Is Always on Display not working on your Samsung Galaxy watch? Fix it! 

Samsung Galaxy Watch always on display watch face

Always on Display (AOD) is a great feature that allows your Galaxy Watch always to display the watch’s face, time, and complications, even when you’re not interacting with the watch.

When you use the Always On Watch display setting, there’s no need to press a button, tap the screen, or turn the bezel on a Galaxy Watch to see your watch face with the time and your selected complications.

The main downside to always-on display is that it significantly increases battery consumption, so you need to charge your watch more often.

If you are having problems with always on display, such as the display sometimes timing out after an hour or falling asleep on its own, you are not alone!

Here are some solutions to help resolve this issue.

Related reading

Check these things first if always on display isn’t working on your Samsung Watch Samsung Galaxy watch quick settings

Turn off do not disturb, bedtime mode, and theater mode

Swipe down your watch’s Quick Settings and check that your watch isn’t in Theater mode or another do not disturb setting, including bedtime mode. 

Open your watch’s Quick settings panel and tap the Do not disturb icon (which looks like a minus sign) to turn it off. DND do not disturb settings on Samsung Watch

Bedtime mode (also called Goodnight mode) on the watch turns off the always-on display and reduces the brightness to make it easier for your eyes to adjust to the screen while using the watch during the night. Bedtime mode in Galaxy Watch quick panel settings

To disable night mode, open your watch’s Quick settings and tap the little moon icon to toggle it off.

The Galaxy Watch also comes with a special theater mode that puts a few of its features to a temporary stop to allow an interruption-free movie-watching experience.

This feature also disables the AOD feature to ensure other people in the theater aren’t disturbed by the light from your watch. Samsung galaxy watch theater mode icon in Quick Settings

To disable the theater mode, open your watch’s Quick settings and tap on the little film slate icon to toggle it off.

Measure your heart rate continuously 

Always on display works when you wear your watch and when the watch recognizes that you are wearing it by gathering information from its sensors.

So, if AOD isn’t working, your watch may actually think you are not wearing it if it doesn’t detect your heart rate. So let’s try measuring it continuously, so there aren’t any gaps.

  • On your watch, open Samsung Health.
  • Swipe to the very bottom of the screen and tap Settings. Samsung Health app Settings on Galaxy Watch
  • Tap Measurement or HR and stress measurement. Samsung Health on watch heart rate settings
  • Choose Measure continuously for your heart rate. Samsung watch measure heart rate continuously in Samsung Health app

Change your watch face

Not all watch faces support always on display. So try using a different watch face and see if that makes a difference. Update and change your Samsung watch face on watch itself

You can change watch faces in the Wearable app or on the watch itself. Samsung Galaxy Wearable app watch face options

We recommend using the Wearable app with its larger screen, so you can easily review the watch face gallery to find something that works for you!

Try a different watch band Samsung watch placement above the wrist bone

Sometimes, it’s actually the watch band that’s the problem. 

Some watch bands are bulky or just don’t fit the way you want, i.e., they don’t allow the sensors to contact your skin consistently. 

First, try tightening your current band.

Then, look at how the back of the watch contacts your skin. It should maintain consistent contact. If you notice a gap or feel that the watch isn’t contacting your skin well, the problem with always on display may be that band!

So try another watch strap and see if it makes a difference. If you have the original Samsung branded band that came with your watch, give that a go. 

Clean the watch’s sensors clean samsung watch back sensors

If the watch cannot detect that you’re wearing it, the always-on display might not work correctly. So give your watch a good cleaning, paying particular attention to the sensors on the backside.

To clean your watch, use a microfiber cloth or a lint-free cloth (like the ones included with eyeglasses.)

If there’s anything stuck on the watch that the cloth alone doesn’t remove, you can use a few drops of water or rubbing alcohol–apply these drops to the cloth and not directly to the watch.

Once you finish cleaning the sensors, wear your watch, so the sensors have good contact with your skin.

Change your watch’s position Place your watch so it's facing the inside of your arm and wrist

Where you wear your Samsung Galaxy watch is important, especially if you bend your wrist a lot or have tattoos or hairy arms that interfere with the watch’s sensors. 

Slide the watch a bit further up your arm, so its sensors have good contact and are away from the wrist bend.

You can also try wearing the watch on the inside of your wrist or arm. This is especially useful if you have tattoos or have a lot of arm hair (you could also shave your hair but wearing it on the inside is a lot easier!)

Update your Watch update Samsung Galaxy Watch

Ensure your Galaxy Watch is updated to the latest available version.

Samsung regularly provides software updates to all of its smartwatches. These updates provide new features and also fix bugs that may be affecting your watch.

