When did the Apple Watch pinging sound change?

The Apple Watch ping sound changed in September of 2022 with the iOS 16 update.

Why is my Apple Watch making a ping sound?

Tthere have been reports that the Apple Watch can sometimes make unexpected chimes. Go to Apple Support if the problem persists.

How do I turn off Ping on Apple Watch?

Go to Sounds & Haptics in the Settings app, and Turn Haptic Alerts off.

Can You Change Apple Watch Ping Sound?

By Rachel Needell Updated 09/18/2024

What to Know

You can't change the Apple Watch ping sound back to what it was prior to the iOS 16 and iOS 17 updates.
However, you can adjust the volume of the ping sound, which might help to make it less annoying.

None of us love change, unless of course it's a relaxing vacation somewhere peaceful. For a lot of Apple Watch lovers, the changes made to the iPhone pinging sound you use to locate your iPhone via your Apple Watch have been very unwelcome. Lots of people are asking, "Can you change the Apple Watch ping sound?" We've got the answers, but you're not going to like them.

How to Change Apple Watch Ping

Let's cut to the chase: unfortunately, you cannot change the ping noise back to the way it sounded before the iOS 16 update at this time. However, there are a few things you can do to mitigate your discomfort with the new ping sound. One solution is to adjust the volume of the iPhone ping sound. Just be careful not to lower it so much that you can't find your iPhone the next time you ping it. If you like iPhone tips like this, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day.

On your iPhone, open Settings.
Select Sounds & Haptics.

Toggle on Change with Buttons.
Then, adjust the volume.

Other than this, there's not much else we can do to customize the ping sound on Apple Watch. If you'd like, you can give Apple feedback about this at apple.com/feedback. If you don't like the new ping sound, you're out of luck. iOS 17 introduced the same sound for pinging your Apple Watch from your iPhone. Learn how to ping Apple Watches next.

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FAQ

When did the Apple Watch pinging sound change? The Apple Watch ping sound changed in September of 2022 with the iOS 16 update.
Why is my Apple Watch making a ping sound? There have been reports that the Apple Watch can sometimes make unexpected chimes. Go to Apple Support if the problem persists.
How do I turn off Ping on Apple Watch? Go to Sounds & Haptics in the Settings app, and Turn Haptic Alerts off.

If the ping sound changing wasn't annoying enough, the watchOS 10 update changed the location of the Apple Watch Control Center.

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Author Details

Rachel Needell

Rachel Needell is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, and a poet and author. With 10-plus years of experience working with Apple devices, she specializes in all-things iPad and is a Notes App expert, having worked on both the 2023 iPad Guide and the Notes App Guide. You can usually find her writing in the Daily Tip newsletter as one of our senior Tip writers. Rachel received her Master’s degree in English Literature in 2021 and her most recent work appears in the Winter ’21 edition of New Note Poetry. When she’s not obsessing about Apple products, you can find her voraciously reading fantasy books with her cat in Asheville, North Carolina.

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