Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Lennyvalentin

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2011
1,431
793
Initially i was loosing the strap, put fingers in between the strap and the arm, but issue continued. Sometimes it helps to put the watch on airplane mode (which I started to do more often) as I was not sure if it is was associated with data collection and programming pulses.
It could be that a nerve in your arm is getting compressed by the watch, this happened to me early on after starting to wear it. Try switching the watch over to your other arm. The watch can be worn in any orientation, just go into the watch settings app on your iphone and you can set which arm you wear it on and which way the crown is facing.

The wristband can also be attached any orientation, if you prefer the longer strap of a wristband to always be on top after switching wrist, you can have it like that after also having the crown facing the same way as it did before. :)
 

Isamoy

macrumors newbie
Jul 9, 2018
2
0
It could be that a nerve in your arm is getting compressed by the watch, this happened to me early on after starting to wear it. Try switching the watch over to your other arm. The watch can be worn in any orientation, just go into the watch settings app on your iphone and you can set which arm you wear it on and which way the crown is facing.

The wristband can also be attached any orientation, if you prefer the longer strap of a wristband to always be on top after switching wrist, you can have it like that after also having the crown facing the same way as it did before. :)
[doublepost=1531212473][/doublepost]Lenny,

Thank you for the response. I did try this, among switching, taking a break, putting my fingers between the watch and te wrist and all types of methods.

I am very active and I care about tracking my activity, timing and the progress. I tried cleaning the watch and the wrist band, changing the fit, the angle, the looseness and the position of the watch. Old my husband many times about it (he likes to research .. professional habit.. but all came down to.. problem with cloths or catching or, hair on the arms or nerve (as is suggested). Unfortunately, with changing arms, cloths, no cloths.. (except bathing suit).., changing angle of the watch position to address the nerve, weight, and “hardware compatibility” as I am not sensitive, allergic or anyhow affected by years of wearing other sports watches.. I think it’s really something the manufacturer and designer had to look into.
 

Lennyvalentin

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2011
1,431
793
I think it’s really something the manufacturer and designer had to look into.
I suspect it might be unavoidable in some people; with me, the nerve I was squishing ran deeper in my other arm (or was simply less sensitive, I can't really know which for sure :)), but if the nerves in both of your arms are equally sensitive then you're squishing it regardless which wrist you wear the watch on...

Unfortunately, the pulse sensor requires good skin contact, so it has to press into your flesh in order to detect your pulse. That's the root cause I suspect.
 

nashdm2

macrumors newbie
Sep 17, 2018
1
0
I had exactly the same, tingling and pain in the wrist, moving up my arm to the elbow.

It is 100% something to do with the back of the watch and the various electrical technology (I am not sure what I mean by that!!) that comes out the back.

To prove this, I inserted some material between the back of the watch and my arm and the problem went away. So, I do not know which sensor, wifi, bluetooth, charging, HR etc etc it was that caused it, but, it went away with something in between the watch and my arm. For me I could not get away from the fact that the watch charges wirelessly at the back, so, if it can charge, could it discharge in the same way through and into the arm?
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
I had exactly the same, tingling and pain in the wrist, moving up my arm to the elbow.

It is 100% something to do with the back of the watch and the various electrical technology (I am not sure what I mean by that!!) that comes out the back.

To prove this, I inserted some material between the back of the watch and my arm and the problem went away. So, I do not know which sensor, wifi, bluetooth, charging, HR etc etc it was that caused it, but, it went away with something in between the watch and my arm. For me I could not get away from the fact that the watch charges wirelessly at the back, so, if it can charge, could it discharge in the same way through and into the arm?
Is it the same hand you use to hold onto your phone? And if so, are you using your phone a lot? I’m starting to get a bit of nerve and overall strain on my right arm. I hold my 8 Plus in my right hand. When I wear my Apple Watch it can cause the unpleasant sensations you describe. Not at all on my left wrist.
 

