How to fix Apple Watch SE Heart sensor, Raise to Wake and Compass which stopped working after update to WatchOS 26.6 and a month of inactivity?

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akshithb1908 Author

Level 1

4 points

How to fix Apple Watch SE Heart sensor, Raise to Wake and Compass which stopped working after update to WatchOS 26.6 and a month of inactivity?

Hi All. Two days ago, after a month of not using my Apple Watch, I charged it. I had recently reset my iPhone for no reason, and I went ahead and tried a reset on my Apple Watch. It prompted me to update to WatchOS 26.6 which I did. After this update and after wearing the watch for a day, I noticed that it wasn't detecting my heart rate. It wasn't even waking up when I raised my wrist.

All the settings were enabled.

Upon researching online, I found out that others too had faced similar issues on update.

I have tried, draining the watch battery and recharging it. Resetting the watch, Unpairing and pairing and also hard restarting both the watch and the iPhone but nothing seems to be working.

Has anyone else faced this issue? And any other tricks I can try before giving up all hope. I do not have Apple Care and it's out of warranty.

Posted on Aug 12, 2026 2:54 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

WheelieNick

Level 9

55,603 points

Aug 12, 2026 3:47 AM in response to akshithb1908

Yes, other users have encountered sensor and wake failures after updates or extended inactivity. Because you already tried standard resets and unpairing, the underlying cause is likely a persistent software sync glitch from setting up via a corrupted backup, or a hardware failure (such as failed wrist-detection/accelerometer hardware) triggered after long dormancy.

Advanced Troubleshooting Steps

Set Up as a New Watch: When unpairing, do not restore from a backup. Set it up completely fresh to prevent old configuration files from re-introducing the bug.
Toggles and Orientation Cycle: Turn off both "Wake on Wrist Raise" and "Wrist Detection" in the Watch app on your iPhone, restart both devices, and then turn them back on. Try temporarily changing your watch orientation setting (e.g., switching wrists or crown side) and changing it back.
Clean the Back Crystal: A month of sitting idle can let microscopic dust or oil settle on the optical sensor. Wipe the back ceramic/glass crystal cleanly with a damp microfiber cloth.
Check Accessibility / AssistiveTouch: Enable AssistiveTouch in accessibility settings as a test to see if physical motion/gesture engines register input at all.

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