Helping millions of people navigate the world of technology.

3 Ways to Fix Apple Watch Always On Display Not Working

Quick Tips
  • On your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Display and Brightness > Always On and make sure the feature is enabled.
  • Check if you have disabled notifications, apps, or complications from being visible on the Always On display.
  • You can also try disabling the Theatre/Cinema Mode, and Automatic Wrist detection to fix the problem.

Basic Fixes

  • Check if your Apple Watch supports Always On: Always On display is available on the Apple Watch Series 5,6,7,8,9 and Apple Watch Ultra 1st and 2nd gen.
  • Enable Always On in Settings: Go to Settings > Display and Brightness > Always On and make sure you enable the feature.
  • Restart Apple Watch: Restarting your Apple Watch can resolve any glitches affecting the Always On feature.
  • Update Apple Watch: Update your Apple Watch to the latest version of watchOS for a bug-free experience.

Fix 1: Always On Showing Time Only – Enable Complications, Notifications, and App Data

If the Always On display is showing only time on your Apple Watch, you may have accidentally disabled complications, notifications, and app data from being shown.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch. Go to Display and Brightness > Always On.

Step 2: You can open Complication Data, Show Notifications, and Show Apps and enable the toggles to make them visible in Always On.

Further, you can also scroll down in each of these menus, and choose to see notifications or complications from specific apps only in Always On.

Also Read: How to change Apple Watch Face.

Fix 2: Turn Off Automatic Wrist Detection

If there is an issue with wrist detection, your Apple Watch may not recognize that you are wearing the watch and, thus, may not light up the Always On display feature.

Open the Settings app. Tap on Passcode. Scroll down, and turn off the toggle for Wrist Detection.

Also Read: How to enable or disable Wrist Detection on Apple Watch.

Fix 3: Disable Cinema or Theater Mode

The Cinema Mode or Theater Mode on the Apple Watch dims the screen, and if the Always On display is not visible, try turning off the theatre mode.

All you need to do is swipe up to access the Control Center and tap on the double mask icon to turn off the Cinema Mode.

Turn Off Cinema Mode

If nothing works, you can reset your Apple Watch. Go to Settings > General > Reset on your Apple Watch and tap on Erase All Content and Settings. This will reset any misconfiguration that is causing the problem.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Last updated on 16 May, 2024

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.