6 Ways to fix Apple Watch swipe up not working

How to fix Apple Watch swipe up not working

Apple Watch has great features such as fall detection, heart rate monitor, ECG, and many others. But it all comes to no use if you cannot swipe up on it. There are multiple reasons why you can’t swipe up on Apple Watch, but first, I would suggest cleaning the screen and edges, removing the screen protector, and swiping up with clean hands. If this doesn’t help, follow these 6 easy ways to fix the Apple Watch swipe up not working.

  1. Restart Apple Watch
  2. Try slow swipes
  3. Unpair and re-pair Apple Watch
  4. Change watch face
  5. Check for cracks on the screen
  6. Contact Apple Support

1. Restart Apple Watch 

Restart is that one magic spell we always rely on whenever a gadget freezes or does not respond properly. Since your Apple Watch is not letting you swipe, I suggest you restart your Apple Watch. But if that doesn’t help, or your Apple Watch is not responding, the next best way is to restart it.

2. Try slow swipes

Since you can’t swipe on your Apple Watch like usual, I recommend trying to do the same a bit slower. It could be a software bug preventing the watchOS from detecting the normal swipes, and until a fix update is pushed, you can try slow swipes.

However, if this doesn’t fix the issue, move on to the following fixes.

3. Unpair and re-pair Apple Watch 

The next best fix is to unpair Apple Watch and pair it again. But before that, I highly suggest taking a backup of your Apple Watch so that you can restore it later.

4. Change watch face

Sometimes it isn’t a software or hardware issue but a watch face preventing your Apple Watch from registering swipe gestures. So, try changing the watch face of your Apple Watch and see if it helps.

Lift your wrist to light up the screen. You may also tap once. Swipe horizontally from the left or right edge to easily switch between different watch faces.

5. Check for cracks on the screen

Since Apple Watch rests on our hands, it’s easy to get scratches or minute cracks around the bezels and corners, thus affecting the areas where you swipe. Check if there are scratches or cracks; if you notice anything, it’s time to visit Apple Support.

6. Contact Apple Support

If you have noticed scratches or cracks on your Apple Watch or could not find a solution through all these fixes, chances are it’s a hardware issue. Your last resort is to contact Apple Support and inform them about the problem. I hope that you can fix the issue from there.

FAQs

Q. Why can’t I swipe down on the red dot on my Apple Watch?

The red dot in your Apple Watch indicates unread notifications, but if you cannot swipe them on your Apple Watch, restart the device and see if it helps. If it still doesn’t fix, force restart and check again.

Q. Why is my Apple Watch not responding?

If your Apple Watch is not responding properly, force restart and see if that fixes the issue.

That’s it!

Since the swipe gesture is an important way to control your Apple Watch, its productivity loses greatly if it’s not working. That’s why I have tried to bring you the tried-and-tested fixes. Were you able to fix the issues? Let me know in the comments below.

Read more Apple Watch fixes and tips:

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Anoop loves to find solutions for all your doubts on Tech. When he's not on his quest, you can find him on Twitter talking about what's in his mind.

4 comments

  1. I had been struggling for days trying to swipe up on my watch, I read your suggestion to try a re-start and it worked perfectly.

    Thank you so much.

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