Apple Investigating Fix for Series 3 Watches Connecting to Unknown Wi-Fi Networks Instead of LTE [Updated]

[dmunz]

My phone does this.

My work place has wifi I’ll often walk away or to the bathroom and Have to turn off wifi on m phone during the walk because it struggles to load, as it desperately tries to cling to the wifi.

I have wifi assist turned on and still doesn’t help. They need maybe a time out. Once 5-10 seconds has passed use LTE.

+1.

Whenever I fly on a WiFi equipped plane, I have to turn the WiFi off on my iPhone 6 or the LTE doesn't pick up when I turn off airplane mode. This also happens before leaving the gate if they turn on the WiFi early. The phone connects to he airplane's WiFi and then waits for the log in/authentication and it gums up the LTE.

FWIW
DLM

 

[Glockworkorange]

This isn’t good. That 5/10 rating should rattle some cages.

Yeah, that's a really low score. Especially for an Apple product.

 

[Boatboy24]

This is an example of what can happen when testing in a closed lab.

With no physical change to the device, aside from the red dot on the crown, you'd think they tested this 'in the wild' by simply putting a regular crown on an LTE watch.

 

[AdonisSMU]

While running, having heart attack, cannot call 911 because my watch is connected to someone's coffee pot. A fix, sooner than later would be appreciated, if this is a real thing.

This is an example of what can happen when testing in a closed lab.

Apple doesn't just treat in a closed lab though....

 

[iapplelove]

At least this bug isn't as bad as Face ID

Really? How are you enjoying your iPhone X?

 

[Felix01]

Hard to believe this wouldn't have been discovered in Apple's pre-production testing. Are they still paranoid after the iPhone testbed was left in a bar a few years ago? Is real-world testing of new hardware now so severely curtailed that this (rather simple to discover) software hiccup wasn't picked up?

 

[lyngo]

This will be fixed, the ugly red dot won’t be.

Really?! There’s already countless other threads in this forum that discuss this issue. You didn’t need to bring it in here too.

 

[Chazzle]

That explains why the wife in the keynote was on a board in the middle of the lake.

“The wife” eh?

 

[840quadra]

Yeah, that's a really low score. Especially for an Apple product.

Also an objective score, and some of it based on some information that was announced before she received her review unit. Apple Music streaming was always going to be delayed, it’s not news.

It’s nothing personal, but I have never really taken Lauren’s reviews seriously, she is critical without really understanding the technology she is using, too often. But, that is just my opinion on another person’s review style.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Yeah, that's a really low score. Especially for an Apple product.

I wonder if they will update the score after the software is fixed.

The whole point of the LTE Apple Watch is the LTE... and the LTE wasn't working to well during their review. Seems like they need to revisit it later.

I also wonder if it ever worked during their review. Seems weird that the only place they tried it was in the ocean. That's literally the ends of the Earth.

Did it work in the city? Down the street from their office?

I realize The Verge was mimicking the Apple commercial.

But not everyone surfs. I'd imagine most people who buy an LTE Apple Watch don't surf.

Jogging? Yes. Surfing? Not much.

I'm unfamiliar with how far cellular signals reach into the ocean. Again... it would have been nice to see it work in a city.

 

[sparkhill]

My phone does this.

My work place has wifi I’ll often walk away or to the bathroom and Have to turn off wifi on m phone during the walk because it struggles to load, as it desperately tries to cling to the wifi.

I have wifi assist turned on and still doesn’t help. They need maybe a time out. Once 5-10 seconds has passed use LTE.

The exact same things happens to me at work. When down the hall, in the elevator, in the lobby, etc. my phone clings to the wifi with barely one bar, which is unusable, while refusing to switch to LTE. I frequently have to manually switch wifi off.

 

[pdoobs]

So my decision to hold off on this until reviews and the first couple software updates roll out seems like a great one.

Also a great reminder that the 2nd generation X model is the one you actually want.

 

[vmistery]

Ah come on this is day 1 of a brand new product with a totally new feature there are bound to be a few teething issues.

 

[xDKP]

Also an objective score, and some of it based on some information that was announced before she received her review unit. Apple Music streaming was always going to be delayed, it’s not news.

