Fix Apple Watch Swipe Up Not Working [7+ Ways]

Over the course of the last year and a half, I’ve been keeping tabs on the alerts on my phone with the assistance of an Apple Watch, which has also proven to be an invaluable tool for monitoring my fitness progress.

However, just lately I had a problem where the Watch would no longer react to my up-and-down movements on the main screen. This happened rather recently. Despite my efforts to swipe up from the corners and the centre of the screen, I was unable to see my alerts or access the Control Centre because of this issue.

Although at first I was afraid that the screen could have been broken, I soon realised that I was still able to swipe left and right and access programmes without any problems.

During a break from my job, I made the decision to investigate the issue that I was having with my Apple Watch. Thankfully, I was able to figure out how to fix the problem in a matter of minutes.

If you are having a situation similar to the one described above, in which swiping up on your Apple Watch does not have any effect, I suggest rebooting the device. To do this, press and hold the Side button located on the right side of your Watch until the Power Off option displays, and then move the power off slider to the off position. After a few minutes have passed, press and hold the Side button once again. Continue doing so until the Apple logo displays on the screen.

Table of Contents

Try rebooting Apple Watch

An buildup of static charge and temporary memory files may occur if an Apple Watch is used for an extended period of time without being rebooted. This may result in a variety of problems, one of which being the inability to swipe upwards on the tablet.

The good news is that the fix is not too complicated: just restart your Apple Watch.

To do this, go as follows:

Press and hold the Side button on your Apple Watch.

On watchOS 9, this will bring up the Power button. For watchOS 8 or earlier, it will display the Power Off slider.
Swipe the Power Off slider to turn off your watch. If you are using watchOS 9, you will first need to tap on the Power button located in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Wait for a couple of minutes.
Press the Side button again until the Apple logo appears, indicating that your watch is turning back on.

You may repair difficulties caused by static charge and temporary memory files by restarting your Apple Watch. This will allow you to recover the ability to swipe up on your device.

Try force restarting Apple Watch

If you notice that even after doing a standard restart on your Apple Watch, you are unable to swipe up or down, you have the option to perform a force restart on it.

Please follow these instructions if you want to restart your Apple Watch in an unnatural way:

Press and hold both the Digital Crown (the circular button on the side) and the Side button (located below the Digital Crown) simultaneously.
Keep holding both buttons for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo appearing on the screen.
Release the buttons and wait for your watch to complete the restart process.

Wait for your Apple Watch to finish booting up, and ideally, the problems that prevented you from swiping up or down on the device will be resolved as a result of the force restart.

Zoom on your Apple Watch should be disabled

You can enlarge the display on an Apple Watch by using the Zoom function, which allows you to do so by double-tapping the screen with two fingers. This function is helpful for those who have vision impairments; nevertheless, it may cause the Apple Watch to become unresponsive to upward swipes at times.

If you are having trouble with swipe-up movements on your Apple Watch, disabling the Zoom function may be of assistance to you. Proceed in the following manner:

Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch.
Navigate to the Settings app.
Scroll down using the Digital Crown and select Accessibility.
Tap on Zoom.
Toggle the Zoom feature off to disable it.

You also have the option of using the Watch app on the iPhone that is associated with your Apple Watch in order to access the same settings and turn off Zoom. If you deactivate the Zoom feature on your Apple Watch, you should be able to reactivate the swipe-up capability on the display.

Switch the system haptics on and off

Another method to resolve the issue of being unable to swipe up on your Apple Watch is by disabling and re-enabling the System Haptics feature. This approach has proven effective for many users and does not require a complete restart of the device.

To change the System Haptics settings on your Apple Watch, follow these steps:

Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to access the home screen.
Locate and open the Settings app.
Scroll down using the Digital Crown or by swiping up and select “Sound & Haptics.”
Look for the “System Haptics” option.
Toggle the switch to turn off the System Haptics feature.
Wait for approximately 10-20 seconds.
Toggle the switch again to turn the System Haptics feature back on.

By disabling and re-enabling System Haptics, you may restore the swipe-up functionality on your Apple Watch without the need for a full restart.

Search for WatchOS updates

Another alternative option that should be taken into consideration is updating the watchOS on your Apple Watch to the most recent version. This is because Apple constantly provides updates and patches that fix issues and add new capabilities.