On the phone, open the Galaxy Wearable app > Watch settings. Scroll down and choose Watch software update. If an update is available, tap Install now or Install overnight. Samsung watch software update in Wearable app

On the watch (Google Wear OS watches only,) open Settings > Software update. If an update is available, tap Install now or Install overnight.

Disable power saving mode Samsung Galaxy Watch power savings mode

Always on Display increases battery consumption which makes it incompatible with power-saving features.

If you have accidentally enabled any power-saving options, the Always-On Display feature (AOD) stops working. 

You can disable power savings mode in your Quick Settings by tapping the battery icon. Or turn power savings mode off via the Settings or Galaxy Wearable apps.

  1. On your watch, go to Settings > Battery and toggle off Power saving. For some models, tap Power mode, then toggle off Power savings
  2. In the Wearable app, open Watch settings and tap Battery. Toggle off Power savings.

Clear the Galaxy Wearable app’s cache clear cache on Samsung Galaxy Wearable app

Clearing out Galaxy Wearable cache data may solve this problem. Cache files are temporary, so deleting them does not impact your data.

  1. On your paired phone, navigate to Settings > Apps.
  2. Select the Galaxy Wearable app.
  3. Go to Storage and select Clear cache. 

Uninstall and Reinstall the Wearable App Wearable app uninstall Samsung Wearable app

If the problem persists, try uninstalling the Galaxy Wearable app and the Galaxy Watch plug-in. After you have removed the app and plug-in, restart your phone and reinstall the apps. 

You can uninstall the Wearable app in the Settings app or via the Google Play Store (or Samsung Galaxy Store) app.

  • Via the Settings app. Go to Settings > Apps > Galaxy Wearable app. Then tap Uninstall. Tap OK.
  • Via the Play Store (or Galaxy Store.) Open the Play Store app and search for the Wearable app. Tap it and choose Uninstall, then confirm. uninstall Samsung Wearable app in Google Play Store app

Once uninstalled, restart your phone, open the Play Store or Galaxy Store and reinstall the Wearable app. Follow the prompts to reinstall the Galaxy Watch plug-ins if needed.

If you cannot uninstall the Galaxy Wearable app, clear the app’s data via Settings > Apps > Storage> Clear storage. Clear storage on Samsung Wearable app

Clearing the app’s data completely wipes all your app data and resets the app back to its factory default settings. You need to log back in after the Wearable app clears the data. 

Disconnect and reconnect your Watch from Bluetooth

Sometimes a faulty Bluetooth connection can cause issues to occur. Disconnect your Watch using the app on your phone and connect it again. 

On your watch, open Settings > Connections > Bluetooth. Toggle Bluetooth off, wait a few minutes, then toggle it back on. Samsung Galaxy Watch toggle bluetooth off and on

On your paired phone, open Settings > Connected devices > Bluetooth. From the paired devices list, select your watch and tap Disconnect. Wait for the watch to disconnect, then tap Connect. Disconnect and connect Android bluetooth settings

Reset your Watch

If all else fails, you can try to reset your watch to see if that fixes the issue. But this reverts all the features to factory defaults, and you lose personal data and music stored on your watch.

If possible and time allows backup your watch first. 

On the watch, open Settings > General > Reset. Press Back up data if you haven’t already done that. Then, tap Reset to confirm. reset Samsung Galaxy Watch in the Settings app

On your phone, open the Wearable app > Watch settings > General > Reset. Tap Reset to confirm. Wearable app reset watch back to factory standards

Summary

I hope that this article has helped you to fix your AOD problem.

If you have any more questions or anything to add, please let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section below!

If you liked this article, you can follow us on social media by using the social media buttons!

Previous articleApple Watch Ultra in use as gunshot detection sensor on a drone
Next articleCedars Sinai offers IBS/VR, a Virtual Reality Therapy for IBS patients in collaboration with MayoClinic
Zena Clark (HSPC, CSP registered Physiotherapist)
I have a first-class honors Physiotherapy degree and a second class honors Sports Science degree. I am also a certified Yoga teacher and Yoga therapist. Before completing my University education in the United Kingdom, I worked as a fitness instructor and athletics coach for many years. Since 2008 I have been practicing in the UK as a Chartered Physiotherapist, and traveling to European and World Cup tournaments with the Wales Masters field hockey team as their physiotherapist. I am passionate and actively involved in health and fitness and in the process of research and writing. I believe everyone should have access to the latest health and wellness research in simple, easy to understand language. In 2009 I published a research article ‘Is Yoga An Effective Treatment for Low Back Pain’ in the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. Currently, I am a freelance writer producing content relating to physiotherapy and health and wellness. I love anything animal! I have three rescued dogs and two parrots. I placed third lady in my city’s annual marathon (dressed as a bunny!) to raise funds for an animal welfare charity.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.