A new report says that Apple is investigating a display issue affecting both of its top Apple Watch models that could cause the screen to “jump erratically” without user input.
According to MacRumors, an internal memo sent to Apple Authorized Service Providers this week confirms that Apple is aware of and investigating a “touch-related issue affecting some Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 displays.”
Apple states that “Some customers may report their Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 is experiencing false touches on their display.” These “ghost touches” could cause your screen to “jump erratically” or move around even if you’re not touching it. At worst, Apple says this could lead to your device “starting a phone call unintentionally” or stopping you from entering your passcode. Unintentional phone calls aside, if your Apple Watch happened to accidentally enter the wrong passcode enough times, you could find your device locked or even erased.
Apple Watch ghost touches — Is your screen not working?
If you’ve experienced any such issues with your Apple Watch recently, there’s good and bad news. The good news is that Apple is aware of this issue and is currently working on a fix. The bad news is that it doesn’t have one yet, and Apple “has instructed technicians not to repair affected Apple Watch models while it investigates.” The only recourse offered, according to the report, is to force restart your Apple Watch, but it’s unclear if this actually fixes the issue.
Both of the company's best Apple Watch models continue to give it a headache. More pressing than “ghost touches” remains a patent dispute with Masimo over the Blood Oxygen feature on its Apple Watch models. Currently, an ITC ruling prohibits Cupertino from selling or importing the Series 9 and Ultra 2 with this disputed technology. As such, Apple has removed the feature in new devices currently on sale, and cannot offer hardware repairs on out-of-warranty models sold since 2020.
As the report notes, it’s also recommended that customers keep their software up to date, meaning it’s possible a watchOS 10 update could fix the issue, hopefully, sooner rather than later.
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