The Apple Watch “Ghost Touch” issue continues to haunt users as Apple investigates

Apple has once again acknowledged an ongoing “incorrect touch” issue affecting Apple Watch users. Commonly referred to as “ghost touches,” this issue causes Apple Watch to behave as if the display is being tapped even when it isn't.

Apple first mentioned this issue in a memo sent to authorized service providers in February. At the time, Apple said it was aware of reports that “false touches” were affecting Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users. In that memo, Apple asked service providers not to replace affected devices and instead advise customers to wait for a software update while investigating the issue.

In a new memo sent to authorized service providers this week and shared by Stella Fudge on social mediaApple has also confirmed that the issue affects the first-generation Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, and Apple Watch Ultra.

However, Apple advises its service providers not to replace affected Apple Watch devices. Apple says affected Apple Watch users should restart their device by pressing and holding the Side button and Digital Crown for 10 seconds, while also staying up to date on watchOS software updates.

The “Ghost Touch” issue has been plaguing Apple Watch users for months. On Apple's support forums and Reddit, some Apple Watch users are even claiming that the issue is rendering their devices unusable. The problem is particularly bad on the watchOS passcode screen:

“I've had Ultra 2 for just over 2 months. Last night my watch was possessed. Ghost was extremely touching and the screen was shaking as if it had a power problem. After the thing locked itself out by randomly typing numbers, I put it in the charger.”

“A few days ago my Ultra 2 was “possessed”, I woke up and it was “wrong passcode, try again in 3 hours”. It was ghosting and not responding to my touch, and I couldn't shut it down either, so I had to force restart it, but the problem persisted.”

Ideally, Apple will provide a software fix for this issue sooner rather than later. For now, however, the ghosts are likely to continue to haunt.