It’s nothing personal, but I have never really taken Lauren’s reviews seriously, she is critical without really understanding the technology she is using, too often. But, that is just my opinion on another person’s review style.

I'm not a huge fan of her myself - She slams a lot of stuff we knew and therefore isn't a drawback. The part with the music will be a weird part of the review if you reed it a couple of months from now.

Also 5/10 mostly for the cellular connection? How about the rest of the watches capabilities? Pretty damn great package if you ask me (and obviously she must like it - she has a Series 2, even though she also slammed that one)

 

[maflynn]

You also have the return policy to back you if for some reason it isn’t fully working even after the fix. I am going to keep my receipt close if my expectations of a quick fix aren’t met.

No question, but its a lot easier to just hit cancel, then go through the return process

 

[bruinsrme]

This isn’t good. That 5/10 rating should rattle some cages.

That rattle is being masked by my drum beating of excitement for Friday's delivery. I will gladly take the new adopter hit and anxiously await a fix.

 

[jutdon84]

“The wife” eh?

I also found that to be a puzzling statement.

 

[PCtoMAC1]

HORRIBLE battery + LTE problems = I'll stick with my SS Series 2!

 

[bbeagle]

The exact same things happens to me at work. When down the hall, in the elevator, in the lobby, etc. my phone clings to the wifi with barely one bar, which is unusable, while refusing to switch to LTE. I frequently have to manually switch wifi off.

Similar things with me - if I'm out in my car in the driveway, the phone sometimes clings to my home wifi - which is unusable, and won't switch to cellular.

Then at work, I work near the Canadian/American border, It will switch from AT&T (US) to Rogers (CA) occasionally, and never give up Rogers, even if Rogers has 1 bar and AT&T has 5. I'm guessing if AT&T has a glitch where it's down for 1 second, it switches over to something it can get a signal on, and holds that until it loses a signal.

 

[MinorSeventh]

I also found that to be a puzzling statement.

Maybe he's from Germany, where "wife" and "woman" are the same word (Frau), so he just misspoke.

 

[ACST]

If Lauren's remarks during the liveblog from the apple presentation are any indication, then it's probably her own fault somehow.

 

[DynaFXD]

Well, ****!

 

[fashiony99]

I'm not surprised, this has been how iOS behaves for along time. Hopefully this will lead to them fixing it across the board.

This.. So much this.. Does anyone over there not realize this is how iPhones have been working for years now? It's infuriating. Especially when it auto connects to AT&T hotspots and they are all basically non-functional.
[doublepost=1505911462][/doublepost]

My phone does this.

My work place has wifi I’ll often walk away or to the bathroom and Have to turn off wifi on m phone during the walk because it struggles to load, as it desperately tries to cling to the wifi.

I have wifi assist turned on and still doesn’t help. They need maybe a time out. Once 5-10 seconds has passed use LTE.

Yep, iphones have been doing this for years and no fixes despite repeatedly reporting this. They only realized this now? SMH.

 

[Stella]

"It’s worth noting, though, that Apple’s aggressive estimates for Series 3 battery life are based on 30-minute workouts while connected to LTE"

Battery life based upon 30 minutes exercising with LTE isn't a lot at all. To sum up that review, the Apple Watch suffers due to its limited battery life. IMO, its not really acceptable that users should have to micro manage a battery life of a watch, and even be prepared to have to charge it during the day.

 

[Chazzle]

Maybe he's from Germany, where "wife" and "woman" are the same word (Frau), so he just misspoke.

He’s from Florida, but I appreciate the possible explanation.

Seems Apple had a lot to work on this year and inevitably, not everything is ready.

 

[riverfreak]

+1.

Whenever I fly on a WiFi equipped plane, I have to turn the WiFi off on my iPhone 6 or the LTE doesn't pick up when I turn off airplane mode. This also happens before leaving the gate if they turn on the WiFi early. The phone connects to he airplane's WiFi and then waits for the log in/authentication and it gums up the LTE.

FWIW
DLM

Exactly. It's incredibly annoying. The iPhone just grabs any wifi including those protected by password portals. You have to deliberately disable wifi, even with "Ask To Join" enabled. I end up just turning off wifi and forgetting about it for weeks on end.

Hope the Watch fix comes in quick!