TheBearman

macrumors 6502
May 23, 2008
444
85
Cary, NC
I have a co-worker who had the same issue with a Fitbit. A deep pain in his wrist that appeared after wearing the device for a week or two. Once he stopped wearing it the pain subsided. It's an interesting issue and I don't believe you're alone. It will be interesting if some cause is determined that effects a small subset of users.
 

sean000

macrumors 68000
Jul 16, 2015
1,628
2,346
Bellingham, WA
I had exactly the same, tingling and pain in the wrist, moving up my arm to the elbow.

It is 100% something to do with the back of the watch and the various electrical technology (I am not sure what I mean by that!!) that comes out the back.

To prove this, I inserted some material between the back of the watch and my arm and the problem went away. So, I do not know which sensor, wifi, bluetooth, charging, HR etc etc it was that caused it, but, it went away with something in between the watch and my arm. For me I could not get away from the fact that the watch charges wirelessly at the back, so, if it can charge, could it discharge in the same way through and into the arm?

What material did you insert between your watch and arm? Did you try just setting the watch to airplane mode?
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigMcGuire

Dmal99

macrumors 6502
Sep 29, 2012
492
168
Id be interested to know if the people experiencing the symptoms are using magnetically secured bands/clasps.

If so, it woudln’t be the first time magnets messed with body funtions/chemistry.

If not, it could just be the back of the watch is pressing on a pressure point that some people have in exactly the wrong spot, or compressing a vessel that some people have that most others don’t. I mean I have left dominant heart branching, which means I have two main artieries instead of the normal three. People vary widely.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Id be interested to know if the people experiencing the symptoms are using magnetically secured bands/clasps.

If so, it woudln’t be the first time magnets messed with body funtions/chemistry.

If not, it could just be the back of the watch is pressing on a pressure point that some people have in exactly the wrong spot, or compressing a vessel that some people have that most others don’t. I mean I have left dominant heart branching, which means I have two main artieries instead of the normal three. People vary widely.
I don’t have any magnets in my bands. In my case it’s probably some sort of inflammation that has nothing really to do with the watch other than it resting on an irritated part.

I’ve seen photos of where Fitbits have burned skin. I wore a Fitbit all summer with no problems. People do indeed vary widely. And maybe some individual watches do have issues. It’s a tricky problem to troubleshoot.
 

Momof9

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2018
479
183
I crochet a little cover for the back of the watch. It has holes in each end for the straps to insert. It is time to make a new one.... this last one I even added some beads on the top
 

chillybilly

macrumors newbie
Nov 15, 2019
2
1
Hate to bump such an old thread but after upgrading to a series 4 from my series 3 I am now experiencing the same vague wrist pain described in this thread. i-aamir, did you ever find a solution?
 

i-aamir

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 7, 2010
1,103
691
UK - London
Hate to bump such an old thread but after upgrading to a series 4 from my series 3 I am now experiencing the same vague wrist pain described in this thread. i-aamir, did you ever find a solution?

Hi - Unfortunately no solution for me. I’ve tried EVERY iteration of each series (including the latest S5 Titanium one).

I still get a dull ache/ wrist pain that radiates up my arm and to my shoulder. Within 30 minutes of removing, pain starts to subside and eventually goes.

Having spoken to a doctor I’ve been advised it’s an internal reaction to one or multiple materials in the watch. Nothing to do with Bluetooth or wireless signals as I exhibit no issues using my phone 6 hours a day!
 
  • Like
Reactions: chillybilly

Momof9

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2018
479
183
I have the series 5 basic watch and wearing it now for over a month. I do take it off in the evening about 6pm-so wearing it about 9 hours. If the heart rate monitor checks a lot that can bother me. I think its because of the "all" glass back is why I can wear mine!
 

spartan1967

macrumors 6502a
Nov 9, 2019
579
833
When I went from AW2 to AW5, with the same Nike band, I started to feel a pain in my arm as well. It turns out the AW5 band is slightly smaller, which was confirmed by laying then on top of each other. The same second to last hole I used in the AW5 band was about 3mm more tighter, which caused the watch to be too tight and causing arm pain. Had to go with a 3rd party band and now no more arm pain.
 