This is particularly critical if you have turned off the automatic update feature on the device you’re using. Follow these instructions to bring your Apple Watch up to speed with the most recent version of watchOS:

If your Apple Watch is running watchOS 6 or later, you can update it directly from the device:

Ensure that your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone.
Press the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch to access the home screen.
Locate and open the Settings app.
Scroll down and select “General.”
Choose “Software Update.”
If an update is available, tap on “Install” to initiate the update process.
Wait for the update to download and install on your Apple Watch.

Alternatively, you can update your Apple Watch using your paired iPhone:

Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
Navigate to the “My Watch” tab at the bottom of the screen.
Select “General.”
Tap on “Software Update.”
If an update is available, download it by following the on-screen instructions. You may be prompted to enter your Apple ID passcode if necessary.

You may be able to resolve the problem you are having with your Apple Watch by bringing it up to date with the most recent version of watchOS. This will allow you to take advantage of bug fixes and new features.

Try unpairing and pairing Apple watch

Unpairing your Apple Watch from your iPhone should only be considered as a last resort since it will reset the watch to its factory default settings, resulting in the deletion of all data, settings, and content.

To unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, follow these steps:

Keep your iPhone and Apple Watch close to each other.
Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
Go to the “My Watch” tab.
Select “All Watches.”
Tap on the information (i) button next to your Apple Watch.
Choose “Unpair Apple Watch.”
Confirm the action, and you may be required to enter your Apple ID password.
Once the unpairing process is complete, you will see a “Start Pairing” message on the Apple Watch screen.

To reconnect your Apple Watch and iPhone, follow these steps:

Reboot your Apple Watch by restarting it.
Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close to each other.
Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
Tap on “All Watches.”
Select “Add Watch” and choose “Set up for myself.”
Tap on “Start Pairing.”
Position your Apple Watch within the camera frame displayed on your iPhone screen.
Sign in using your Apple ID and set a passcode for your watch.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process. You can choose to restore from an old backup if desired.

By following these steps, you can unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch and iPhone, allowing you to start afresh, although it’s important to note that this process will result in the loss of all existing data on your Apple Watch.

Wrapping it up: Check Hardware Damage

In the event that your Apple Watch is entirely unresponsive to any touch or motion, it is essential to examine the screen to determine whether or not it has been damaged.

It’s possible that the unresponsiveness is due to damage brought on by abrasive materials, cleaning solvents, or even just harsh handling. This problem may also be made worse by extreme heat or by being submerged in water for an extended period of time.

In the event that you see any symptoms of damage on the display of your Apple Watch, the most prudent thing for you to do is get in touch with Apple Support to get more assistance. They are able to provide advice on the best way to continue, as well as the possibility of arranging for repairs or replacements.

It is important to keep in mind that Apple backs up all of the Apple Watch Series products with a standard guarantee of one year. However, if you make the first purchase during the first sixty days, you have the option of purchasing AppleCare+, which will allow you to extend the warranty coverage for as long as three years.

You may guarantee that your Apple Watch gets the appropriate care and expert examination to repair any screen-related problems by contacting Apple Support and exploring your warranty options. This will allow you to protect your investment in the Apple Watch.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I restart my non-working Apple Watch?

To force a non-responsive Apple Watch to respond again, press and hold both the Digital Crown and the Side button at the same time for as long as it takes for the Apple logo to show on the display. As soon as you let go of the buttons, the watch will begin again.

What does the red dot on my Apple Watch’s face represent?

If you get a notification, your Apple Watch will display a little red dot at the top of the face of your watch. Simply swiping down on the watch face will bring up the notice for you to read.

You may try resetting the watch by following the procedures that were previously outlined in this article if you find that your Apple Watch is unresponsive to swiping movements when the red dot is shown.

What does Apple Watch’s “Water lock” do?

When the watch is submerged in liquid, the Water Lock function on an Apple Watch is activated to protect the user from inadvertently entering data. When the Water Lock feature is activated, the touch capability of the display on the watch is disabled.

Swipe up from the bottom of the watch face to open the Control Centre, then touch and hold the symbol that looks like a drop of water, and then follow the on-screen steps to enable the Water Lock feature.

Turning the Digital Crown on your watch will expel any water that may be present from the speaker, allowing you to eliminate the Water Lock feature. After that, the display will become unlocked, and the watch will once again be sensitive to touches.