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California King

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 20, 2007
1,066
8
I recently received a Note 5 to use from Samsung's "test drive" program and want to use that and leave my iPhone at home. I still want to use my Apple watch since I can still use it for time and Apple Pay, but I am wondering if there could be any kind of problems. For example, does Apple Pay still work without my iPhone present or will this drain battery quicker since Bluetooth will be constantly looking for an iPhone?
 

Armen

macrumors 604
Apr 30, 2013
7,405
2,274
Los Angeles
I recently received a Note 5 to use from Samsung's "test drive" program and want to use that and leave my iPhone at home. I still want to use my Apple watch since I can still use it for time and Apple Pay, but I am wondering if there could be any kind of problems. For example, does Apple Pay still work without my iPhone present or will this drain battery quicker since Bluetooth will be constantly looking for an iPhone?

Just don't put the Stylus backwards into the Note 5. It literally will get stuck and you'll break the phone if you force it out.
 

zetaplus93

macrumors regular
May 7, 2015
133
59
Yup, should work without issues. Apple pay works without the iPhone.

Siri and several other features that requires wifi will also work (for the most part).
 
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BlueMoon63

macrumors 68020
Mar 30, 2015
2,055
959
I was surprised at how much you can do without the iPhone on or not with you as long as th wi-fi is a known network. My entire city is on wi-fi and I can do so much without the iPhone with me. At work my phone is locked in my desk all day and I was showing some naysayers how much it can do while I was up on the 10th floor and my iPhone was down on the 3rd. I was sending them text messages with Siri and adding appts to my work calendar and setting up reminders and alarms and more. All using Siri and all without touching the screen once. Two have since bought apple watches.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,148
31,204
I was surprised at how much you can do without the iPhone on or not with you as long as th wi-fi is a known network. My entire city is on wi-fi and I can do so much without the iPhone with me. At work my phone is locked in my desk all day and I was showing some naysayers how much it can do while I was up on the 10th floor and my iPhone was down on the 3rd. I was sending them text messages with Siri and adding appts to my work calendar and setting up reminders and alarms and more. All using Siri and all without touching the screen once. Two have since bought apple watches.
How do you know if you're in range of a known wifi network? I don't think there's anything that tells you you're connected to wifi is there?
 

BarracksSi

Suspended
Jul 14, 2015
3,902
2,663
Experimenting with my phone on Airplane Mode and my Watch on OS 1.01 --

I can't load Maps, but I can use Siri to set reminders when my phone is off my wifi network. Weather will not load, and Remote isn't looking for my Apple TV.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1440859034.113165.jpg
 

zetaplus93

macrumors regular
May 7, 2015
133
59
Experimenting with my phone on Airplane Mode and my Watch on OS 1.01 --

I can't load Maps, but I can use Siri to set reminders when my phone is off my wifi network. Weather will not load, and Remote isn't looking for my Apple TV.
View attachment 577934

FWIW, you can ask Siri for the weather, humidity, etc to compensate for the lack of being able to use the weather app.
 
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Mac 128

macrumors 603
Apr 16, 2015
5,360
2,930
How do you know if you're in range of a known wifi network?
Presumably because you know you have wifi at home, and wifi at work, and wifi at Starbucks, etc. unless the wifi is down at one of your regular locations, the watch will automatically log in, assuming you've already logged into via your iPhone before.

This has been the case since the beginning, and a selling point for me.
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,148
31,204
Presumably because you know you have wifi at home, and wifi at work, and wifi at Starbucks, etc. unless the wifi is down at one of your regular locations, the watch will automatically log in, assuming you've already logged into via your iPhone before.

This has been the case since the beginning, and a selling point for me.
Ah ok. So as long as you've logged in with your iPhone the Watch considers it known wifi.
 

BlueMoon63

macrumors 68020
Mar 30, 2015
2,055
959
How do you know if you're in range of a known wifi network? I don't think there's anything that tells you you're connected to wifi is there?
Rogifan, you are correct, there is no icon or indication that you are using wi-fi when blue-tooth is off or out of range with the phone. It even shows the red square icon at the top saying you are not connected (I understand that blue-tooth is disconencted, but with wi-fi, you are not truly disconnected). I am using OS2 beta 5 and this is one feature I do not like at all and wish it would either show a wi-fi connected icon or at least turn off the disconnect red icon. If you just turn off blue-tooth it may even take time to show the disconnect, but it will come up.

With blue-tooth off or out of range, you basically have to test by sending IM messages or setup reminders or appts or ask siri for some question that requires her to use the internet. I don't like that...

When I was showing people how the watch worked even when my iPhone was 7 floors below me and the red icon on, they were surprised that it was working and didn't believe me when I asked Siri to remind me about something or add a calendar event - even when she said "I will remind you" or she added the appt. She would show delivered when I sent them IM messages (they both have iPhones) but they were still skeptical about the other things so we went to my desk and took my phone out and saw the appts and reminders and the delivered messages on my iPhone. They were at least satisfied that wi-fi worked but they still thought it was just sending to the phone which in turn was sending the text messages and updating the calendar. I told them "duh" for the appts and reminders, but for a test, we shutoff my phone completely and I was still able to add appts and reminders and send them IM Messages and even ask siri for a conversion question.

