Apple Watch Series 11 Activity & Heart Rate Not Detecting Wrist After Charging

Hello,

I recently upgraded from an Apple Watch Series 7 to a Series 11 and paired it with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Since the upgrade, I’ve been experiencing a persistent issue with the Activity app and other health-monitoring features.

After charging the watch and putting it back on my wrist, it takes approximately 15–30 minutes before the Activity app, heart rate monitoring, and related health functions recognize that the watch is being worn. During this time, I’m unable to start activities, and heart rate and similar metrics do not register. Once the functionality returns, everything works normally until the watch is removed again for charging, at which point the issue repeats.

I’ve already tried the following troubleshooting steps:

• Tightening and adjusting the band
• Force-closing the Activity app
• Force-closing all apps
• Restarting the watch
• Unpairing and re-pairing the watch
• Erasing all data and setting it up as a new watch
• Confirming watchOS is fully up to date

None of these steps have resolved the issue.

My Series 7 never exhibited this behavior, and the fact that everything functions normally once the sensors “wake up” makes this particularly puzzling. At this point, I’m looking for any additional troubleshooting steps or insights before proceeding with a service or replacement request. The watch is less than a month old and still under warranty.

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Best regards,

JohnD