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Apple Watch 6 constantly locking

I’ve followed all the recommendations in other posts, including unpairing the watch and re-pairing it. It’ll work great for a few hours and then start locking again.


We have Apple Watch 4s (44mm) and a brand new 6 (44mm), all up to date with the latest WOS and the 6 is the only one having this problem.


Bands and tight, fitment is correct, and again, if I turn off the phone and watch then turn on the phone, then the watch, it will usually work for a bit before it starts locking again so it shouldn’t be hardware.


This is so frustrating.

The previous post on the subject (now locked) has over 300 “me toos” on it.


Has anyone managed to actually fix this for good?

Posted on Aug 26, 2021 7:55 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 26, 2021 3:08 PM

Based on all this tattoo madness (again, my tattoo has NEVER been a problem with any watch I've had since the first gen) I went ahead and moved it around too see if the behavior was any different. Based on 6 hours with the watch warn with no tattoo I'll have to agree that this is the cause.


If you have ANY tattoo, even very light coverage, the Apple Watch 6 will not work.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 26, 2021 3:08 PM in response to Nerfherder

Based on all this tattoo madness (again, my tattoo has NEVER been a problem with any watch I've had since the first gen) I went ahead and moved it around too see if the behavior was any different. Based on 6 hours with the watch warn with no tattoo I'll have to agree that this is the cause.


If you have ANY tattoo, even very light coverage, the Apple Watch 6 will not work.

Aug 26, 2021 8:08 AM in response to Nerfherder

There's your answer;

You can turn wrist detection off but at a price;

Apple says;

Permanent or temporary changes to your skin, such as some tattoos, can also impact heart rate sensor performance. The ink, pattern and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings.


Wrist detection off;

Turning off wrist detection affects these Apple Watch features:


When you use Apple Pay on your Apple Watch, you’ll be prompted to enter your passcode when you double-click the side button to authorize the payment.


Some Activity measurements are unavailable.


Heart rate tracking and notifications are turned off.


Apple Watch will no longer automatically lock and unlock.


Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 4 and later won't automatically make an emergency call even after it has detected a hard impact fall.

Make sure that you wear your Apple Watch correctly. The wristband fit has to be snug. Not too tight but not too lose either. If the Watch is too lose on your wrist, and the case doesn’t touch the skin permanently, erroneous Wrist Detection readings might occur. If you move your hand with a loose fit, the Watch can stand more than one second away from your skin, which is enough to trigger Passcode locking.Long sleeve clothing can also accidentally trigger Passcode requests. If the fabric lands in-between the back of your Watch and your skin, light probing won’t work properly and the wearable will consider that it’s not on your wrist anymore. This problem is also caused by a too loose band fit. If you wear a jacket you can tighten up a notch.

Apple Watch 6 constantly locking

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