Can I use a non cellular AppleWatch 9 whilst leaving the actual iPhone XR at home?

[headlessmike]

Every Apple Watch since the Series 2 has built-in GPS, even the models without cellular connectivity.

I have a non-cellular Series 6. It has 32 GB of internal storage, so I sync music and podcasts to it and use it as my only device when running. I even have an app (WorkOutDoors) that supports offline maps and routes, so I could use it to follow a route while running without my iPhone if I wanted to. Once I get home, it automatically syncs all of my exercise data with my iPhone.

So, the short answer is yes!

 

[SuperCachetes]

I only need to use the fitness features of an AppleWatch Series 9, Not interested in receiving sms, phonecalls, etc, and therefore in some instances I would prefer to leave the iphone XR at home.

Im assuming the data is stored on the watch and synced when it comes in proximity with the iPhone via WiFi or Bluetooth?

Is this actually the case? Or do I have to have the iphone in close proximity with the watch at all times?

I bought my GPS-only S6 to specifically do what you are asking. I run outdoors (no Wi-Fi) and work out in a gym (yes Wi-Fi) with only the Watch, and it tracks all of it and then updates the Health/Fitness apps once I am back in range of the Phone (or just within range of Wi-Fi).

 

[Howard2k]

Part of the confusion may be that WatchOS support for offline maps is very poor. The watch will track your position and movement with GPS, but you cannot use Apple Maps for offline navigation without the phone nearby.

Not sure about Google Maps.

 

[msackey]

Huh? I never bothered about wifi only version of ipad and Apple Watch so never paid attention. Seems like GPS and cellular are not bundled together At least for Apple Watch. Last time I tried wifi only iPad I couldn’t get navigation on it without tethering.

Yes, it looks like for the iPad, cellular and GPS are on one chip whereas that is not so for the Watch. If you want navigation on the iPad, you do have to get the cellular version.

 

[msackey]

Part of the confusion may be that WatchOS support for offline maps is very poor. The watch will track your position and movement with GPS, but you cannot use Apple Maps for offline navigation without the phone nearby.

Not sure about Google Maps.

Hmm...not exactly. I think WatchOS support for offline maps is fine. There are third party apps, particularly for runners, such as WorkOutDoors. There might be other third-party apps that do that too.

 

[Howard2k]

Hmm...not exactly. I think WatchOS support for offline maps is fine. There are third party apps, particularly for runners, such as WorkOutDoors. There might be other third-party apps that do that too.

Yep, very true. I was referring to first party primarily.
(Apple Maps - I'm looking at you)

 

[msackey]

Yep, very true. I was referring to first party primarily.
(Apple Maps - I'm looking at you)

Yeah, Apple Maps has improved (downloadable to iPhone) but to use that offline map, phone and Watch still have to be in Bluetooth proximity. WHY? WHY? No clue. There's certainly enough storage space on the Watch to store some maps.

 

[kc9hzn]

Usually tho, GPS is a separate protocol entirely.
IE incar satnavs like TomTom, Garmins, do not use cellular.

Yes, but the GPS chip that Apple uses is part of the cellular hardware. Apple is using aGPS (assisted GPS, where it uses cellular towers to triangulate your position in addition to GPS, which takes less power and gets a faster location lock than exclusively using satellite positioning), which is why cellular is required for independent GPS. It’s also why GPS is so much faster these days than it was back in the late 90s or early oughts.

Edit: I guess I was wrong. I wonder if the lack of cellular makes location finding take longer. It’s probably also using WiFi for location assistance, like the first gen iPod touch.

 

[jz0309]

Edit: I guess I was wrong. I wonder if the lack of cellular makes location finding take longer. It’s probably also using WiFi for location assistance, like the first gen iPod touch.

It could only use wifi if it’s a known network…
The watch uses GPS when iPhone is not near, data is stored and the syncs to iPhone when it’s connected again

 

[Mr. Awesome]

It could only use wifi if it’s a known network…

Not exactly.

 

[jz0309]

Not exactly.

Can you point to an Apple support document that the AW actually uses this?

 

[Howard2k]

Can you point to an Apple support document that the AW actually uses this?

Seems like it would need a data path too.

"I can see an SSID called x1y2z3, let me get the approx. coordinates of that AP". Unless it's doing a database download, how can it get the location information from the database?

 

[gtjacket123]

Delete.

 

[Curtisalan]

I only need to use the fitness features of an AppleWatch Series 9, Not interested in receiving sms, phonecalls, etc, and therefore in some instances I would prefer to leave the iphone XR at home.

Im assuming the data is stored on the watch and synced when it comes in proximity with the iPhone via WiFi or Bluetooth?

Is this actually the case? Or do I have to have the iphone in close proximity with the watch at all times?

I have a non-cellular Apple Watch 7 and have run with it everyday for the last year and a half without my phone with me on my runs. It will track all the workout details including gps. No worries.

 

[Reggaenald]

If you want to find out, take your iPhone with you but turn it off…
But yes, everything will work. I left my phone accidentally and my watch worked fine. Fitness, Downloaded music, even Apple Pay.

 

[Reggaenald]

Yes they are, but currently, GPS chips are bundled with cellular chips for iPhone iPad and Apple Watch. Ever wonder why iPad has no GPS for the wifi-only version? Same idea.

That’s simply not true. Neither for the watch nor the iPad. Baffling how and why you would say that.
If you want to test it, download maps.me on your iPad and take it for a hike.

 

[Reggaenald]

GPS chip is baked in cellular chip, not an independent one. You want Apple Watch to have independent GPS, you have to get cellular version of it.

Not true either. Turn off your iPhone and do a run with your watch, it’ll work as expected. Where did you get the idea GPS was only ever bundled with Cellular?

 

[Reggaenald]

Doesnt the watch have its own GPS? that should work independently if the phone is present or not?



and more importantly, sleep tracking?

GPS does work. Even Backtracking in the compass app does without your phone.

 

[Reggaenald]

Yes, it looks like for the iPad, cellular and GPS are on one chip whereas that is not so for the Watch. If you want navigation on the iPad, you do have to get the cellular version.

It works with offline map apps like maps.me