For years, Apple Watch users have enjoyed a simple button in their watch’s Control Center that emits a loud pinging noise from their connected iPhone, making it incredibly easy to find a phone lost between couch cushions.
With the release of iOS 17, Apple finally reversed the feature. You can now use a button on your iPhone to ping and locate your misplaced Apple Watch. However, this feature is completely hidden by default, requiring you to manually add it to your iPhone’s Control Center.
How to Add the Ping Button
Ensure your iPhone is updated to iOS 17 (or newer) and that your Apple Watch is powered on and within Bluetooth range of your phone.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on Control Center.
- You will see a list of “Included Controls” at the top. Scroll down past this to the “More Controls” list, which contains all the inactive shortcuts.
- Locate the option labeled Ping My Watch.
- Tap the green + (Plus) button next to it to add it to your active Control Center layout.
How to Ping Your Apple Watch
Now that the shortcut is active, you can trigger it from anywhere.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen to open the Control Center (or swipe up from the bottom if you are using an older iPhone with a Home button).
- Look for a brand new icon that looks exactly like an Apple Watch with sound waves emitting from it.
- Tap the icon.
Your Apple Watch will instantly override its silent mode and emit a sharp, highly audible chiming noise. You can tap the button on your iPhone multiple times in rapid succession to force the watch to continuously chime until you locate it under your car seat or buried in your gym bag.