You have just set up your new Apple Watch Series 7 and then you notice that all kinds of app icons are missing. That's what the first owners of the Apple Watch Series 7 suddenly see. We also suffer from this problem at the iCulture editors. It occurs with third-party apps.
Apple Watch Series 7 has missing app icons
The first copies of the Apple Watch Series 7 have now been delivered, also in the Netherlands and Belgium. Owners who backup their old Apple Watch to the new model may encounter the problem that not all app icons are visible. These are shown in black, while other apps float neatly around them. If you use the list view for Apple Watch apps, you will see the name of the app appear. However, no symbol is shown on the side.
The missing app icon should be CARROT Weather. It can be recognized in the list view. Photo by iCulture.
Ironically, the problem seems to occur with apps that have already been updated with support for the Apple Watch Series 7. These apps have custom symbols for the refreshed screen. In addition, the icons are displayed incorrectly on the dial as a complication, developer James Thomson notes. He indicates that the problem is not an issue in the Apple Watch Series 7 simulator used by developers.
Currently there is nothing you can do to solve the problem. You can consider using the list view, where you at least see the name of your apps. Developers can't do anything to make their apps visible again. That's why we have to wait for Apple for a fix. It is not yet known when it will be ready to install. WatchOS 8.0.2 may be destined for this. As soon as there is an update, you can read about it on iCulture.nl. There is also speculation that Apple may be able to fix this via the servers, although it's not clear how.
Opening photo: Oliver Haslam (@OliverJHaslam) on Twitter.