On my Apple Watch 3 with cellular, the bluetooth setting just says "searching" all the time. My iPhone says it is connected to the watch via bluetooth... but the watch does say it is connected to the iPhone, just says "searching".
Is this normal? What can I do about it?
iMac with Retina 5K display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.2), Various iGadgets and Macs, updated
Hi AppleJen,
I must not have been clear enough. My Watch *is* connected to me phone, and the phone indicates it as such. Also, I do receive notifications, etc. It's just that my watch says "searching" all the time and does not show the phone as connected, although it clearly is.
Is that normal? If it is, it should not be! All other Apple devices show the items they are connected too under Bluetooth...
Hi
That is normal and nothing to be concerned about.
To check whether your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone via Bluetooth, do not go to the Home screen > Settings > Bluetooth on your watch.
That is how to tell your Apple Watch to search for and pair with additional Bluetooth devices (such as Bluetooth headphones) that you have placed into pairing / discovery mode.
It is normal for the paired iPhone not to be listed there, even when it is paired and connected to your Apple Watch, and for the Bluetooth settings screen to report "searching".
To check the connection with your iPhone from your Apple Watch, instead open Control Centre by swiping up on the screen when viewing the time on your watch:
Thanks again Jonathan UK! This is helpful, at least now I know it is "normal". But as I stated above... I don't think it is consistent with all other bluetooth settings on all other devices! It should clearly show what devices are connected...
But thanks for your help...
You're welcome! 🙂
If you would like to submit a feature request to Apple, then you can do so here:
Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple
(You are not talking to Apple here - this is a user-based technical support community).
On my Apple Watch 3, the Bluetooth setting constantly says "searching"
