A paired iPhone nearby; Control Center steps apply to watchOS 10 and later.
First decide whether the phone is nearby or may be somewhere else. Use the ping for a nearby device and Find My for one that may be farther away.
01Open Control Center
Press the side button on Apple Watch, the flat button below the Digital Crown.
02Tap Ping iPhone
Find the phone icon with sound waves and tap it. A connected iPhone plays a sound to help you locate it.
03Use another way to find it when needed
If you do not hear the sound, check whether the phone is still nearby. If it may be elsewhere, open Find My, choose the iPhone, and use the available location or sound options.
That’s it
You hear the alert and find the phone. Precision finding has additional hardware requirements, but it is not needed for basic pinging.
Questions you may have
Why will the button not make my phone ring?
The phone may be out of range, powered off, or disconnected. Use Find My instead and check when its location was last updated.
Based on official public information · 2026-10-21
Not tested on every model; features and interfaces may vary by device and software version.