Why won’t my Bluetooth work? Watch loses phone connection when off WiFi.

[ssledoux]

I cannot get my watch to connect to my phone via bluetooth. I have never had an issue like this. When I go into Bluetooth settings in the watch app, it is grayed out and doesn’t even give me the option to have it connect via Bluetooth, but the watch shows up under my devices in bluetooth on my phone.

Can someone please tell me what the heck Is going on? I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with tech issues the last week or two.

 

[jz0309]

I cannot get my watch to connect to my phone via bluetooth. I have never had an issue like this. When I go into Bluetooth settings in the watch app, it is grayed out and doesn’t even give me the option to have it connect via Bluetooth, but the watch shows up under my devices in bluetooth on my phone.

Can someone please tell me what the heck Is going on? I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with tech issues the last week or two.

there are no bluetooth settings on the watch itself n or in the watch app on the phone.
If your watch is listed as connected under Bluetooth in Settings on the phone, well, then it is connected.

what is not working? what models watch/phone and what OS versions watch/phone are your running?
on your watch, under settings/bluetooth - is bluetooth enabled?

 

[ssledoux]

there are no bluetooth settings on the watch itself n or in the watch app on the phone.
If your watch is listed as connected under Bluetooth in Settings on the phone, well, then it is connected.

what is not working? what models watch/phone and what OS versions watch/phone are your running?
on your watch, under settings/bluetooth - is bluetooth enabled?

Well, every time there’s no WiFi, the watch would lose connection to my phone. It would show up in my Bluetooth devices as not connected, but if I’d click to connect it, it wouldn’t let me.

I wound up unpairing and repairing last night, and it seems like it MIGHT be working. I turned off the WiFi on the watch so I could make sure it stays connected using bluetooth at home.

There was a spot where it gave me an option to click for Bluetooth in the watch app on the phone, but it was grayed out, and now I can‘t remember for the life of me where that was.

Anyway, for now it’s working. If it stops working again, I’m calling Apple.

I have a series 5 watch and iPhone 12, both updated to current software.

 

[minimo3]

This happened to me every couple of months when I had my Series 3. An unpair and repair would fix it. When I got my series 5 I set it up as new and haven’t seen the problem since. Every time I get a new iPhone, iPad, watch nowadays I install everything again from scratch.

 

[ssledoux]

This happened to me every couple of months when I had my Series 3. An unpair and repair would fix it. When I got my series 5 I set it up as new and haven’t seen the problem since. Every time I get a new iPhone, iPad, watch nowadays I install everything again from scratch.

I set it up as new when I paired it with my 12 just a few weeks ago. It’s so frustrating.

I’ve also noticed that sometimes when I try to scroll up on my watch face to check battery or something, it just won’t do it. I can press the Digital Crown or the power button, but the screen will be unresponsive.

I’ve had every series of the watch, and I’ve never had one with these issues. All software up to date. It’s weird.

 

[nickdalzell1]

The Bluetooth/wifi handoff bug, one I experienced so often with a Series 5 (my Series 3 was immune) that I eventually just switched Bluetooth off and kept it on Wifi only mode. Worked better that way given I was always near a wifi 90% the time (cell signal sucks here)

Say you were playing music via Radio app, but your watch had switched to wifi for some reason (your phone got just the few feet away where it loses bluetooth signal) and you then go get your phone and go for a walk, with your AirPods in, enjoying some music while exercising outdoors. By the time you turn the corner, and lose wifi, instead of connecting like it should back to Bluetooth, the music up and quits.

That happened far too often on mine. I ended up eventually having it download the mixes overnight while on charge and just using that feature offline, and forcing watch to wifi only. It would still work that way today, even without an iPhone nearby, since it's still attached to my Apple ID. I'd lose SMS support and that's about it.

 

[ssledoux]

The Bluetooth/wifi handoff bug, one I experienced so often with a Series 5 (my Series 3 was immune) that I eventually just switched Bluetooth off and kept it on Wifi only mode. Worked better that way given I was always near a wifi 90% the time (cell signal sucks here)

Say you were playing music via Radio app, but your watch had switched to wifi for some reason (your phone got just the few feet away where it loses bluetooth signal) and you then go get your phone and go for a walk, with your AirPods in, enjoying some music while exercising outdoors. By the time you turn the corner, and lose wifi, instead of connecting like it should back to Bluetooth, the music up and quits.

That happened far too often on mine. I ended up eventually having it download the mixes overnight while on charge and just using that feature offline, and forcing watch to wifi only. It would still work that way today, even without an iPhone nearby, since it's still attached to my Apple ID. I'd lose SMS support and that's about it.

Well I’d prefer having it on Bluetooth and never even try to pick up WiFi, since I need it and use it more when I’m away from home anyway.

Is there a way to make the watch NOT pick up WiFi?

I wonder if series 6 is any better with this. I’ve never had this type of issue before.

 

[GeekyGrannie]

...

I’ve also noticed that sometimes when I try to scroll up on my watch face to check battery or something, it just won’t do it. I can press the Digital Crown or the power button, but the screen will be unresponsive.

...

I also had this problem. I could swipe side-to-side to change watch faces, but could not swipe up or down. Thanks to suggestions from others, I fixed it by turning off the Zoom feature on the watch.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Well I’d prefer having it on Bluetooth and never even try to pick up WiFi, since I need it and use it more when I’m away from home anyway.

Is there a way to make the watch NOT pick up WiFi?

I wonder if series 6 is any better with this. I’ve never had this type of issue before.

You have to turn Wifi off entirely on the watch, and not by using control center. It will just turn on a day later. Go to settings and find your wifi settings and switch it off.

Bluetooth was very unstable or had a seriously short leash for me, but then again I was using the Series 5 with an iPhone 6S at the time. I couldn't walk 6 ft in the same room before it'd disconnect. Meanwhile I have wifi everywhere I am. At home, work, the gas station, the junkyard, grocery store, etc.

 

[ssledoux]

I also had this problem. I could swipe side-to-side to change watch faces, but could not swipe up or down. Thanks to suggestions from others, I fixed it by turning off the Zoom feature on the watch.

I actually think I remember this. I do have zoom on. I need to turn it off.

 

[ssledoux]

You have to turn Wifi off entirely on the watch, and not by using control center. It will just turn on a day later. Go to settings and find your wifi settings and switch it off.

Bluetooth was very unstable or had a seriously short leash for me, but then again I was using the Series 5 with an iPhone 6S at the time. I couldn't walk 6 ft in the same room before it'd disconnect. Meanwhile I have wifi everywhere I am. At home, work, the gas station, the junkyard, grocery store, etc.

Phone settings or watch settings?

 

[nickdalzell1]

Watch settings.