Do you have an Apple Watch? If so, you may have noticed that it locks up quite often. This can be quite frustrating, especially if you are in the middle of using it. In this blog post, we will discuss why your Apple Watch keeps locking and how to fix it!

Why Does My Apple Watch Keep Locking?

The most common reason your Apple Watch keeps locking is due to its Auto Lock feature. This setting can be found in the Settings app under “General” and is on by default. The Auto Lock feature automatically locks your Apple Watch after a certain period, usually around 15 minutes of inactivity. This ensures that your personal information remains secure and cannot be accessed without entering your passcode. If you want to keep using your Apple Watch for longer than 15 minutes, you will need to disable the Auto Lock feature or adjust the time until it locks.

What To Do If Your Apple Watch Locks?

• Ensure your Apple Watch has enough power – If your watch runs out of power, it may not be able to wake up again. Make sure you keep your watch charged and ready for use.
• Reboot the watch – To reboot the watch, press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown until you see the Apple logo appear on the screen.
• Reset all settings – To reset all settings, go to Settings > General > Reset and tap “Reset All Settings.” This will reset any preferences you have set on the watch.
• Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch – If you are still having issues with your watch locking up, try unpairing and re-pairing it with your iPhone. This should fix any issues you are having.
• Check for software updates – Make sure your watch is running the latest version of watchOS by going to the Watch app on your iPhone and tapping General > Software Update.
• Force restart the watch – To force restart your watch, press and hold both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds.
• Reset network settings – In some cases, a locked watch can be caused by corrupted or outdated network settings. To reset these settings, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings and confirm your selection.
• Restore from a backup – If you have previously backed up your Apple Watch, you can try restoring it from the backup. This will restore any data that had been backed up prior to the lock screen issue.
• Reset and erase all content – As a last resort, if none of the above solutions work, you may need to reset and erase all content from your watch. This will delete all data on the device, so make sure you have backed it up first!
• Contact Apple Support – If none of the solutions above work, contact Apple Support for assistance. They may be able to help diagnose and fix any issues you are having with your Apple Watch.

How To Prevent Your Apple Watch From Locking?

1. Disable the Auto Lock feature: You can disable the Auto Lock feature in the Settings app. This will ensure that your Apple Watch does not lock itself after a certain period.
2. Adjust the Auto-Lock setting: You can also adjust the timing of your Apple Watch locks by changing the “Auto-Lock Time” setting in the Settings app. By default, it is set to 15 minutes, but you can adjust it to any time you’d like.
3. Keep your Apple Watch active: If you keep using your Apple Watch for short periods, it will lock itself less often. This means that if you are actively using your Apple Watch, it will lock itself less often.
4. Update your Apple Watch: Make sure that your Apple Watch is running the latest version of watchOS, as this can help prevent it from locking unexpectedly. You can check for updates by opening the Watch app on your iPhone and going to General > Software Update.
5. Power off your Apple Watch: When you power off your Apple Watch, it will remain unlocked until you turn it back on. This can be useful if you want to use your Apple Watch for a longer period without having to unlock it constantly.
6. Turn off wrist detection: Wrist detection is the feature that automatically locks or unlocks your Apple Watch when you take it off or put it on your wrist. If you don’t want to use this feature, you can turn it off in the Settings app under General > Wrist Detection.
7. Turn off the passcode: You can also turn it off on your Apple Watch if you don’t want it to lock itself. This can be done in the Settings app under Passcode & Face ID.
8. Adjust your notifications: If you have a lot of notifications coming in, this can cause your Apple Watch to lock itself more often as it is trying to process all of them at once. You can adjust the types of notifications that come in by going to Notifications in the Settings app.
9. Restart your Apple Watch: Restarting your Apple Watch can also help prevent it from locking unexpectedly, as this clears any temporary files or settings that may be causing the issue. You can restart your Apple Watch by pressing and holding the side button until the Power Off slider appears.
10. Reset your Apple Watch: If none of the previously mentioned solutions work, you can try resetting your Apple Watch and restoring it to its original factory settings. You can do this by going to General > Reset in the Settings app and selecting “Erase All Content and Settings.”

Troubleshooting Tips If Your Apple Watch Continues To Lock

1. Make sure you are running the latest version of watchOS. You can update your Apple Watch by going to the Settings app and tapping General > Software Update.
2. Ensure that your Apple Watch is close enough to its paired iPhone, as this could cause connection issues that make it lock up.
3. Check to see if any apps are crashing or freezing, as this could be causing the lockups. You can identify if any apps are misbehaving by going to the Settings app and tapping General > Activity > Diagnostics & Usage > Diagnostic & Usage Data.
4. Try restarting your Apple Watch. Press and hold the side button until you see the power off slider, then drag the slider to power your device off. You can also do a hard reset by pressing and holding both the side button and digital crown for at least 10 seconds until you see the Apple logo.
5. Try unpairing and re-pairing your iPhone with your Apple Watch. This might resolve any connection issues that are causing it to lock up.
6. If all else fails, contact Apple Support for further assistance.

Conclusion

If your Apple Watch keeps locking, it can be very frustrating. Fortunately, there are a few things you can try to fix the issue. Make sure you are running the latest version of watchOS, check for any misbehaving apps, restart or hard reset your device, and unpair and re-pair your iPhone with your Apple Watch.