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Ankurgarg537
User level: Level 1 (12 points)

After update to ios 26.6 my watch heart rate nd blood oxygen not working

Title: Apple Watch Ultra Heart Rate Sensor and Compass Not Working After Updating to watchOS 26.6


Hi everyone,


I have an Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation), and after updating it to watchOS 26.6, my heart rate sensor and compass stopped working.


Both features were working properly before the update. However, immediately after updating, I noticed that the heart rate sensor was no longer measuring my heart rate, and the Compass app was also not working.


I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps, but nothing has resolved the issue:



  • Force-restarted my Apple Watch.


  • Turned Wrist Detection off and on again.


  • Unpaired and paired my Apple Watch with my iPhone again.


  • Tried the usual troubleshooting steps recommended for these issues.

Unfortunately, both the heart rate sensor and compass are still not working.


Since both features stopped working after the software update, I suspect this could be related to watchOS 26.6, although I cannot confirm that the update is the cause.


Has anyone else experienced this issue on an Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation) after updating to watchOS 26.6?


Is there any other solution I can try, or should I contact Apple Support for a hardware diagnostic?


Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you!

Posted on Oct 24, 2026 4:41 AM

1 reply

WheelieNick
User level: Level 9 (74,110 points)

Oct 28, 2026 5:18 AM in response to Ankurgarg537

Hi there please try this

  • Set Up as a New Watch: Unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone, and instead of restoring from a previous backup, set it up completely fresh to clear out corrupted configuration files. 
  • Toggle Toggles & Orientation:
    • Turn off both "Wake on Wrist Raise" and "Wrist Detection" in the Watch app on your iPhone, restart both devices, and turn them back on.
    • Temporarily change your watch orientation setting (for example, switch wrists or crown side), and then change it back. 


  • Toggle Heart Rate & Privacy Settings:
    • On your watch, go to Settings > Privacy & Health > Heart Rate, toggle it off, wait a few seconds, and toggle it back on.
    • In the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Background App Refresh and make sure Heart Rate is enabled. 
  • Clean the Back Crystal: Wipe the back ceramic and glass crystal cleanly with a damp microfiber cloth to remove dust or oil blocking the optical sensor. 
  • Check AssistiveTouch: Enable AssistiveTouch in your accessibility settings to test whether physical motion and gesture engines are registering any input at all.
  • Disable Low Power Mode: Ensure that Low Power Mode is turned off under your battery settings, as it can disable sensor measurements. 


Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256382051