Apple watch dumb questions

[metsjetsfan]

Hi all thinking of getting one with black friday deals. Just some trivial qs before I do

-If i go on airplane mode on my phone does it automatically re-pair with the watch. Or do you need to manually do again. I do this a lot due to subways
-Does the GPS for apps like weather constantly use the phones GPS even when you dont bring up the app on the watch or complications
-Do all apps on your phone have to be on the apple watch? Or can you pick and choose? Dont really feel the need to have amazon or apple store app on the watch

Thanks

 

[BarracksSi]

1. It automatically reconnects.

2. I don't know about "constantly", but it'll check periodically and update its info as needed.

3. You can pick and choose. During initial setup, you'll be asked if you want all compatible* apps to be installed right away, or if you want to choose later. I had it install everything so I could try out all the apps right away.

*compatible apps -- not all iOS apps have a version or extension to run on the AW. I've got over a hundred apps cluttering up my phone, but maybe thirty have an AW companion.

 

[Julien]

No (reconnects), No, Yes (can choose)

 

[convergent]

It will not "reconnect" automatically if you go into airplane mode, then go out of airplane mode. Once they are both in airplane mode, they both have WiFi and BT turned off, so there would be no way for one to know that the other has restarted communications.

If you for some reason just lose the connection... go out of WiFi and BT range... then come back in... it will reconnected automatically. Both devices still have BT and/or WiFi enabled so will see each other when available.

 

[metsjetsfan]

It will not "reconnect" automatically if you go into airplane mode, then go out of airplane mode. Once they are both in airplane mode, they both have WiFi and BT turned off, so there would be no way for one to know that the other has restarted communications.

If you for some reason just lose the connection... go out of WiFi and BT range... then come back in... it will reconnected automatically. Both devices still have BT and/or WiFi enabled so will see each other when available.

Thanks to all. So if you put your phone on airplane mode then come back on you need to manually reconnect? Or is it only if you have both on airplane mode. Thnx again

 

[Gav2k]

Thanks to all. So if you put your phone on airplane mode then come back on you need to manually reconnect? Or is it only if you have both on airplane mode. Thnx again

If you turn off mirror iPhone in the Apple Watch app settings then you can throw your phone into airplane mode and out and auto reconnect will work just fine.

It's only if you have mirrow iPhone on that you'd need to take the iPhone out of airplane mode and then the watch.

 

[gsmornot]

Thanks to all. So if you put your phone on airplane mode then come back on you need to manually reconnect? Or is it only if you have both on airplane mode. Thnx again

Only if you have the watch in Airplane mode too. If you do, it will have no idea the phone is back because its still in Airplane mode. In the watch settings you have two options: Independent of the phone and with the phone meaning when you put the phone into Airplane mode the watch will either copy that and do it too or it wont. Personally, I don't do that.

 

[convergent]

I guess I'm confused why you'd want to put one in Airplane mode and not the other?

 

[gsmornot]

I guess I'm confused why you'd want to put one in Airplane mode and not the other?

The cellular signal is the main issue for airplanes, not bluetooth or wifi. The watch, not having cell service, really has no need to be in airplane mode unless you just want to. It does not kill the battery to be away from the phone and disconnected in the same way the phone spends a lot of battery looking for a cell signal.

 

[BarracksSi]

To go back to the wording of the original question:

-If i go on airplane mode on my phone does it automatically re-pair with the watch. Or do you need to manually do again. I do this a lot due to subways

You only need to "pair" the two once, and that's when you set up the Watch. Once paired, they'll always look for each other automatically. You won't need to select anything from a list of BT devices.

When we talk about airplane mode, you can use the settings to do two different things:

1. Airplane Mode on the watch invokes Airplane Mode on the phone, too; or,

2. Airplane Mode on the watch doesn't change anything on the phone.

Option 1 is useful if your phone is in your bag or purse and want to switch both devices to airplane mode. Of course, as noted, you'll need to get your phone out to bring it out of airplane mode later.

Option 2 is useful if you go out of range of your phone (say, go on a jog) and don't need any of the watch's radios switched on. I often do this at work when I park my phone at a desk or locker.

 

[convergent]

The cellular signal is the main issue for airplanes, not bluetooth or wifi. The watch, not having cell service, really has no need to be in airplane mode unless you just want to. It does not kill the battery to be away from the phone and disconnected in the same way the phone spends a lot of battery looking for a cell signal.

Good point, I just switched the setting so mine doesn't do that anymore. I can then put my phone in Airplane mode and then turn back on Bluetooth to keep the watch paired. There should be a way to more easily turn off cellular without turning off WiFi and Bluetooth (on the phone).

 

[metsjetsfan]

Thanks to all I got it. Some additonal questions

-can you completely disable activity monitor if you want?
-if you manually exit out apps on the iphone will they still work on the watch? Seems mixed. The stock apps seem ok third party not as much.

 

[gsmornot]

Thanks to all I got it. Some additonal questions

-can you completely disable activity monitor if you want?
-if you manually exit out apps on the iphone will they still work on the watch? Seems mixed. The stock apps seem ok third party not as much.

Apps do not need to be open on the phone to work on the watch. The watch pulls data in the background.

Activity tracking can be modified in the Motion and Fitness settings inside privacy. You can chose to turn off heart rate and fitness tracking but this turns off a big reason to have the watch in the first place.