Apple Watch - Software Update Process - Clunky

[ArmCortexA8]

I have an Apple Watch Series 7 / 45mm. I am baffled why Apple made the process of updating the software on the Apple Watch so clunky and so unfriendly. Why doesn't the Apple Watch (cellular / mobile) simply update without the need to be on a charger (no matter the battery level) and on wifi when it already uses my local mobile phone network?

Why can't wifi be used either via the Apple Watch or my iPhone to bypass this requirement? My iPhone / iPads (both cellular) don't need to be on charge / wifi for updates, so why the Apple Watch? Since I'm paying for cellular connection for the Apple Watch why cant this be sufficient for software updates especially when they are only around 400mb in size? Oddly enough even when wifi is enabled on the watch these requirements are still required if if connection to a personal hotspot from my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

This all seems to have the hallmarks of deliberate inconvenience.

 

[waw74]

there is a possibility that the watch could update the firmware in the battery controller, in which case, the battery might go off-line or fluctuate for a moment, in the phone, there's room enough for hardware to overcome this, In the watch you could corrupt data, or power off mid-update, Both of which would lead to undesirable outcomes.

the watch will use significantly more processing during updates than during normal operation. More processing means more power, or possibly if you have an older battery , it could use more power than the battery could supply

As the watch is updating, it's unusable, so there's no reason to have it on your wrist.
it could also get warm/hot, I doubt it would injure you, but might be disconcerting.


the watch does have cellular, but not fast cellular.
There is no reason to include cell radio that's faster, but is larger and uses more battery, Just for updates.
and for any cell modem, more bandwidth is more battery used.


one thing to keep in mind about all of the the "more battery used" things above.
The battery in an iPhone 13 is 3,227 mAh, a 45mm series 7 is 309 mAh
the watch doesn't really have a lot of battery reserves to do an update.

....
so you could do the update over cellular and on battery, but it could take significant time to download. then while it's doing the update, you have basically a piece of black glass on your wrist for some time, And then once it's done, since you used the equivalent of a couple hours of regular battery life during the upgrade, you run out of battery while you're still away from home.

or... just like you have to do everyday, you could take the watch off and put it on the charger.
If you have automatic updates turned on, then the update will happen automatically while you've put the watch down for it's daily charge.

 

[BigBlur]

You can check for updates and start downloading it on the watch itself (Settings -> General -> Software Update). I have the Wi-Fi model and it downloads the update over Wi-Fi while it's on my wrist. Then when I'm ready to update, I just put it on the charger and it will start updating right away.

The main reason why Apple wants you to put it on the charger is to help ensure the battery doesn't die mid-update and brick your watch. We have no way to restore the OS on the watch ourselves, like we can with iPhones and iPads. If you're feeling brave, you can remove it from the charger and it will still continue to update. I don't recommend this though.