How to Fix Auto-Launch Audio Apps Not Working on Apple Watch

Can’t figure out why the auto-launch audio apps feature is not working on your Apple Watch?

If you can’t enjoy the seamless auto-play of your favorite songs, you’re not alone. Recently, Apple Watch users found that the auto-launch audio app is not working after updating to watchOS 9.4. 

While this problem seems to be with a bug in the recent update, there are a few workarounds that you can try to solve the issue. 

Today, we’ll walk you through the steps on how to fix the auto-launch audio apps feature if it’s not working on your Apple Watch. 

Let’s begin!

1. Restart Your Apple Watch. 

After some digging, we’ve found out that restarting your Apple Watch can alleviate the issue. 

When you restart your device, it performs a soft reset, which clears temporary files and processes. 

This eliminates minor software bugs or conflicts that may be affecting your device’s performance. 

1. First, press and hold the Side button of your Apple Watch until the sliders appear. 

2. Drag the Power Off slider to the right until your display shuts off. 

3. Wait for at least 10 seconds. 
4. Hold the Side button again until the Apple logo appears. 

Once done, see if the auto-launch audio apps feature works. 

Related: How to Fix Face Keeps Changing on Apple Watch

2. Check If Your iPhone Is Connected to Your Watch. 

Another reason why you encounter this problem on your Apple Watch is if it gets disconnected from your iPhone. 

You can check if your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone by swiping up from your watch’s screen. This should bring up the Control Center. 

In the Control Center, look for a tiny iPhone icon at the top. If the icon is green, your Apple Watch is connected to your iPhone. 

A red icon should indicate that your devices got disconnected. Pair them again and see if it solves the issue. 

3. Unpair and Pair Apple Watch. 

Refreshing the connection between your devices might also help resolve the issue with the auto-launch audio apps feature. 

Unpair your Apple Watch from your iPhone and set it up as if it is new. 

Here’s what you need to do: 

1. Start by holding your iPhone and Apple Watch close together. 
2. Now, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. 
3. Go to My Watch tab and tap on All Watches. 

4. Tap on the Info button beside the watch you want to unpair. 

5. Next, tap on Unpair Apple Watch. 

6. For GPS + Cellular models, you can select whether to keep or remove your cellular plan. 
7. Enter your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock and tap Unpair. 
8. After 2 to 3 minutes, go through the setup process again to pair your Apple Watch. 

Check if the feature now works correctly on your Apple Watch. 

4. Update Apple Watch. 

The issue started to occur after a watchOS update. Apple might already be aware of the problem and released another update to patch the issue with the feature. 

You can follow the steps below to check for software updates: 

1. Open the Apple Watch app on the phone where your watch is connected. 
2. Now, tap on My Watch in the bottom navigation bar. 
3. Go to General > Software Update. 
4. If there’s an available update download it and follow the prompts. 

Go back to your Apple Watch afterward to check if the auto-launch audio apps feature works. 

Related: How to Fix Apple Watch Exercise Ring Not Working

5. Update Your iPhone. 

This problem can also occur if there’s an issue with the version of iOS your iPhone is running. 

Since the Now Playing app syncs to your iPhone, it may not work properly if there are problems with your software. 

Follow the steps below to update your iPhone: 

1. Open Settings from your home screen. 
2. Go to General, then tap on Software Update. 
3. Wait for your iPhone to check for updates. 
4. If there’s an available update, tap on Download and Install. 
5. Follow the instructions to install the update. 

Check the feature on your Apple Watch again to check if the problem is solved. 

6. Toggle Auto-Launch Setting. 

A temporary bug or glitch may have occurred on your Apple Watch that caused the auto-launch feature to stop working. 

To confirm this, toggle the auto-launch setting off then on to reset the feature. 

You can follow the steps below to guide you through the process: 

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. 
2. Now, go to My Watch and tap on General. 

3. Access the Wake Screen tab. 

4. Find Auto–Launch Audio Apps and disable the feature.

5. Restart your iPhone afterward and wait for it to reconnect with your Apple Watch. 
6. Switch over to your Apple Watch’s screen. Open Settings and tap on General. 
7. Tap on Wake Screen and enable Auto–Launch Audio Apps. 

Once done, check if the feature works properly on your device. 

7. Reset Your Apple Watch. 

If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is reset your Apple Watch. This should erase its contents and settings, bringing it back to factory defaults. 

This ensures that there are no misconfigured settings or corrupted data that causes issues with your Apple Watch. 

Here’s how you can reset your Apple Watch: 

1. On your Apple Watch, access the Settings app. 
2. Next, tap on General. 
3. Access the Reset tab and choose Erase All Content and Settings. 

4. Type your password if prompted to continue. 
5. Tap Erase All to confirm. 

Now you can set up your Apple Watch again. You will need the Apple ID and password associated with your watch to disable Activation Lock. 

Reconnect your iPhone to your Apple Watch and see if the feature is properly working. 

That sums up our guide on how to fix the auto-launch audio apps feature if it’s not working on your Apple Watch. 

If you have questions or other concerns, leave a comment below, and we’ll be glad to help out. 

If this guide helped you, don’t forget to share it!