Apple watch requires passcode every time, even with "wrist detection" and "unlock with iPhone" turned on

[Polekat]

Ok, I had an AW series 3 4 but broke the screen last summer. There was a sale last week on a series 8 so I bought one. On my series 3, with wrist detection on, I would have to enter the passcode after putting the watch on my wrist and it was unlocked until I took it off. Now, on the series 8, I have to enter the passcode every time I look at the watch, if I want to do anything besides see the time. Did that change in a software update? Is there anyway to go back to what it used to be?

I could turn the passcode setting off, but then I can't use Apple Pay and a lot of other features. If I turn passcode on, it makes the watch frustrating to use

Any help is appreciated

Series 8 GPS/Cellular 45mm Aluminum Watch OS 10.6
iPhone 14 pro Max iOS 17.6.1

Troubleshooting I have already tried

restart watch and phone
unpaired watch and re-paired
toggled wrist detection and unlock with iPhone off and on
changed the passcode

 

[DR3MCLAREN]

I suspect the watch is too loose on your wrist and as a result the watch thinks its been taken off and has locked itself.

 

[Polekat]

Yeah, I forgot to add that. I don't have wrist tattoos and the watch is on tight, can't go another hole in. I do have some hairy wrists but that never was a problem with the previous watch

 

[NoBoMac]

unpaired watch and re-paired

Setup as new? Might be something really messed up in the last backup from 4 and just propagating forward in all the following unpairs/re-pairs. Name clean pairing something different from previous Watch so that it should preserve the previous backup when unpairing clean one, should new setup not work and want to go back to previous backup.

If still not working, probably some hardware issue as it's working fine for me (SE). And judging by not seeing a bunch of new posts around this, not an issue for majority it seems.

 

[Polekat]

Setup as new? Might be something really messed up in the last backup from 4 and just propagating forward in all the following unpairs/re-pairs. Name clean pairing something different from previous Watch so that it should preserve the previous backup when unpairing clean one, should new setup not work and want to go back to previous backup.

If still not working, probably some hardware issue as it's working fine for me (SE). And judging by not seeing a bunch of new posts around this, not an issue for majority it seems.

I just erased and set up as new and still the same issue. Thanks. I’ll send it back

 

[navaira]

I just erased and set up as new and still the same issue. Thanks. I’ll send it back

Was it a hardware issue? I am battling an AW10 here… exactly the same problems, doesn’t unlock with phone, requires me to unlock it over and over (the watchOS 11.0.1 update seems to have made it worse if anything), etc. I upgraded from S5 which had no issues. Well, it had issues, just not this one

If it was not hardware, how did you resolve the problem?