Troubleshooting Apple Watch Connection Issues
Having trouble connecting your Apple Watch to Motra, or getting "disconnected" messages during workouts? This guide covers the most common Apple Watch connection problems and how to fix them.
Requirements
Before troubleshooting, make sure your setup meets these minimums:
Apple Watch Series 4 or newer (Series 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, SE, SE 2, SE 3, Ultra, Ultra 2, Ultra 3)
watchOS 10.0 or newer
Motra installed on both your iPhone and Apple Watch
Bluetooth enabled on your iPhone
Note: If your Apple Watch is a Series 3 or older, Motra is not supported on your device. See our article "Why isn't my Apple Watch supported?" for details.
How Motra Connects to Your Apple Watch
Motra connects to your Apple Watch automatically — there's no manual "connect" button. When both apps are installed and running, they communicate over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can check your connection status in the app:
Open Motra on your iPhone
Go to You tab and then Settings (gear icon)
Scroll to Your Devices
Tap Apple Watch
You'll see one of these statuses:
Paired — Watch app is active and communicating (everything is working)
Connected — Watch app is installed but running in the background
Not Installed — Watch app needs to be installed
Update Required — Watch app needs to be updated to match your iPhone app version
Common Issues and Fixes
"Apple Watch Disconnected" During Workouts
This is the most common issue. If Motra shows a "disconnected" message during your workout, the cause is almost always a version mismatch between your iPhone and Apple Watch operating systems.
This happens because your Apple Watch may auto-update to a newer watchOS version before your iPhone updates to the matching iOS version.
How to fix it:
On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Software Update
If an update is available, update your iPhone to the latest iOS version
Wait for the update to complete and restart
Open Motra — the disconnection issue should be resolved
Important: You need to update your iPhone, not your Apple Watch. Your Watch has likely already updated itself automatically, and your iPhone needs to catch up.
To prevent this in the future, turn on automatic iOS updates: go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and enable Install iOS Updates.
"Watch App Not Installed" Message
If Motra says your Watch app is not installed even though you believe it is:
On your iPhone, open the Watch app (Apple's built-in Watch management app)
Scroll down to the list of apps and find Motra
If you see an Install button, tap it
If you see a spinning/loading indicator, the app is currently downloading — wait up to 5 minutes
[Screenshot needed: Screenshot of iPhone Watch app showing Motra in the app list with Install button or loading indicator]
If the app won't install:
Make sure your Apple Watch has at least 50% battery and is on its charger
Ensure both your Watch and iPhone are connected to Wi-Fi
Ensure Bluetooth is enabled on your iPhone
Close all other apps on both devices
Restart both devices simultaneously — power off both your iPhone and Apple Watch, then turn them back on
Wait up to 60 minutes for the installation to complete
"Watch App Not Updated" / "Update Required"
Motra requires the Watch app and iPhone app to be on the exact same version. If they don't match, you'll see an orange banner saying "Watch App is not up to date."
How to fix it:
On your iPhone, open the Watch app
Scroll down to find Motra
If an update is available, it should download automatically
If not, try: Watch app > General > Background App Refresh and make sure it's enabled for Motra
If the update is stuck:
Restart both your Apple Watch and iPhone
Make sure both devices are on Wi-Fi and the Watch is charging
Wait up to 60 minutes
Workout Data Not Syncing Between Watch and iPhone
If you completed a workout on your Apple Watch but it's not showing on your iPhone:
Open Motra on your Apple Watch
Tap the ... (ellipsis) button in the top left corner
Go to Workouts (or Local Workouts)
Find the missing workout and tap Re-save Workout
Your Watch stores unsaved workouts locally for up to 14 days, so you won't lose data even if sync is delayed.
Tip: Workouts sync automatically when both devices are nearby and connected. If your Watch and iPhone were out of range during the workout, the data will sync the next time they reconnect.
Workout Splits Into Two Separate Records
If you end up with two workout records — one from your Watch and one from your iPhone — after a mid-workout disconnection:
Restart both devices simultaneously — power off your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, then turn them both back on
Open Motra and start a new workout to verify the issue is resolved
If it happens again, try this additional step:
Open the built-in Fitness app on your iPhone (Apple's default app, not Motra)
Start any quick workout (e.g., a Walking workout)
End that workout immediately
Close and reopen Motra
Start your Motra workout
This resets the workout session connection between your devices.
Apple Watch Buttons Not Responding Correctly
If tapping the checkmark or other buttons on your Apple Watch opens the wrong screen (like the exercise library instead of confirming a set):
This is a known issue after a recent update where the tap target can be too small on some Watch faces
Try tapping precisely on the checkmark icon itself, not the area around it
If the issue persists, restarting your Apple Watch can help
General Troubleshooting Steps
If none of the above fixes work, try these steps in order:
Check for updates — Update both your iPhone (Settings > General > Software Update) and your Apple Watch (Watch app > General > Software Update) to the latest versions
Restart both devices — Power off both your iPhone and Apple Watch, then turn them back on
Reinstall the Watch app — In the Watch app on your iPhone, uninstall Motra, then reinstall it
Check Bluetooth — Go to iPhone Settings > Bluetooth and make sure it's on. If the Watch appears in the list, it should say "Connected"
Check Wi-Fi — Both devices should be on the same Wi-Fi network for best performance
Still Need Help?
If you're still experiencing connection issues after trying these steps, contact us through the app (You > Settings > Chat with us) and we'll help you out. It helps if you can tell us:
Your Apple Watch model (e.g., Series 9, Ultra 2)
Your watchOS version (Watch app > General > About)
Your iOS version (Settings > General > About)
Your Motra app version (Motra > Settings > About)