Apple Watch <> iPhone 14 Pro Advanced GPS

[brianj922]

Hey all! I'm a marathoner mulling getting a new Apple Watch but am a bit torn between the Ultra and the Series 8! I've never had a problem with battery life on an Apple Watch during a marathon (I just turn off heart rate tracking for the race) but the idea of the better GPS on the Ultra is very appealing to me.

My question is this: I always run with my phone (in case of emergencies it's better to have a full phone on me and quite frankly I like to take pictures during runs!) - I have the iPhone 14 Pro on preorder - will I see the benefits of that precision dual frequency GPS on my run tracking on the watch. Or, more specifically, does the watch pull GPS from the phone first (I think this used to be the case) or does it only pull from the watch? I know this is confusing and I hope I worded it right!

 

[dallison13]

According to DC Rainmaker, who released a video today, the new watches will no longer rely on the phones GPS. So I would say if you want the dual frequency, get the ultra. The GPS on the regular watches is already pretty good.

 

[Duffman19]

The iPhone 14 Pro will have the improved dual-band GNSS, the same as the Apple Watch Ultra. So, theoretically, you could get the improved accuracy with an AW8 (or any series 4+) if you are using it while connected to an iPhone 14 Pro. If you are set on the non-pro 14, you’ll need an AW Ultra to get the dual-band accuracy.

FWIW, I’ve been running with an AW7 since January and its GNSS accuracy has been surprisingly great. I compared it to a dual-band Garmin 255 and they were nearly indistinguishable. I’d suggest giving the AW8 a try as I much prefer a smaller sized watch for running. Just make sure you aren’t tethered to your phone while running (Bluetooth off) to use the watch’s GPS.

Edit: Just reread you have the Pro on order. I’d say try running with it connected to a non-Ultra AW and see what happens. I’d assume you’ll see improved accuracy, unless the dual-band only kicks in when using apps on the phone itself, which would be stupid.

 

[brianj922]

The iPhone 14 Pro will have the improved dual-band GNSS, the same as the Apple Watch Ultra. So, theoretically, you could get the improved accuracy with an AW8 (or any series 4+) if you are using it while connected to an iPhone 14 Pro. If you are set on the non-pro 14, you’ll need an AW Ultra to get the dual-band accuracy.

FWIW, I’ve been running with an AW7 since January and its GNSS accuracy has been surprisingly great. I compared it to a dual-band Garmin 255 and they were nearly indistinguishable. I’d suggest giving the AW8 a try as I much prefer a smaller sized watch for running. Just make sure you aren’t tethered to your phone while running (Bluetooth off) to use the watch’s GPS.

Edit: Just reread you have the Pro on order. I’d say try running with it connected to a non-Ultra AW and see what happens. I’d assume you’ll see improved accuracy, unless the dual-band only kicks in when using apps on the phone itself, which would be stupid.

Oh super interesting! Maybe Ill try turning off bluetooth on my series 6 when I run. I've noticed my pace is kind of all over the place (in different situations too: the city a boardwalk). Almost like the GPS hates when it's not on a defined road.

 

[Duffman19]

Just wanted to update that apparently the AW8, new SE, and Ultra will no longer piggyback your phone’s GPS when connected. Instead, these models will always use the watch’s internal GPS.

For OP, and anyone else using an iPhone 14 Pro connected to an AW7 or lower, I’d love to know if the watch benefits from the phone’s dual-band GPS.

Seems odd that Apple has made it so someone with a brand new AW8 and a 14 Pro might get less accurate GPS tracks than someone with an older model Watch. Although, the accuracy of the single band GPS watches seems to be quite good according to DCRainmaker and my own experience.