Apple has a solution to ghost touch issue on Apple Watch models

Apple has a solution for the Apple Watch ghost touch issue

Apple has expanded its investigation into the "ghost touch" issue on the Apple Watch and is now acknowledging more models are affected by the bug.

Apple Watch ghost touch is a serious issue, referring to unintended touches or swipes on the screen that the device registers. Apple is not taking these reports lightly and has launched a thorough investigation to identify the cause and find a solution.

Ghost touch was initially observed on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models. However, it has now been found to affect the Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra 1 models as well, according to reliable leaker "Fudge" on X.

This has JUST been extended to series 7, series 8, as well as ultra 1 just FYI

Apple has advised us not to replace watches for this issue and to tell people to basically force restart the watch by holding both buttons together for 10 seconds and also keep your watches up-to-date https://t.co/klrVeYhkD0
— Stella - Fudge (@StellaFudge) April 10, 2024

The ghost touch problem has been a source of confusion for both users and tech experts. It causes the Apple Watch to activate or navigate menus without physical prompts.

Erratic screen responses interfere with the device's functionality but also prompt worries about unintended commands or data entries.

How to fix Apple Watch ghost touch

To address the ghost touch issue, Apple recommends a specific procedure. Users are advised to perform a force restart on their watches by holding down the Digital Crown and side button until the Apple logo appears.

This temporary fix is aimed at alleviating the effects of ghost touch. It's also important to keep the watch updated to the latest watchOS version.

Apple is expected to release a more permanent fix in watchOS 10.5, which is likely why Apple is avoiding offering replacement units for now. Weird bugs like ghost touch may not be resolved with a single update either, at least not for all models, so a temporary fix is welcome.

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9 Comments

greginprague 484 comments · 13 Years

About 2 weeks ago

I had this issue two weeks ago with my Apple Watch 9. It was just going insane, literally seemed possessed. Unfortunately we can’t upload video in the comments. I’d never needed to do a force restart on any of my previous Apple Watches going back to 2015, so I wasn’t sure how. I couldn’t do a standard restart because of all the ghost touching, finally figured out how to do the hard restart on the watch. The issue hasn’t cropped up again yet. I’ve owned the watch since Christmas.

pgre 2 comments · 9 Years

I had what seems to be a similar issue with my Apple Watch Ultra 2 - Just went bonkers.

Nothing on the screen or stuck in buttons etc.

I had a challenge just turning it off... but a power cycle seemed to resolve it.

dope_ahmine 253 comments · 4 Years

No shit. My Apple Watch Series 6 has experienced this extremely annoying issue with every version of watchOS throughout the past year. Never was like that before.

jellybelly 113 comments · 15 Years

My best guess is that the hand (fist, thumb to forefinger touch gesture )accessibility features involve ML of movements sensed may be occasionally picking up a gesture even though it’s not intended. My Ultra1 surprises me by starting up a timer or stopwatch and showing it.

Again, my best guess is Siri often hearing me ask to set a timer for various tasks and ML accidentally learning a hand gesture and starting it with that gesture. Maybe it is collecting data for ML for a future feature but is so sensitive that it’s working prematurely.

There are many tendons that run through the wrist to control finger and hand movement.

Not every person’s wrist subtle movements will be the same to ‘telegraph’ what are internal tendons that a finger or fist cause to move in a way the watch can use for prediction of a gesture.

Also, Apple may be collecting anonymized data for algorithms to use in ML. That then can be put in updates for personal ML that stays private on your watch.

I’m just winging it here in what might be going wrong occasionally as Apple continues to improve gesture sensitivity and acquire new gestures for future releases.

quakerotis 64 comments · 8 Years

My SE has the problem of spontaneously switching watch faces.