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Watch keeps locking

So, I setup a passcode on my Watch and I thought that it would stay unlocked while on my wrist and only require the passcode when taken off but that doesn't seem to be the case. Am I wrong?


I have Simple Passcode set, Unlock with iPhone turned on and also Wrist Detection turned on.

Posted on Apr 24, 2015 3:54 AM

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95 replies

Apr 20, 2017 3:10 PM in response to MrTeagan

I had to do the same thing you did MrTeagan. I tried the other solutions people listed, but ended up just having to remove passcode.


I'm really bummed. Had the watch replaced twice during warranty and now this issue with the Apple Watch series one.


Not very happy to have these problems with the amount of money spent for the watch. Apple please step your game up.

Apr 24, 2015 6:05 AM in response to KiltedTim

I wish. It's as tight as tight can be, and I tried pulling it even tighter as well such that it wouldn't be able to stay that tight all day but to see if it made any difference.


I have a suspicion I have a dud set of sensors as I've also just taken it on the treadmill with exercise mode on and it keeps on autopausing as if I had taken it off, but of course it's not gone anywhere.


Pretty sure this should be tight enough:

User uploaded file

Apr 24, 2015 4:20 PM in response to JohnParkinson

I'm having the same problems as you.


I think, as far as locking "when it shouldn't" goes, it MIGHT have something to do with bluetooth, at least for me. Many times now, my watch has locked itself while on my body, and no amount of tightning the band, rebooting the watch, re-pairing it, and putting it back on my skin helps. At one point I got it to stop locking, but the moment I tried to move the watch on my wrist, it locked again. It wouldn't unlock until I turned on my bluetooth earbuds to listen to pandora on my phone while I worked out. Which seemed like a weird, unrelated event. But when I tilted my wrist to look at my watch, right as I turned on my headphones and they paired with my phone, it unlocked and stayed that way.


While on the elliptical, my watch was able to track my exercise for 25 of the 30 minutes I was going. But once my wrist got sweaty enough, and the watch started slipping around, it couldn't maintain contact with me and stopped tracking. It also locked itself again. It's still locked while on my wrist now.


I also cannot make my band go any tighter than it already is.

Apr 24, 2015 4:27 PM in response to RainyfromPortland

I spent about two hours talking to a couple of Apple Support people on the phone today about this and getting escalated up the chain, sending them some video of how it was locking itself along with the photos showing how it was on my wrist etc and the end conclusion after some time while the support guy (shout out to Joe, he was so helpful) went away and talked to at least one watch engineer and then emailed me back afterwards is there's some kind of problem with the Wrist Detection setting.


I turned it off and it's solved most of my problems for the moment - exercise tracking is now working and more importantly it's stopped auto-locking all the time and notifications have started coming through.


The only things missing are that it seems to stop it tracking if I'm standing up each hour and of course I now have to manually lock it if I need that functionality.


But maybe you could try that and see if it solves your problems for the moment while we wait for a bugfix as I think it's a software rather than hardware problem.


I'll also update here if I hear back anything from Apple because Joe promised to keep in touch.

Apr 25, 2015 3:12 PM in response to JohnParkinson

I had a very similar problem this morning. I worked with Apple Support today and finally seem to have a resolutions. They had me follow these steps:


1. Remove the watch from your wrist.

2. Enter your passcode on the watch after it has been removed.

3. Attached the watch to your wrist again.

4. Turn WiFi off on the iPhone.


Once I turned off WiFi it worked. I then turned WiFi back on and everything is still working. I'm keeping my fingers cross that tomorrow it works after my night charge. Hope this help!

Apr 25, 2015 7:55 PM in response to JohnParkinson

I noticed this a few times today too, and was wondering if maybe my phone had locked, since I hadn't been using it? I think my phone locks after five minutes.... so if the phone locks, and the watch is set to unlock with phone, could that be it? that if it unlocks with the phone, it locks with it too? If so, they need to fix that. Half the point of the watch is so I DON'T have to be on my phone all day!

Watch keeps locking

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