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What to Do if Your Apple Watch Disconnects From Your iPhone

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Apple Watch depends on the iPhone for almost all of its functionality, connecting to and communicating with the iPhone using two methods: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. If your iPhone and Apple Watch are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (an Apple Watch connection to a known Wi-Fi network is established through the iPhone), they can be as far apart from each other as the Wi-Fi signal will allow.

The two devices are also connected to each other through Bluetooth. Bluetooth requires both devices to be within 30 feet of each other or they will disconnect.

applewatchnoconnection.jpg

A few days ago, I experienced an issue that showed my iPhone and Apple Watch disconnected, even though they were on the same Wi-Fi network and only about two feet from each other.

While I don't know why it happened, I do know how to fix it. If you run into the same connection problems, give these quick fixes a try.

Airplane Mode

If you see the disconnect icon the first thing you should try is Airplane mode on Apple Watch to end and re-establish a connection.
Disconnected-Apple-Watch-Fix-3-250x313.jpg

  1. From the watch face on Apple Watch, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
  2. Swipe to the right until you see the Control Center.
  3. Tap the airplane icon to turn Airplane mode on.
  4. Tap it again to turn it off.
This should reset Bluetooth so that the devices sync back together.


Click here to read more...

Article Link: What to Do if Your Apple Watch Disconnects From Your iPhone
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/fix-apple-watch-disconnects-iphone/
Did you really write this hahahahaha oh my sides are splitting!

If those two methods don't work, you can try the trick that fixes a lot of iOS-related problems: turning your device on and off again, which is what ultimately worked for me.
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I've had my watch as far as a couple of miles away from my phone (but still on the same wifi network on campus). I continued to receive texts, emails, etc. This is a great feature in my mind.
 
Apple Watch has been terrific at work because it's all the same wifi, head up 5 floors still receiving messages and meeting requests...

Bluetooth headphones has been a pain in the butt, it connects to Watch and sometimes to the phone I always have to forget the device on my watch to ultimately get it to work on my phone.
 
Zxxv said:
Did you really write this hahahahaha oh my sides are splitting!
Click to expand...
It's a true enough of statement that has applied to electronic devices (in particular competing devices) since essentially forever.

----------
jonblatho said:

It just works


:rolleyes:​
Click to expand...
It does, but just like everything in reality, things can and do come up sometimes.
 
C DM said:
It's a true enough of statement that has applied to electronic devices (in particular competing devices) since essentially forever.
Click to expand...

Exactly. They may as well have added

and if that doesn't work try giving it a slap
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As that is also an age ole remedy since forever.
 
Zxxv said:
Exactly. They may as well have added



As that is also an age ole remedy since forever.
Click to expand...
Well, that second one (hitting the device) doesn't quite work as well on many of today's devices, while the first one (rebooting or its equivalent) does. Given that these articles are seen by many people of all types (just from searching something or coming across it some other way) no harm in mentioning something that is known to work often enough since not everyone really keeps that in mind.
 
Last edited:
C DM said:
Well, that one doesn't quite work as well on today's devices, while the other one does. Given that these articles are seen by many people of all types (just from searching something or coming across it some other way) no harm in mentioning something that is known to work often enough since not everyone really keeps that in mind.
Click to expand...

You'd be shocked how many issues are fixed by a simple 'turn it off and on again'. Especially on OS X.
 
Ah, the infamous "discoveryd" issue, affecting WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity on Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

The first slide on WWDC 2015 should be "we fixed discoveryd".
 
I've been having this issue and was getting a little paranoid over it.

I would disconnect from Bluetooth when I come home and connect to the wifi network but the watch would tell me I'm disconnected.

I'll try forget the networks and connect back up as advised in the article.
 
Zxxv said:
Did you really write this hahahahaha oh my sides are splitting!
Click to expand...

Oh, you were laughing about rebooting the watch. I thought you were laughing about about the order of said operations.

If those two methods don't work, you can try the trick that fixes a lot of iOS-related problems: turning your device on and off again, which is what ultimately worked for me.
Click to expand...

They must be getting great battery performance. :D
 
Do you need Bluetooth turned on in order for your watch to be connected?

I'm at home on my wifi network with Bluetooth turned on. Control centre says in green "connected". If I turn Bluetooth off on my iPhone, the watch after maybe a minute changes to the red "disconnected"

Is this expected behaviour?

I could have sworn that as long as I was connected to wifi i didn't need Bluetooth turned on for the two to be connected? Does Bluetooth need to be turned on all the time to avoid that horrible disconnected message?
 
How about a "You own an Apple Watch right now?" poll in order to avoid too many news of the iWatch?
 
markieg said:
one more article like this and i will quit macrumors for good
Click to expand...

Is it strange or hard to ignore things that don't interest you? I mean internet has been like that all the time, and even books and newspapers and news and everything in life--you focus on things that interest you and ignore things that don't.
 
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