When I turned the phone back on, the message and appt and reminders eventually showed back on the iphone so it was stored and then forwarded for updating but I still got a reminder just from the watch.

I hope all that made sense? My response looked busy but I hope they do something about the disconnect or at least a wi-fi type connection.
 
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Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,148
31,204
Rogifan, you are correct, there is no icon or indication that you are using wi-fi when blue-tooth is off or out of range with the phone. It even shows the red square icon at the top saying you are not connected (I understand that blue-tooth is disconencted, but with wi-fi, you are not truly disconnected). I am using OS2 beta 5 and this is one feature I do not like at all and wish it would either show a wi-fi connected icon or at least turn off the disconnect red icon. If you just turn off blue-tooth it may even take time to show the disconnect, but it will come up.

With blue-tooth off or out of range, you basically have to test by sending IM messages or setup reminders or appts or ask siri for some question that requires her to use the internet. I don't like that...

When I was showing people how the watch worked even when my iPhone was 7 floors below me and the red icon on, they were surprised that it was working and didn't believe me when I asked Siri to remind me about something or add a calendar event - even when she said "I will remind you" or she added the appt. She would show delivered when I sent them IM messages (they both have iPhones) but they were still skeptical about the other things so we went to my desk and took my phone out and saw the appts and reminders and the delivered messages on my iPhone. They were at least satisfied that wi-fi worked but they still thought it was just sending to the phone which in turn was sending the text messages and updating the calendar. I told them "duh" for the appts and reminders, but for a test, we shutoff my phone completely and I was still able to add appts and reminders and send them IM Messages and even ask siri for a conversion question.

When I turned the phone back on, the message and appt and reminders eventually showed back on the iphone so it was stored and then forwarded for updating but I still got a reminder just from the watch.

I hope all that made sense? My response looked busy but I hope they do something about the disconnect or at least a wi-fi type connection.
If the watch can connect to no one Wi-Fi networks without needing the phone in range it should be indicated somewhere on the Watch. Either settings should show you a Wi-Fi indicator or that red icon should go away. But honestly if the watch can connect to Wi-Fi without needing the phone I wish it would allow us to manually connect like we can on the phone.
 

zetaplus93

macrumors regular
May 7, 2015
133
59
If the watch can connect to no one Wi-Fi networks without needing the phone in range it should be indicated somewhere on the Watch. Either settings should show you a Wi-Fi indicator or that red icon should go away. But honestly if the watch can connect to Wi-Fi without needing the phone I wish it would allow us to manually connect like we can on the phone.

That may come in a future update.

Typing passwords on the watch is a crapshoot given the small screen and touch targets, so perhaps that's one reason they've kept it off.
 
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dacreativeguy

macrumors 68020
Jan 27, 2007
2,032
223
I recently received a Note 5 to use from Samsung's "test drive" program and want to use that and leave my iPhone at home. I still want to use my Apple watch since I can still use it for time and Apple Pay, but I am wondering if there could be any kind of problems. For example, does Apple Pay still work without my iPhone present or will this drain battery quicker since Bluetooth will be constantly looking for an iPhone?

Your Mickey might get out of sync!
 

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,148
31,204
That may come in a future update.

Typing passwords on the watch is a crapshoot given the small screen and touch targets, so perhaps that's one reason they've kept it off.
Yeah that makes sense. But it would be nice to have some sort of indicator that you actually are connected to wifi.
 

BarracksSi

Suspended
Jul 14, 2015
3,902
2,663
Going the other way, I can make my iPhone and AW connect to each other via wifi by turning off BT on the phone. Wifi becomes the only choice, of course, and all the AW's functions still work.
 

BlueMoon63

macrumors 68020
Mar 30, 2015
2,055
959
Going the other way, I can make my iPhone and AW connect to each other via wifi by turning off BT on the phone. Wifi becomes the only choice, of course, and all the AW's functions still work.
Do you find it annoying that the watch shows as disconnected? It doesn't really bother me but OCD's might go bonkers. :)
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
I recently received a Note 5 to use from Samsung's "test drive" program and want to use that and leave my iPhone at home. I still want to use my Apple watch since I can still use it for time and Apple Pay, but I am wondering if there could be any kind of problems. For example, does Apple Pay still work without my iPhone present or will this drain battery quicker since Bluetooth will be constantly looking for an iPhone?
Are you gone to post about your Note 5 Test drive on the non Apple part of this forum? I wanted to give that one a test drive myself. It wasn't available when I went to register for it. Then I decided not to bother because I already have too many library books and deadlines and appointments to keep track of as a mom. Sigh.
 
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