Apple Admits To Apple Watch LTE Problems Just Before It Ships (theverge.com)

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Apple Admits To Apple Watch LTE Problems Just Before It Ships (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on Wednesday September 20, 2017 @02:00AM from the still-shipping-it dept.

Lauren Goode, reporting for The Verge: Apple's new Series 3 smartwatch starts shipping this Friday, and the biggest feature change between last year's model and this new Watch is that it has built-in cellular capabilities. Except, that cell service isn't entirely reliable. While writing my review of the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE capabilities, I experienced notable connectivity issues. The new Watch appeared to try to connect to unknown WiFi networks instead of connecting to cellular, when I was out and about without my phone. Within the first couple days of experiencing this, Apple replaced my first review unit with a second one, but that one proved to be problematic, too. Eventually, the company issued an official statement, acknowledging the issue. "We have discovered that when Apple Watch Series 3 joins unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks without connectivity, it may at times prevent the watch from using cellular," an Apple spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "We are investigating a fix for a future software release."

11 of 80 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Apple Watch LTE by DontBeAMoran · 2017-09-20 02:03 · Score: 4, Funny

Apple Watch Less Than Excellent

--
#DeleteFacebook
1. Re:Apple Watch LTE by Paradise+Pete · 2017-09-20 06:56 · Score: 2
  
  You joke, but that could be the problem, actually.
  The problem is real. What is happening is that the watch is connecting to one of those "capture" networks that have an interstertial page at connect time, such as one might find at a Starbucks or McDonald's. The watch should be avoiding those networks, but because of this bug the "connected" Wifi network is used instead of the cellular.
  This is a real and likely embarrassing problem that I am sure Apple is working very hard to fix right now.
2. Re: Apple Watch LTE by Joce640k · 2017-09-20 07:27 · Score: 2
  
  You're wearing it wrong.
  
  --
  No sig today...
Good grief by p51d007 · 2017-09-20 02:14 · Score: 2

I go buy a new car, or a house, or something else. Oh! Sorry, the horn won't work, the doors on your house won't shut or some other thing. But, not to worry, we'll fix it at a later date. Tell me people would put up with that?
iPhones do this also by burtosis · 2017-09-20 02:15 · Score: 2

iPhones also connect to wireless networks (and with the right settings on their own to user unauthorized ones) with no connectivity and you will suffer from no data access as the phone fails to use its cellular connection. Further if the phone has wifi calling enabled you will miss calls and texts while connected to the network. It would seem like a simple matter to disregard the wifi network if it had no actual connection to the internet but it is what it is.
1. Re:iPhones do this also by clonehappy · 2017-09-20 02:46 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  I've never once, in 8 years of using iPhones across 6 carriers in multiple countries, ever seen this behavior. You may want to try to reset your network settings or try a factory reset of your iPhone if this is happening to you personally.
The watch is only purchased by fanboys.. by Viol8 · 2017-09-20 02:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

... and they'd buy a turd on a stick if it came with an Apple logo, so you think they care if there's some minor connectivity issue?
1. Re:The watch is only purchased by fanboys.. by Austerity+Empowers · 2017-09-20 02:45 · Score: 2
  
  Actually they're allowing us to animate ourselves as turds and send the resultant product to our friends. And people want that.
2. Re:The watch is only purchased by fanboys.. by AmiMoJo · 2017-09-20 03:22 · Score: 2
  
  It does seem odd to put cellular and wifi on a watch... Cellular in particular uses a lot of energy, relative to Bluetooth. That battery isn't going to last very long, or will have to be extremely large. LTE is improving things a little, but it's still nowhere near as good as Bluetooth or even just wifi.
  What benefit does LTE bring over just pairing to your phone? The only sane reason to even have a smart watch is as a secondary phone screen, unless they have invented some truly marvellous use for it.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Not News by lazarus · 2017-09-20 02:28 · Score: 2

How in the world is this news? This happens with your phone as well. If your smartphone "connects to an unauthenticated Wi-Fi network without connectivity" you get, no surprise, no connectivity. Because it uses the wi-fi device as the default route if it has one available.
Unless they shit the bed in the design and don't give you a way to turn off wi-fi separately, this isn't any more of a flaw than all of our phones.
The same reviewer also complains that after putting their paired phone into airplane mode and then walking around with the watch that they couldn't get connectivity. Well, that's how the darn thing works -- it automatically goes into airplane mode when you put your phone in airplane mode. Because it thinks you are on a plane...
This seems like a blogger looking for clicks.

--
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
So a product has a software bug by sl6551 · 2017-09-20 02:41 · Score: 2

If that's what this is, because it could actually be qualified as a feature since WiFi has a higher preference over cellular connection. It's a complex product and will go through a series of patches as users uncover untested scenarios. Trolls just can't pass the opportunity. (Disclaimer: I don't owe an Apple device; I write software for living)