Shortcuts on Apple Watch - Accessory is not Reachable

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Level 1

4 points

Shortcuts on Apple Watch - Accessory is not Reachable

All my shortcuts that had been working on my Apple Watch for some time suddenly stopped working after upgrading to IOS 16.x and WatchOS 9.x. They all fail with an “Accessory is not Reachable” error message. This happens both with the icon and with Siri. They run fine on my iPhone and my iPad and with Siri. I have another AW and I get the same error with that one.

I’ve tried removing them from the AW and adding them back. I also tried toggling iCloud Sync off and on. I’ve been reluctant to un-pair and re-pair my watch. Does anyone have any suggestions

Apple Watch Series 5

Posted on Jul 15, 2023 09:11 AM

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Answer 1

Branta_uk

Level 7

32,706 points

Jul 15, 2023 09:36 AM in response to JWSavery

You don't mention a restart (reboot) so that would be the first step in troubleshooting

Restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Restart your iPhone

Take a look in your iPhone, Settings/Bluetooth and make sure the Apple Watch shows as Connected.\

Check for surprises like Airplane Mode, or other similar settings which might interfere.

The current latest production software is iOS 16.5.1(c) and WatchOS 9.5.2 - please check these are what you actually have working, and adjust if necessary. Which models iPhone and Apple Watch are you using?

Unpair and re-pair is not too traumatic, just a little time consuming. The unpairing should make a backup which you can restore (or not) at your discretion. I suggest reloading the backup on the first attempt, and if that doesn't help try again but re-pair as a new watch without the backup.

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Answer 2

JWSavery Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 15, 2023 11:55 AM in response to Branta_uk

I’ve restarted both my Apple Watch(es) and my iPhone several times. My iPhone is not on Airplane mode. My Series 5 AW is currently on WatchOS 9.5.2 and my iPhone is on 16.5.1(c). My other Series 3 AW is on WatchOS 8.7.1. I was hopeful that OS upgrades might fix it, but no joy. Since the problem is the same on my 2 AWs and I think it started when I first installed 16.x/9.x, I thought the unpair/re-pair might not be the answer. But, unless somebody has another suggestion, I guess I’ll try it.

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Shortcuts on Apple Watch - Accessory is not Reachable

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