Apple Watch 'ghost touches' are plaguing Series 9 and Ultra 2 owners

If you're the proud owner of an Apple Series Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 and have found that your smartwatch has been doing strange things, you apparently aren't alone. In fact, the issue is so widespread that Apple is aware of it and is already investigating what's happening and how it can go about fixing things.

The issue, MacRumors reports, is that some of the very latest Apple Watches are suffering a touch-related issue that causes some models to recognize touches on their display even though nobody has actually touched them. The result is "ghost touches" that cause apps to misbehave.

2

The MacRumors report cites an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers this week that says some users are reporting that Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models are causing issues. The Apple memo says that this can cause some APple Watch models to jump around erratically or just behave in an unexpected manner. Examples of issues experienced include some Apple Watches placing calls unexpectedly or users being unable to correctly enter their passcode because the watch's display misinterprets real taps.

As for fixes, they've yet to be shared publicly although Apple reportedly recommends that affected customers keep their Apple Watches updated in terms of the latest software. It's posited this could mean that Apple will roll out a software fix to deal with this issue, although it isn't yet clear when that will happen.

Notably, Apple ahs reportedly told repair centers not to attempt to physically fix the affected wearables while it investigates what's happening although a force restart could be beneficial. Force restarting an Apple Watch requires holding down the Digital Crown and Side button at the same time for at least 10 seconds or until the Apple logo appears on-screen.

This is far from the first issue to affect the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 of course. These models have recently been the subject of a banning order that required Apple to remove their blood oxygen sensor functionality following a patent lawsuit loss. Apple says that it is working on a new solution that won't infringe upon the patent in question, but there is some concern that a hardware change will be required rather than a simple software update. If that's the case, the models that are being sold today will never gain the functionality where a software-based fix could bring blood oxygen monitoring back to affected Apple Watches at a later date.