JWGold

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2017
153
199
United States
This is an interesting thread. I have worn a watch for most of my life and have never experienced any issues. Prior to getting an Apple Watch, I wore watches that were larger and heavier than an Apple watch such as a Panerai and a Rolex Deepsea and I never had any issues. For the last few months, I’ve had numbness and tingling in my left arm, which travels all the way up to my shoulder. At night, I feel a deep pain in my arm which sometimes keeps me up at night. It’s gotten so bad that I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to see if I had impingement or a trapped nerve in my arm. After reading this thread, I took my Apple watch off and have not worn it for a couple of days. Oddly, the pain is subsiding.

It never dawned on me that it might be related to the Apple watch, but now I don’t know what to think.
 
  • Like
Reactions: chillybilly

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
How strange. Obviously the sample of people that would be affected by this should probably be minimal, but there’s definitely a pattern here, [at least with nine pages of input]. My thought from reading this thread, has something to do with some type of electrical discharge from the watch affecting a sensory nerve in the arm perhaps.

I Guess a way to involve the ‘process of elimination’, is wear the Apple Watch on the opposite wrist and see if it affects that arm, which by theory, the original arm that was affected by the pain should subside altogether.
 

chillybilly

macrumors newbie
Nov 15, 2019
2
1
Hi - Unfortunately no solution for me. I’ve tried EVERY iteration of each series (including the latest S5 Titanium one).

I still get a dull ache/ wrist pain that radiates up my arm and to my shoulder. Within 30 minutes of removing, pain starts to subside and eventually goes.

Having spoken to a doctor I’ve been advised it’s an internal reaction to one or multiple materials in the watch. Nothing to do with Bluetooth or wireless signals as I exhibit no issues using my phone 6 hours a day!

THANK YOU for responding!

Extremely disappointed to hear this, but glad to get confirmation. I'd argue it is material independent as you've tried every single material available, and most of these materials are used for analog watches as well.

Exact same symptoms, but lucky me I also seem to have developed have a large bump in the wrist bone above where the watch sat that is not present on the other wrist. Going to get it x-rayed to be sure its nothing to worry about.

If I had to guess, it's either RF from the radios, or from the HR sensor (maybe the infrared light?) or both. For additional precision, I've only ever had non-lte watches (series 1, 3 and now 4) and when the watch is OFF or in power reserve, it feels completely fine.

For the last few months, I’ve had numbness and tingling in my left arm, which travels all the way up to my shoulder. At night, I feel a deep pain in my arm which sometimes keeps me up at night. It’s gotten so bad that I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to see if I had impingement or a trapped nerve in my arm. After reading this thread, I took my Apple watch off and have not worn it for a couple of days. Oddly, the pain is subsiding.

It never dawned on me that it might be related to the Apple watch, but now I don’t know what to think.

Thank you also for posting. Very valuable insight. Again, disappointed and glad to see this at the same time. Given that the pain subsided when you took it off, unfortunately the root cause is clear.

Personally, I will discontinue use and return the watch. This is really disappointing- Apple Watch is the best tech I've owned in over a decade.


I Guess a way to involve the ‘process of elimination’, is wear the Apple Watch on the opposite wrist and see if it affects that arm, which by theory, the original arm that was affected by the pain should subside altogether.
Can't speak for the others here but I can confirm it happens on the other wrist as well, almost the same level of intensity despite the watch never being worn on the other wrist. In my case at least, I guess the 'sensitive to (whatever is causing it)' switch got flipped and now my body reacts the same way no matter where contact occurs. Even tried it on my ankle and it started tingling/numbing soon after,

As a certain youtuber says, my disappointment is immeasurable and indeed my day is ruined.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alch3mist

ssledoux

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2006
4,236
4,099
Down south
This is an interesting thread. I have worn a watch for most of my life and have never experienced any issues. Prior to getting an Apple Watch, I wore watches that were larger and heavier than an Apple watch such as a Panerai and a Rolex Deepsea and I never had any issues. For the last few months, I’ve had numbness and tingling in my left arm, which travels all the way up to my shoulder. At night, I feel a deep pain in my arm which sometimes keeps me up at night. It’s gotten so bad that I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon to see if I had impingement or a trapped nerve in my arm. After reading this thread, I took my Apple watch off and have not worn it for a couple of days. Oddly, the pain is subsiding.

