How to Improve Apple Watch Performance

Apple Watch suddenly running slow? Before you contact Apple customer service or look into buying a newer model, you should try and fix the issue on your own.

As your Apple Watch gets older, and as Apple releases new watchOS software, its performance may start to degrade. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to fix bad performance and prolong the life of your smartwatch.

We should note that if these steps don’t work, you’ll want to hunt around for other potential fixes. If nothing works, you’ll want to make an appointment and bring your Apple Watch into an Apple Store to see if they can diagnose the issue(s).

Without further ado, here are steps you can try in an effort to improve your Apple Watch’s performance.

Restart Your Watch

Before you do anything else, try restarting your Apple Watch. A simple restart can have a positive effect on your Apple Watch’s performance.

Power down your Apple Watch, leave it off for a minute or so, and then power it back on and see if you notice a change. If you’re still running into issues, move onto the next steps.

Download the Latest Software

Throughout the year Apple will release new watchOS software. Point updates (x.x.x) typically fix bugs and security issues while milestone upgrades (x.x) generally deliver a nice blend of new features, security updates, and bug fixes.

Apple may not call out performance fixes in an watchOS 10 update’s change log, but new software always has the potential to help (or, some cases, hurt) your Apple Watch’s performance.

For more about the latest version of watchOS 10, see our guide.

Disable Background App Refresh

Background App Refresh, as its name implies, keeps the applications on your Apple Watch updated in the background. The process makes your device work and work can slow it down.

If you don’t want or need your apps constantly working in the background, we suggest turning this feature off and see if your Watch gets a performance boost.

1. Open up the Watch app on your iPhone
2. Tap General
3. Tap Background App Refresh

On this screen you can choose if you want to completely disable the feature or turn it off on an app-by-app basis. If your performance issue are really bad, you’ll probably want to toggle it off completely at the top of the screen.

Clear Website Data

The Apple Watch doesn’t come with a full blown version of Safari, but lets you to open up website links you receive in emails as well as messages from friends and family.

Over time, the data from these links can buildup and if you’re running out of storage space, getting rid of these files could have a positive impact on your Apple Watch’s performance.

Here’s how to get rid of website data on your Apple Watch. You can do this from the Watch app on your iPhone or from the Apple Watch itself.

1. Open up the Settings app on your Apple Watch
2. Tap General
3. Scroll down and tap Website Data
4. Tap Clear Website Data
5. Confirm your decision

Apple notes this will remove website cookies, credentials, and other browsing data. We recommend doing this every once in awhile to help keep your Apple Watch fast.

Delete Apps You Aren’t Using

Speaking of freeing of space, you might also want to delete apps you don’t use from your Apple Watch. Here’s how to delete an app from an Apple Watch:

1. Go to your Apple Watch’s home screen
2. Press and hold down on the icon of the app you wish to delete
3. Once the apps start wiggling, tap on the X symbol
4. In the popup, tap Delete app

Turn Off Workout Reminders

We also recommend turning off automatic Workout Reminders to cut down on the amount of work your Apple Watch is performing. That is unless you rely on the feature. If you don’t, here’s how to turn it off.

1. Go to your Apple Watch’s home screen
2. Open up the Settings app
3. Scroll down to Workout and tap
4. Toggle Start Workout Reminder off

You can always toggle it back on as needed.

Start From Scratch

If nothing here works, and you can’t find a solution elsewhere, you can try resetting your Apple Watch to start from scratch.

This process is fairly involved and will take time to complete and it should only be used as a last resort. If you want to go through with it, you’ll want to check out this guide.

Wait for Blood Pressure Monitoring

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Gurman believes Apple is targeting 2024 for a blood pressure monitor on the Apple Watch. This is the earliest it will launch and there could be a delay. That being said, it's a feature worth waiting for.  He's outlined three health features Apple's working on: glucose and blood sugar monitoring, the ability to take blood pressure, and the ability to measure body temperature. Of these, it looks like the blood pressure tool is the closest to launch. If this pans out, the Apple Watch 10 would be able to detect a user's blood pressure from the wrist using infrared light. If you have blood pressure issues, or simply want a quick way to check, this feature alone might be worth the wait.

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