this happened a few times for me.
Apple Software under Tim Cook is just miserable - dumbing it down and becoming unintuitive at the same time
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Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way
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Apple Software under Tim Cook is just miserable - dumbing it down and becoming unintuitive at the same time
How do phone call notifications work on the Forerunner? I have a Garmin Fenix 7X Solar in addition to my Apple Watch S10, and while I'd like to use the Fenix more for better workout features and the surprisingly handy flashlight, I'm more or less forced to use my Apple Watch instead thanks to Garmin breaking the phone call notifications some software updates ago. Now there's just a couple of short and weak vibrations and only the screen keeps blinking after that. I've missed important calls due to it and complained to Garmin, but there's no fix so far. If your Forerunner works better in this case, please share the more specific model number.
I would also be happy if they (Garmin) just fixed the phone call notifications they broke some software versions ago. Software ******tification unfortunately doesn't seem to be exclusive to Apple.
Somewhere inside Apple, a Product Manager is in trouble, and a UX designer has said I told you.
I keep saying it, this was a perfect watch UI no issues and for some reasons somebody decided to change it. You could have still done glass UI on top but why changing the UI?
It isn’t just the Workout app. Apple Carplay is worse also. I drive a Mazda and used to love the scroll wheel to navigate apps like Apple Maps and iTunes. Now doing that while driving is almost impossible. I feel like I need to pull over because of how much scrolling and selecting options I need to do just to tell the app to give me directions home.
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating.
When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a workout once to begin, users now select the workout type, and then tap a smaller play button that appears after a brief animation. Apple has also integrated music and podcast setup directly into the Workout app itself, so users can configure audio to automatically begin playing when they start exercising.
However, many of the changes appear to have become a major source of frustration over the last couple of months, based on a Reddit thread on r/AppleWatch that's full of complaints. "Touch targets are way too small," one user wrote. "Often times I have to tap the play button several times to get the workout to start."
Another user said the update has been "absolutely horrible," adding that "activating a swimming workout has become impossible once in the pool." Several swimmers echoed this view. One notes that the latest design makes it "impossible to reliably start or switch workouts once you're wet or mid-lap."
The redesigned layout also moves common controls like goal settings, quick-start options, and frequently used workouts into different positions. Long-time users say this breaks years of muscle memory. "What I used to be able to do in my sleep without thinking now takes my full brain capacity and always annoys me just before my workout," one user noted.
Some users also report reliability issues, like tapping the start button and seeing the press animation without the workout actually starting, or walking workouts failing to register completely. Mis-starts are another recurring issue. "I've accidentally started the wrong workout so many times," one user wrote. "The play button loads late, so I think I'm scrolling, but I actually tap it the moment it appears." Another said they've watched the button animate when tapped, "and then found out later that it didn't actually register."
The old Workout interface in watchOS 11
"The scrolling is so bad now," wrote another user, while others said the interface simply feels laggy. One explained that "the delay between selecting and starting is so long that I constantly overshoot or open the wrong thing."
Some users have turned to Siri voice commands to bypass the new interface altogether, while others rely on the Action button on Apple Watch Ultra models to start workouts directly. A few say they've been letting auto-detection handle walking and cycling sessions simply because it's less tedious than navigating the UI.
What have your experiences been with the Workout app on Apple Watch since the watchOS 26 update? Do you get on with the redesigned interface, or is it a step backwards from watchOS 11? Let us know in the comments.
Article Link: Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way
Garmin Forerunner 570. I don't use it to answer or make calls. My iPhone is paired however (the Garmin find my iPhone equivalent is superior compared to the Apple Watch feature btw). I haven't noticed any glitches but again phone use is not my primary use case.
It’s even worse on the days I’m struggling but want to track it and nope you’ve only gone 2 miles when you’ve done more. It’s a first world problem but still. For working out Garmin is the way to go for sure.
I’m slowly giving up on using AW for runs. In addition to the above noted bugs such as no audio feedback for time, distance and pace, music doesn’t play properly. I have to press next track on my ear buds after every song. I bought a cheap running waist belt to hold my phone. I tried it today and it worked, which seems stupid because I’ve gone back in time to what the series 0 offered. Not much unless you brought your phone with you on workouts.
I wish I'd filmed it, but my phone was buried in my bag: I went to start my cycling workout Friday morning, once the little 'Play' button had appeared, I pressed it 4 times-and watched the little icon bounce/react to my finger tap. The 5th time, it actually started. No issues with my watch, no screen cover or anything like that. Poor.
I hope my bitching about Liquid Glass had something to do with it. 😂
I also don't answer calls on the watch, but I use it to find out when my phone is ringing as my phone is silent practically all the time. That's something where the Fenix 7X Solar falls short with the current firmware as there's only a couple of weak vibrations regardless of how long the caller is waiting for me to pick up.