It never dawned on me that it might be related to the Apple watch, but now I don’t know what to think.

I have always worn a watch as well. I think the difference in the Apple Watch, at least for me, is that in order for it to perform all its functions, I have to wear it more tightly than I wore other watches. It also has the sensor part in the center of the back that protrudes slightly, and I think it hits a nerve in my arm when I wear the watch as tight as needed.

That being said, I just wear mine a little looser. It monitors my activity and things like that just fine. If I need it to monitor my heart rate more effectively, I just tighten it for a little while, then loosen it again. In addition, I don’t wear it from morning til bedtime - I put it on before I leave the house (sometimes 8 or so, sometimes not til 11 or 12, and sometimes not at all), and typically take it off in the early evening.
 

JWGold

macrumors regular
Sep 25, 2017
153
199
United States
I have always worn a watch as well. I think the difference in the Apple Watch, at least for me, is that in order for it to perform all its functions, I have to wear it more tightly than I wore other watches. It also has the sensor part in the center of the back that protrudes slightly, and I think it hits a nerve in my arm when I wear the watch as tight as needed.

That being said, I just wear mine a little looser. It monitors my activity and things like that just fine. If I need it to monitor my heart rate more effectively, I just tighten it for a little while, then loosen it again. In addition, I don’t wear it from morning til bedtime - I put it on before I leave the house (sometimes 8 or so, sometimes not til 11 or 12, and sometimes not at all), and typically take it off in the early evening.

In my case, I can’t attribute what’s happening to band tightness. I often wear my Apple Watch on a stainless bracelet and the fit is the same as many of my mechanical watches. I have always worn my Apple Watch with about the same band tightness as my other watches. I‘ve gone back to wearing my analog watches these past few days, and I haven’t felt any tingling or numbness in my fingers and wrist. That’s a good thing.
 

deelgeel

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2017
5
2
Dallas Texas
I have somewhat similar symptoms, for me its numbness in the middle finger of my left hand. It took me awhile to wonder if it was caused by my watch, so I took a few weeks off from wearing the watch, and the numbness mostly went away. I started wearing it again and within a day the numbness came back Of course I can't be sure that it's caused by the watch, but after reading this thread, I'm no longer sure that it's a coincidence.
Just for reference, mine is 1st series stainless steel. Also I have been wearing this watch for a few years and the numbness only started about 6 months ago.
 
Last edited:

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
its the radiation

I disagree entirely. I’d say it’s an electrical current that’s being transmitted from the watch somehow through various nerves that travel up and through the arm/shoulder. For the record, that’s not how radiation works. Radiation is more of ‘absorption’, not to mention, how would radiation affect nerves?
 

esaelias187

macrumors regular
Jul 25, 2017
218
117
I disagree entirely. I’d say it’s an electrical current that’s being transmitted from the watch somehow through various nerves that travel up and through the arm/shoulder. For the record, that’s not how radiation works. Radiation is more of ‘absorption’, not to mention, how would radiation affect nerves?


acrually ur right my hands do feel tingly when wearing it, is this dangerous
 

csjcsj

macrumors regular
Feb 15, 2011
131
63
Sarasota FL
I had the same problem with my left arm and chalked it up to the screwy internal electrics in my body. Back in the days of analog hand watches, any I put on would die in a matter of months. This was not my imagination but a documented phenomena for a small segment of the population. I was afraid I’d have to return the watch, but it’s ok on my right arm, so I’m keeping it and hoping it doesn’t die too.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Duncan68
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.