Hot topics

Ping a Lost Apple Watch on iPhone is Now Possible in iOS 17

iOS 17 Ping My Watch iPhone Apple How to
© nextpit

Read in other languages:

One of the neat tricks added to the Apple Watch was the ability to ping or play a sound on a lost iPhone within Bluetooth range. Apple has apparently activated a similar feature on iOS 17 but rather designed to locate an Apple smartwatch in a close observable area.

Apple has released the iOS 17 Beta to developers and testers under its beta program right after the first day of WWDC 2023. As spotted by 9to5Mac, there is now a new feature on the beta build that allows an iPhone to ping a lost Apple Watch. However, it requires you to be activated from the phone's settings before you can start pinging, and possibly, it may need the latest watchOS version for the wearable.

How to activate and use Ping My Watch on an Apple iPhone

If you're running on iOS 17 beta software, you can enable this by going to Settings > Control Center. From there you need to toggle on the Ping My Watch feature to add it to the Control Center.

And to test if it is working, you need to access the Control Center right from your smartphone's home screen, and tap the Ping My Watch icon. Doing so will trigger the connected watch to emit a sound, so you can pinpoint its location.

Apple AirTag review
You can also play a sound or ping an Apple AirTag, but via the Find My app. / © nextpit

Alternatively, to track an iPhone from an Apple Watch, There's no need for a manual activation. You can directly access the Ping My iPhone from the control center as long as your handset is connected to the wearable.

It should be noted that this is for close range or within the Bluetooth area. For extensive tracking over long distances with guided navigation on the maps, it is already possible with the Apple Find My app. It works not just for a missing or stolen smartwatch, but for Apple's AirTags (review) trackers and other devices as well.

Which of the new iOS 17 features are you trying first once it becomes available? Tell us in the comment section.

Source: 9 to 5 Mac

  Editor's choice Best smart home control center Best price-performance ratio Best sound Best sound supplement Best display
Product
Product image Amazon Echo Dot (5. Gen) 2022 Product Image Amazon Echo Hub Product Image Amazon Echo (4.Gen) Product Image Amazon Echo Studio Product Image Amazon Echo Sub Product Image Amazon Echo Show 10 (3rd. Gen) Product Image
Review
Review: Amazon Echo Dot (5. Gen) 2022
Review: Amazon Echo Hub
Not yet tested
Review: Amazon Echo Studio
Not yet tested
Not yet tested
Price Compariosn
nextpit receives a commission for purchases made via the marked links. This has no influence on the editorial content and there are no costs for you. You can find out more about how we make money on our transparency page.
Go to comment (0)
Jade Bryan

Jade Bryan
Junior Editor

I still remember how amazed I was when I first got hold of the Nokia 3210 back when I was a kid, and it was during that time I developed my love for technology, particularly for mobile phones. I started sharing my knowledge through writing in different blogs and forums back in Nokia Nseries era. I even make videos before where I put different phones side-by-side. Today, I'm still an avid enthusiast of smartphones, but my interests have evolved into smart devices and electric vehicles.

To the author profile
Liked this article? Share now!
Recommended articles
Latest articles
Push notification Next article
No comments
Write new comment:
All changes will be saved. No drafts are saved when editing
Write new comment:
All changes will be saved. No drafts are saved when editing