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Apple Watch not turning on when wrist raised

i have series 2 watch - never had any problems but in the last 2 weeks it won’t turn on when I raise my wrist OR when I tap the screen. The only way to turn it on is if I press the button on the side so I have to do that, the come out of the app screen just to see the time. I have checked the wrist raise and orientation screens in the app (and turned them off and on again) and it is not in theatre mode - what can I do?

Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 6

Posted on May 28, 2020 10:16 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 28, 2020 10:22 AM

The first (and simplest) thing to try if something isn’t working right is to restart your Apple Watch and its paired iPhone. If necessary (device not responding), try a forced restart. Both methods can be found here:

How to restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Restart your iPhone - Apple Support


If that doesn't help, the next steps would be to unpair and pair your watch again and restore from the backup:

Unpair and erase your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Set up your Apple Watch - Apple Support


7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 28, 2020 10:22 AM in response to Appletina469

The first (and simplest) thing to try if something isn’t working right is to restart your Apple Watch and its paired iPhone. If necessary (device not responding), try a forced restart. Both methods can be found here:

How to restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Restart your iPhone - Apple Support


If that doesn't help, the next steps would be to unpair and pair your watch again and restore from the backup:

Unpair and erase your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Set up your Apple Watch - Apple Support


Jul 9, 2020 11:53 AM in response to javaliga

This happens with my husband’s watch from time to time - what is always (in his case) the cause is that he has accidentally put it in theater mode. To check on this mode, swipe up from the bottom of the watch screen with your finger. This will give you access to simple controls. The first screen won’t display theater mode, so swipe again. On the second screen, you will see a little pictograph of two masks. If theater mode is active, the pictograph be highlighted. Just tap it, and it will grey, and become inactive. Swipe from top of screen to bottom to return to watch face. Problem solved!


Similarly, if your Watch phone is not ringing, often, you will find you have unintentionally turned sound off. Look for the pictograph of the bell. If sound is turned off, the bell will be highlighted. Tap it to inactivate, and swipe back to get to your watch face.

Apple Watch not turning on when wrist raised

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