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Always-On Display should keep your watch's time visible even when lowering your wrist. When it stops working, it's annoying—but usually a simple software fix.
First, make sure you didn't accidentally turn it off.
On your watch: Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → ensure Always-On Display is toggled ON (green).
Sometimes toggling AOD off and back on resets it.
On your watch: Go to Settings → Display & Brightness → toggle AOD OFF. Wait 10 seconds. Toggle it back ON. Test by lowering your wrist—the screen should stay dimly lit.
Theatre Mode disables the display entirely (great for movies). If enabled, AOD won't work.
On your watch: Swipe up to Control Center. Look for a theater/curtain icon. If it's active (highlighted), tap it to turn off.
Low Power Mode disables AOD to conserve battery.
On your watch: Go to Settings → Battery → toggle off Low Power Mode.
If wrist detection is off, the watch can't tell if you've lowered your wrist, so AOD can't activate.
On your watch: Go to Settings → Privacy → Wrist Detection → ensure it's toggled ON.
Also, if you're wearing your watch too loosely, the wrist sensor won't detect your arm. Tighten the band slightly.
AOD bugs are fixed in watchOS updates. Update to the latest version.
On your watch: Settings → General → Software Update.
Force restart your watch to clear any software glitches.
Force restart: Press and hold the Side button until shutdown slider appears → drag to power off → wait 10 seconds → press Side button again until Apple logo appears.
If none of the above work, a fresh pairing sometimes fixes AOD issues.
On your iPhone Watch app: General → Reset → Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings. Set up your watch again. AOD settings reset during setup.
If AOD is enabled, Theatre Mode is off, and Low Power Mode is disabled but AOD still doesn't work, the display hardware might be failing. This requires professional diagnosis and screen replacement ($150–$350).
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