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Apple Watch Not Pinging iPhone? (Try this Fix!)

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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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Your Apple Watch can help you locate your lost iPhone by pinging it. But what happens when your Apple Watch won’t ping your iPhone?

This article explains why your Apple Watch is not pinging your iPhone and how to fix this problem.

Why Is My Apple Watch Not Pinging My iPhone?

Network connectivity issues are one of the most common reasons your Apple Watch is not pinging your iPhone anymore. Other problems, like software bugs and network settings, can cause your Apple Watch to stop pinging your iPhone.

We’ll discuss why your Apple Watch is not pinging your iPhone anymore.

  1. Connectivity Issues: Your iPhone and Apple Watch pair to one another through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. So, if the pinging feature doesn’t work on your Apple Watch, it may be because of a pairing issue due to faulty Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.
  2. Software Glitches: Apple constantly releases software updates for your iPhone and Apple Watch operating systems to fix any possible bugs and errors. Sometimes a possible system error can cause the pinging issue, which you can easily fix through the instructions below.
  3. Network Settings: Defective network settings cause a problematic connection between your iPhone and Apple Watch, which leads to several features malfunctioning.

Now that we know why your Apple Watch not pinging your iPhone, we can start looking for ways to solve the problem.

How to Fix Apple Watch Not Pinging Your iPhone

If your Apple Watch not pinging your iPhone, you need to check that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are both enabled on your iPhone and that your devices are close to each other.

For more detailed instructions, follow the steps below to fix it when your Apple Watch is not pinging your iPhone:

  1. Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connections
  2. Disable Airplane Mode
  3. Restart iPhone and Apple Watch
  4. Update iOS and watchOS
  5. Reset Network Settings
  6. Unpair and Re-pair Apple Watch
  7. Contact Apple Support

1. Check Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connections

A connectivity issue is the most common reason you cannot ping your iPhone. Since Wi-Fi and Bluetooth must be running for the pinging feature, the first step is to ensure both are enabled. If need be, resync your Apple Watch to fix the issue.

Follow these instructions on your iPhone:

  1. Locate Settings on your iPhone and open it.
  2. Then tap on Wi-Fi and ensure the toggle next to Wi-Fi is on.
Wi-Fi
  1. Go back to Settings and select Bluetooth.
  2. Ensure the toggle next to Bluetooth is on.
Bluetooth in Settings app
  1. Find your Apple Watch under My Devices and see if it says Connected.

Now follow these steps on your Apple Watch:

  1. Press the Digital Crown on the right part of your Apple Watch.
  2. Find Settings and open it.
  3. Then tap on Wi-Fi and ensure the toggle next to Wi-Fi is on.
Apple Watch Wi-Fi
  1. Head back to Settings and select Bluetooth.
  2. Ensure the toggle next to Bluetooth is on.

2. Disable Airplane Mode

Airplane Mode is for disabling your device’s wireless communication functions, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, to avoid causing any interference with an aircraft’s communications systems or other passengers’ devices.

So, if you’ve accidentally activated Airplane Mode on your iPhone, it stops your Apple Watch from pinging.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Then turn off the toggle next to Airplane Mode.
Activating airplane mode

You can now follow the instructions from the first method to ensure Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are working.

3. Restart iPhone and Apple Watch

When you restart your smartphone, your device attempts to reconfigure specific settings to launch impeccably. As a result, glitches and system issues can often disappear with a simple reboot.

Check out this article for step-by-step instructions on how to restart your iPhone.

Here’s how to restart your Apple Watch:

  1. Press and hold the Side Button.
  2. As the slider appears, swipe right to turn off your phone.
  3. Press and hold the Side Button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

4. Update iOS and watchOS

Apple constantly releases software updates for your iPhone and Apple Watch operating systems to keep them secure and up-to-date with the latest features and fixes.

If a system glitch is the reason behind your Apple Watch not pinging correctly, updating your OS may fix it.

Here’s how to update iOS using your iPhone:

  1. Locate Settings on your iPhone and open then go to the General menu.
  2. After that, tap on Software Update.
Software update in General menu
  1. If the page loads up to a pending update, tap on Download and Install.

Here’s how to update watchOS using your iPhone:

  1. Locate the Watch App on your iPhone and open it.
  2. Find General and select it.
  3. Then tap on Software Update.
Apple Watch Sotfware Update
  1. If the page loads up to a pending update, tap on Download and Install.

Try pinging your iPhone after the updates to see if the issue has disappeared.

5. Reset Network Settings

Some connectivity issues go beyond turning on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and require further configurations.

In such cases, you can reset the network settings. This restores your network configurations to their original state so the issues would disappear if incorrect network settings were causing them.

Here’s how to Reset Network Settings on your iPhone:

  1. Go to the Settings menu and tap on General.
  2. Scroll and tap on the Transfer or Reset iPhone option.
Transfer or Reset iPhone in General menu
  1. Finally, select Reset and then Reset Network Settings.
Reset Network Settings in iphone

Your iPhone then turns off and restarts in the process.

6. Unpair and Re-pair Apple Watch

Sometimes the connectivity issues between your iPhone and Apple Watch don’t disappear with the methods above.

Consider unpairing and repairing the Apple Watch to reset the connectivity configurations in such cases. Remember that this will result in your Apple Watch losing all its data and resetting to default.

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

  1. Locate the Watch App on your iPhone and open it.
  2. Select All Watches from the corner of the screen.
  3. Find your Apple Watch under My Watches and tap the Information Icon.
  4. Lastly, select Unpair Apple Watch.

Then repair your Apple Watch using the instructions in its box.

7. Contact Apple Support

Apple Support is where you can find solutions to your problems about using Apple products and services. If none of the methods worked, consider reaching out to Apple support to take a deeper look into the matter.

Wrap-Up: Apple Watch Not Pinging iPhone

The Apple Watch offers useful features like pinging your iPhone when you misplace it. So when your Apple Watch pinging feature is not working, you can locate your lost or misplaced iPhone.

We hope this assisted you in fixing your Apple Watch not pinging your iPhone. If you fixed the problem with any other solution, please share it in the comments section.

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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