So, if the Sunrise/Sunset complication is showing blank on your Apple Watch, it’s pretty frustrating, especially if you rely on it to plan your day or morning runs. The weird part is that it does show up in the watch face edit mode or even in the customized watch faces, but the actual info doesn’t populate. That’s because this feature depends heavily on your location, and sometimes the permissions get tangled up, causing the whole thing to go silent. Fixing this is usually about giving the Clock app the right permissions on your iPhone and making sure the watch knows where you are. It sounds simple, but yeah, Apple’s ecosystem can be a bit confusing with the permissions and settings scattered around. Still, with a few tweaks, you should be able to get that sunrise info back in no time—assuming the location permissions are the culprit. Here’s how to fix it the right way.
How to Fix Sunrise/Sunset Complication Not Showing on Apple Watch
Allow Location Access for the Clock App on iPhone
Since the Sunrise/Sunset data uses your current position, if the app doesn’t have permission to access your location, it won’t show the info. It’s kind of weird because sometimes the permissions seem to be granted but aren’t actually working, so rechecking and resetting them can help. This fix applies when the complication is blank, but the setting still shows the data should be there. Expect to see the sunrise and sunset times appear directly after this tweak, though sometimes a reboot or re-sync might be needed if it’s stubborn.
- Open your iPhone’s Settings — tap on the ⚙️ icon.
- Go to Privacy & Security — it’s often where the magic permissions are hidden.
- Tap on Location Services — this menu controls which apps get your location.
- Scroll down to find the Clock app and select it.
- Change the permission to While Using the App, or if it’s already set, toggle it off and back on to refresh the permissions.
- Also, enable Precise Location — because of course, Apple has to make it harder than necessary. Without precise location, it might fetch a rough estimate but not the actual sunrise data.
This usually triggers the Clock app to properly pull your current location and the sunrise/sunset info will start showing on your watch. Not sure why it works, but on some setups it’s the fix — on others, you might need to restart your iPhone or reconnect your Watch for it to kick in.
Set the Sunrise/Sunset Location Manually on Your Watch Face
If permissions are in order but the complication still shows blank, another route is customizing the watch face directly. Sometimes the complication defaults to a location that’s not yours or just doesn’t sync up right, so manually adding your city helps. This applies when you want to see sunrise/sunset times for a specific place and it’s not updating automatically. Expect the info to appear correctly once you set it up.
- Tap and hold the watch face to enter customization mode.
- Tap Customize, then swipe or tap on the Sunrise/Sunset complication area.
- Tap the three-bar icon or the world clock button to open the location list.
- Tap the + icon to add a new location.
- Use the search bar to find your city or a nearby town. Confirm and add it.
Now, the complication reflects that specific place, making the sunrise & sunset times accurate for where you actually are. On some days, you might need to revisit and update this if you change locations frequently.
Add Sunrise/Sunset via the Watch App
If all else fails, adding or editing the complication through the Watch app on your iPhone can bypass some of the quirks. This is handy because it gives one more shot at syncing your preferred city info directly into the watch face. Expect the complication to update almost instantly after setting, but sometimes a restart or re-pairing helps if nothing’s showing up.
- Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Go to the Face Gallery.
- Select a watch face that supports complications, then tap on a complication slot to customize it.
- Scroll down to the World Clock section and pick the Sunrise/Sunset complication.
- On the watch face preview, it’ll prompt you to grant location permission — tap Allow While Using the App.
- After that, the sunrise/sunset times should pop up right there on your watch face, for the location you set.
If the complication still looks blank after all that, a quick restart of your watch or re-checking permissions sometimes does the trick. It’s pretty much about ensuring the watch and iPhone are talking and that the permissions are actually active, not just checked off once.
Hopefully, these methods get the sunrise info flowing again on your device. Sometimes these tiny permission glitches or location misfires cause the biggest headaches, but once you get it configured right, it works like it should stay in sync.