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fcbrants

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 9, 2009
10
2
Fort Worth, Texas
I just received my AW Ultra & received a message to update the version of iOS on my 7 Plus, running 15.6.1, so I thought, no worries, will update when I get home.

I just now read the requirements, "Apple Watch requires an iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later."

I have a 14 Pro Max ordered, but it won't be here until October 18th.
I know it's a long shot, but just in case... has anybody figured out a way to pair an AW Ultra to a 7 Plus or earlier phone with iOS 15.7?

P.S., my 7 Plus runs great, as does my cellular AW Series 3. New battery in the iPhone, original battery in the AW 3 Cellular...
 
Only your iPhone 14 Pro Max support working with Apple Watch ultra.
Not according to Apple themselves, from their website. Requires iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later.

ultra.png
 
Not according to Apple themselves, from their website. Requires iPhone 8 or later with iOS 16 or later.

View attachment 2078173
He has an iPhone 7 and his iPhone 14 pro max is on the way. There’s no sense for him to somehow grab an iPhone 8 or later for the sake of setting up his Apple Watch ultra. Hence I say to him only his iPhone 14 pro max support Apple Watch ultra.
 
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As others have mentioned, you have to wait for your new iPhone to arrive before setting it up, which means that you have 3 options:
  1. Return your Ultra now and wait for the iPhone to arrive before getting a new one to test out thoroughly and make sure you don't need to get use out of the receipt.
  2. Hang onto your Ultra, wait for your iPhone, and hope that there aren't any problems. Hopefully you bought AppleCare for it, just in case...
  3. If you know somebody who has an iPhone 8 or newer and they only have 1 Apple Watch paired to it, use their phone to set up your Ultra. However, keep in mind that you'll have to erase and set up your Ultra all over again once you new iPhone arrives and you wish to pair it with it. Also, you won't be able to restore from backup since it'll be backed up to that person's iPhone (assuming it had the chance to back up), so you MUST be ok with setting things up from scratch all over again!
I personally would opt for option #1 since a) the Ultra's not super hard to find and I expect the supply to become more readily available the closer you get to getting your new iPhone and b) you get the chance to set it up properly, test it out for any issues and use the receipt if needed, and c) you can restore from a backup on YOUR iPhone in case something were to merit doing so.
 
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Hang onto your Ultra, wait for your iPhone, and hope that there aren't any problems. Hopefully you bought Apple Care for it, just in case...

Thanks, I've decided to hang onto my Ultra until my 14 PM arrives.

I'll also check with my friends to see if anybody has an iPhone 8 or later laying around that I can use until my 14 PM arrives.

While I'm a tiny bit disappointed (and I really do mean a TINY bit...) that my 7 Plus is no longer supported, I am Extremely Grateful that my 7 Plus (Released 09/2016), And my Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular (Released 09/2017) have both worked flawlessly for 6 and 5 years, respectively. The 7 Plus received a new battery from Apple, while the AW Series 3 still has its original battery.

Thank you!!

Franko
 
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Also, fun fact for future reference: if you ordered an item through Apple online, as long as you set up a return by shipping before the 14 days are up for your initial receipt return window, you’ll get an extra 14 days to drop off your return to the carrier (which has always been FedEx, in my experience as an American). 💡
 
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