and people are still coming here asking, where is it? where is it? or complaining that it's less convenient or impossible to find, blah-blah-blah. Time to leave this thread; nothing more to say.

I have twice written Apple that I am pleased with the new placement of the Find My Phone feature. It is indeed an improvement, on every level. I'm glad the latest update of a week or so ago didn't change it back. Apple got it right.

See ya!

pcniles wrote:

I'm so tired of the complaining and whining about this feature change which is now months old and people are still coming here asking, where is it? where is it? or complaining that it's less convenient or impossible to find, blah-blah-blah. Time to leave this thread; nothing more to say.

Back when, there was a thread that went on for years and reached, if I recall correctly, over a hundred pages, that was people demanding that Apple add Flash to the iPhone. Which was, of course, not something Apple could do. And which Adobe chose not to. But, it didn't stop people from insisting that the iPhone was useless without it.

Rme2thdr wrote:

I agree completely, what was once easy is now annoying and could possibly lead to accidental emergency calls. This was NOT broken, why was it fixed?

if you are worried about making Emergency calls, then change the Side Button Click Speed

Getting the press and release timing just right can be an issue. You can make it more reliable by changing:

Settings -> Accessibility -> Side Button Click Speed

“Side Button Click Speed” can adjust the press and release timing, so you get the Control Center display every time. Adjusting The “Side Button Click Speed” is also useful for Apple Pay’s double press and release. There is “Default” (sub second timing of needed), “Slow” (up to a second between press and release), and “Slowest” (up to 2 seconds between press and release). I like the “Slow” setting.

NOTE: Slow and Slowest settings do not mean you have to wait a full second or 2 seconds between press and release. It just means you do not need to be super fast.

,assist

Rme2thdr wrote:

I agree completely, what was once easy is now annoying and could possibly lead to accidental emergency calls. This was NOT broken, why was it fixed?

I disagree completely. What was once easy is now EASIER and works better. It is EASIER to push a button than to position the phone, go back to the watch face screen if necessary and swipe up; you can push the button from any position, and from any display, not just the watch face display.

H-3lp wrote:

I push the button and I have to scroll through all apps.

Not a happy camper

If you are tapping the side button, you do not have to "scroll through all the apps". It sounds as if you may be pressing the Digital Crown instead of the side button.