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Apple Watch Microphone Not Working? Try these Fixes!

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Writer, Apple

Over the last decade, Farhad has gained hands-on experience with smartphones, laptops, accessories, wearables, printers, etc. If he's not writing, you can bet he's trying to keep up with the latest technology. He oversees coverage of iPhone, iOS, and Apple Watch for Gotechtor.

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Is your Apple Watch microphone not working during calls? As frustrating as it is when people can’t hear you talk on your Apple Watch, consider the tips below to help you fix your Apple Watch microphone.

Several reasons may lead to your Apple Watch microphone not working, including software-related issues such as bugs and hardware damage. Go through the tips below in order until you fix the problem.

How to Fix Apple Watch Microphone Not Working

Here are all the tips that will help you fix it when your Apple Watch microphone is not working:

  1. Take off the Case
  2. Clean the Apple Watch
  3. Check the Connection With iPhone
  4. Re-pair the Apple Watch
  5. Check for Software Updates
  6. Restart Your iPhone and Apple Watch
  7. Factory Reset the Apple Watch
  8. Contact Apple Support

1. Take off the Case

An Apple Watch Case is a protective cover for the Apple Watch designed to keep your device safe from scratches, bumps, and everyday wear.

It comes in various styles and materials, from soft silicone cases to more durable hardshell covers.

With an Apple Watch Case, you can ensure that your watch remains stylish while protecting it against the elements.

Although an Apple Watch case is essential for many users, it might obstruct your device’s microphones (especially when bought from third-party retailers), and taking it off resolves the issues.

2. Clean Your Apple Watch

All digital devices that offer various ports, including a microphone port, occasionally suffer from clogs due to germs, dust, dirt, etc. So, cleaning your Apple Watch is often the primary process that ensures it stays in its best condition.

Clean Apple Watch

It includes cleaning the watch body, ports, straps, and bands and keeping all its parts dust-free. Make sure to utilize a cleaning kit to remove all cavities without harming the device.

3. Check the Connection With iPhone

A key feature of the Apple Watch is that it works seamlessly with iOS so that users can receive notifications and messages from their iPhone from the watch. This has led Apple to make the Apple Watch highly dependent on the iPhone.

So, if you’re facing microphone issues when making phone calls on your Apple Watch, follow these steps to ensure it’s correctly connected to your iPhone:

  1. Unlock your Apple Watch. 
  2. Swipe up to access the Control Center.
  3. If a green iPhone icon is on top of the screen, your Apple Watch has correctly connected to your iPhone.
Green iPhone icon on Apple Watch
Green iPhone icon on Apple Watch. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. If a red iPhone icon with a strike is on top of the screen, your Apple Watch is not paired with your iPhone, requiring you to pair the devices to solve the issues.
Red iPhone icon on Apple Watch
Red iPhone icon on Apple Watch. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor

Read the following paragraph to discover how to pair the Apple Watch with your iPhone.

4. Re-pair the Apple Watch

When you set up your Apple Watch, you pair it with your iPhone, which allows both devices to share data.

This pairing enables features such as taking calls on your watch, using apps from your phone, tracking your fitness and health data, accessing maps and directions, using digital wallets for purchases, receiving notifications, listening to music, and much more.

Occasionally, the Apple Watch malfunctions, although it’s paired to the iPhone, and you must unpair your device and pair it one more time to resolve the issues.

Here’s how to unpair your Apple Watch using your iPhone:

  1. Find the Watch App on your device and open it.
  2. Select All Watches from the top right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap the “i” icon next to your Apple Watch.
  4. Scroll down and select Unpair Apple Watch.
unpair apple watch iphone
Unpairing Apple Watch. Screenshot: Herby/Gotechtor

Here’s how to pair your Apple Watch using your iPhone:

  1. Turn on the Apple watch by pressing and holding the side button and wait for the pairing screen to appear.
  2. Locate the Watch App on your iPhone and open it.
  3. Select Pair New Watch, then tap Set Up for Myself.
  4. Position the Apple Watch in your Watch App‘s viewfinder to start pairing.
  5. Follow the instructions on your Apple Watch and iPhone to finish pairing.

5. Check for Software Updates

Apple Watch updates usually include bug fixes and improvements, new features, and app compatibility updates to enhance the overall user experience.

Additionally, it provides security patches to protect users against malicious attacks and keep their data safe. Apple releases updates regularly, so users should check their watches often to ensure they have the latest version installed.

Here’s how to update your Apple Watch using your iPhone (requires your iPhone and Apple Watch to be connected to Wi-Fi):

  1. Locate the Watch App on your iPhone and open it.
  2. Tap General from the following list.
  3. Open Software Update.
Apple Watch Software Update
Apple Watch Software Update. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. Select Install Now if there’s an update available.
  2. Tap Agree after going through the terms and conditions.
  3. Wait for the process to finish.

After the update, check if you still have microphone issues with your Apple Watch. If you have trouble updating your Apple Watch, here’s what to do when your Apple Watch is unable to check for updates.

6. Restart Your iPhone and Apple Watch

Restarting your iPhone and Apple Watch can solve different problems within the operating system and reduce the overall workload by clearing out any cached data.

A system restart can help reset specific settings or configurations that have become corrupted or changed unintentionally.

Here’s how to restart your Apple Watch to get rid of the microphone not working issue:

  1. Press and hold the Side Button on your Apple Watch.
  2. Use the Power Off slider to turn off the device.
Turn off Apple Watch.
Powering off Apple Watch. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. Press and hold the Side Button to turn the watch back on.

After restarting your Apple Watch, go ahead and restart your iPhone. If a fresh restart didn’t fix your Apple Watch microphone problem, you might have a bigger issue that requires a deeper fix.

7. Factory Reset the Apple Watch

A Factory Reset takes a device back to its original manufacturer settings. This process deletes all data and applications from the device, restoring it to the same state it was in when first purchased.

Factory resetting is often handy when a device needs to be wiped clean before being sold or returned or if it’s experiencing software issues.

Here’s how to resolve the Apple Watch microphone not working by resetting the device:

  1. Locate the Watch App on your iPhone and open it.
  2. Tap General from the following list.
  3. Open Reset.
Apple Watch Reset
Apple Watch Reset. Screenshot: Farhad Pashaei/Gotechtor
  1. Select Erase All Content and Settings.
  2. Enter your passcode and wait for the process to finish.

If you still have microphone issues after resetting your Apple Watch, you probably have a hardware issue at hand. It might be time to have the geeks at Apple take a look at it.

8. Contact Apple Support

Apple Support is the official support website and helpline provided by Apple Inc. to help customers with their Apple products, such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.

Customers can get assistance through various channels such as online chat, phone calls, or in-store service.

The company provides help with setup and installation, software troubleshooting and diagnostics, hardware repairs, billing and account management questions, warranty service, and more.

If neither of the solutions in this article helped, you can always contact Apple Support and ask for more guidance.

Wrap-Up: Apple Watch Microphone Not Working

We hope you found this guide useful in helping you troubleshoot your Apple Watch microphone problem.

Let us know if this helped fix this problem. If you found success doing something else, leave me a comment down below!

Writer, Apple

Over the last decade, Farhad has gained hands-on experience with smartphones, laptops, accessories, wearables, printers, etc. If he's not writing, you can bet he's trying to keep up with the latest technology. He oversees coverage of iPhone, iOS, and Apple Watch for Gotechtor.

Farhad Pashaei

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