8 Common Apple Watch 4 Problems & How to Fix Them

If you have the new Apple Watch  on your wrist it may be an exciting day, but there are some annoying Apple Watch 4 problems that can dampen the experience.

This guide covers common Apple Watch 4 problems, and we walk through how to fix these issues. While you will need to wait for an update to fix some issues like not being able to use the ECG feature and some other complications issues there are things you can try now.

Here are the most common Apple Watch 4 problems so far;

1. How to Fix Most Apple Watch 4 Problems
2. How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Pairing Problems
3. How to Fix Apple Watch Fall Detection Problems
4. How to Fix Apple Watch 4 LTE Problems
5. How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Complications Problems
6. How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Battery Life Problems
7. How to Fix Apple Watch 4 App Problems
8. How to Fix Annoying Apple Watch 4 Problems

We’ll also cover what you should do if you have annoying Apple Watch 4 problems that won’t go away.  If you break your new Apple Watch or if it stops working, you should take it to Apple or the store you bought it from Apple Stores often have some leeway in replacements even if you accidentally broke it without AppleCare+ and if it simply stops working you can get a replacement.

Use this guide to fix these problems and get back to enjoying your Apple Watch 4.

How to Fix Many Apple Watch 4 Problems

If your Apple Watch 4 feels slow, isn’t working as expected or is simply acting up, you can fix this in just a minute or two.

1. Restart the Apple Watch.
2. Restart your iPhone.

That’s the fastest way to fix small and frustrating Apple Watch 4 problems. It sounds too simple to work, but it does fix a lot of small problems and odd behavior.

How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Pairing Problems

If you cannot pair the Apple Watch to your iPhone you should try restarting the iPhone. This can fix the issue right off the bat, but there are other things you can try if you are still having problems pairing the Apple Watch 4 to your iPhone.

You can also try restarting the Apple Watch, which can also solve the problem.

You should also install iOS 12 on your iPhone if you don’t already have it installed. This could help you pair the Apple Watch.

How to Fix Apple Watch Fall Detection Problems

The new Fall Detection feature on the Apple Watch 4 is a great tool for users who are at risk of falling.

This is only turned on by default if you are 65 or older. You can turn this on in the settings in the Watch app on your iPhone.

1. Open the Watch App.
2. Tap on My Watch.
3. Tap on Emergency SOS.
4. Enable Fall Detection.
5. Confirm.

This will turn it on for you, but be warned that it isn’t fully fleshed out yet. We’re seeing reports of users activating it by hammering or by slamming a lid shut on something.

If you get false positives you may want to turn it off until the feature is tuned better. You can also report that it is not a fall to help make it better.

How to Fix Apple Watch 4 LTE Problems

We often see users run into problems with the Apple Watch 4 LTE. This can happen when you are activating the watch or when trying to use it.

Anyone else with a cellular Apple Watch Series 4 having problems linking to @TMobile?

— Ken (@kenbolido) September 22, 2018

We’ve seen reports of the Apple Watch 4 LTE not working on T-Mobile and on Vodafone.

You can try setting up LTE after you you pair the watch. This works for many users and was a watchOS 5 issue as well.

For other problems you may need to wait for the carrier to iron out some issues. Unfortunately that’s the only thing to do with LTE issues.

How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Complications Problems

The Apple Watch 4 includes new complications for the Infograph faces. There are two issues that we are seeing. We can help you fix one, but the other may not get fixed until watchOS 5.0.1 or watchOS 5.1.

Many users report the weather circular complication is not reliably updating. This appears to be fairly common and you will need to wait for Apple to fix something.

The other problem is not being able to pick your favorite Apple Watch apps as complications on the new Infograph faces. This is because the apps need updated to work with these new options.

One example is the Better Day complication, which is updated to work with the new Infograph faces. Look for app updates or new apps that support this.

How to Fix Apple Watch 4 Battery Life Problems

So far the Apple Watch 4 battery life is treating us very good. If you run into problems where the battery life isn’t lasting at least all day, you should take steps to fix a problem. Here’s what to do;

• Limit notifications – Notifications light up the screen push the Taptic feedback and cause you to use the watch. Limit useless notifications and your battery life will improve. Limit these in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
• Use Bluetooth – When you are not connected to the phone by Bluetooth the phone resorts to WiFi which is not as power friendly.
• Turn off heart rate monitoring – Go to Apple Watch app -> Workout -> Power Saving Mode -> On. This will stop using the hear rate sensor during workouts to help the Apple Watch battery last longer.
• Reboot – Restart your Apple Watch. This simple solution can fix a lot of problems.

If nothing fixes your battery life issues, you need to consider reseting the Apple Watch and starting over.

How to Fix Apple Watch 4 App Problems

You may find that your Apple Watch 4 doesn’t run all the apps from your old watch or that an app may not install.

We’ve seen an issue where the Walkie Talkie app wasn’t install. Even though we use FaceTime it was offloaded by the iPhone to save space, and that prevented the Walkie Talkie app from installing to the Apple Watch. Search for FaceTime in the App Store in the iPhone and then install it to start using the Walkie Talkie.

You may also need to get a new version of the app or update the app so it works perfectly on the Apple Watch 4. Some very early apps appear to not work if the developer hasn’t updated it recently.

How to Fix Annoying Apple Watch 4 Problems

If your Apple Watch 4 problem won’t go away with any of the fixes listed above you may want to go to the heavy duty solution which is a full reset.

1. On your iPhone open the Watch app.
2. Tap on My Watch and tap Apple Watch.
3. Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
4. Next, tap to confirm and if you have Activation Lock on, enter your Apple ID password to turn it off.

This will reset the Apple Watch 4 and get you back to a stock install or allow you to restore an iCloud backup.

If you still have issues, check out this bigger guide to how to fix Apple Watch problems and a look at the watchOS 5 problems.

Answer Calls on the Apple Watch

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You can answer a call on your Apple Watch using it as a small Bluetooth speakerphone. You only want to use this for shorter calls because the audio quality isn't as good as when you are talking on speakerphone on your iPhone.  The Apple Watch only allows you to answer your calls on Speakerphone, so you won't want to use this all the time. It is very handy when you are working on a project or busy with your hands. Definitely be conscious of where you are taking calls. If you wouldn't talk on speakerphone, you shouldn't talk on your Apple Watch. If you buy the new Apple Watch with LTE, you can even make calls on the Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby. This requires adding the watch to your plan for $10 a month. You cannot answer a FaceTime video call on the Apple Watch.

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