Why videos on Apple Watch have no sound

Updated 23 October 2026

If a video plays on your Apple Watch but you hear nothing, the watch isn't broken. It's how watchOS handles video, and the fix takes a few seconds.

The short answer

watchOS doesn't send video or media sound to the Apple Watch's built-in speaker. The speaker is for calls, Siri, alarms, and alerts; media audio goes to Bluetooth. That's true for every app on the watch, not only TubeWrist, and no app can change it.

How to get sound

Connect AirPods or any Bluetooth headphones or speaker to the watch. Here's how to connect them. In TubeWrist, sound follows your headphones: connect them in the middle of a video and the audio starts without restarting it.

Still silent with headphones connected?

Check where the audio is going. Headphones paired with your iPhone may still be connected to the phone. Press the side button to open Control Center on the watch, tap the audio output button, and choose your headphones.
Turn off Always Mute. In TubeWrist, open Settings ▸ Playback. Always Mute keeps video silent even with headphones connected.
Turn the volume up. Use the controls on your headphones, or the Digital Crown on the Now Playing screen.
Reconnect. Put the headphones back in their case or switch them off and on, then choose them again.

What TubeWrist does without headphones

It plays the picture silently and shows a "Picture only" notice, instead of refusing to play. Audio-only mode is the exception: with no picture to fall back to, it needs headphones.

Questions

Why is there no sound when I play a video on Apple Watch?

watchOS does not route video or media audio to the Apple Watch's built-in speaker. Connect AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones to the watch and the sound plays.

Can Apple Watch play video sound through its own speaker?

No. The built-in speaker is used for calls, Siri, alarms and alerts. No app can send video sound to it.

Do I need to restart the video after connecting AirPods?

Not in TubeWrist. Sound follows your headphones and starts as soon as they connect, even mid-video.

$1.99 · 3 days fully unlocked · watchOS 10+