Apple admitted this in an internal memo obtained by the company iFreshBriefs that some owners of the latest generation Apple Watch are reporting a serious screen problem referred to as “false touches”.
Some customers have also referred to these issues, which cause the screen to jump or behave erratically without any user intervention, as “ghost touches”. They can even cause the watch to initiate a phone call without permission, or prevent the user from entering a passcode to unlock. (If this is a problem for you, keep in mind that you can instructed to unlock the watch when using Face ID on a paired iPhone.)
Apple says it is aware of the issue and is currently investigating it. It’s not known at this point if this will lead to a fix for the watchOS software, although the company’s advice for customers to keep their software up to date suggests it. We also have no time frame for when a fix will be issued or an explanation offered.
In the meantime, technicians are instructed not to attempt to repair the affected devices, but to simply tell customers to try a forced restart and if that doesn’t work, to wait for further information after the investigation is complete.
The Series 9 and Ultra 2 have lived something of a cursed existence since their fall 2023 launch. Display problems complications causing flickering, pulsing, or pink flashing were reported last October before both models were temporarily forbidden to sell due to an unrelated legal issue.