Find My Phone doesn't work for Apple Watch....

[sorka]

I have a series 2 apple watch that when connected to cloud doesn't locate. Everything else works fine. Wifi calling, messaging, "make a sound" from iCloud Find My Phone.

But location doesn't work at all unless it's connect to the iphone through bluetooth in which case it's probably just the phone's location.

Doesn't the series 2 have a built in GPS? What could be wrong? It doesn't matter if it's my wifi at home or my MiFi on the go.

 

[Stefan johansson]

IF watch is connected to fixed wifi,all you could get would be the location of the hotspot. The internal GPS only mirrors its coordinates to phone GPS over Bluetooth. That's a limitation in order to save battery power.

 

[sorka]

IF watch is connected to fixed wifi,all you could get would be the location of the hotspot. The internal GPS only mirrors its coordinates to phone GPS over Bluetooth. That's a limitation in order to save battery power.

That is not a documented limitation of the Series 2 anywhere and it makes no sense. Why would it use the GPS at all (if not in an active track application) unless it receives a location request?

 

[Stefan johansson]

That is not a documented limitation of the Series 2 anywhere and it makes no sense. Why would it use the GPS at all (if not in an active track application) unless it receives a location request?

The GPS is,when no tracking app is active,not in use,because that would consume a fully charged battery in about 6-8 hours. And besides,the AW is a phone accessory,with limited stand alone capacity,it's main purpose is,if it's communicating at all,to communicate with an iPhone. The wifi function is only there to save battery power in the phone,and the only thing your watch is able to communicate with,is your phone,either over wifi or Bluetooth.
The data downloaded to watch from wifi networks,is always coming through the phone,not directly from internet. The stand alone functions are only there for physical training,running or swimming,nothing else.

 

[sorka]

The GPS is,when no tracking app is active,not in use,because that would consume a fully charged battery in about 6-8 hours. And besides,the AW is a phone accessory,with limited stand alone capacity,it's main purpose is,if it's communicating at all,to communicate with an iPhone. The wifi function is only there to save battery power in the phone,and the only thing your watch is able to communicate with,is your phone,either over wifi or Bluetooth.
The data downloaded to watch from wifi networks,is always coming through the phone,not directly from internet. The stand alone functions are only there for physical training,running or swimming,nothing else.

That would only be an issue if I were constantly sending Find My Phone requests. If I do it twice a day, then the GPS only has to locate twice, upon receiving a find request, (less than a second each) and send the results over wifi.

I also reject your assertion because Apple Support, which is working with me to resolve this, has already stated this should work.

 

[Stefan johansson]

That would only be an issue if I were constantly sending Find My Phone requests. If I do it twice a day, then the GPS only has to locate twice, upon receiving a find request, (less than a second each) and send the results over wifi.

I also reject your assertion because Apple Support, which is working with me to resolve this, has already stated this should work.

Yes,but Apple made IT so,that the watch software can only communicate with the watch app installed in the phone. Present Apple Watch models can only communicate with iPhones,and nothing else,and the standalone GPS functions in the Apple Watch is only meant to be used for fitness tracking and swimming,where you don't want to bring the phone. If you lose the watch out of phone Bluetooth range,the watch would need LTE connection to be found,and that requires a SIM card. If your watch goes missing in your home,use the "find my watch" feature in the watch app.

 

[sorka]

Yes,but Apple made IT so,that the watch software can only communicate with the watch app installed in the phone. Present Apple Watch models can only communicate with iPhones,and nothing else,and the standalone GPS functions in the Apple Watch is only meant to be used for fitness tracking and swimming,where you don't want to bring the phone. If you lose the watch out of phone Bluetooth range,the watch would need LTE connection to be found,and that requires a SIM card. If your watch goes missing in your home,use the "find my watch" feature in the watch app.

Again, where is that documented?

All the connected functions of the watch are working fine tethered only to wifi. Wifi calling and messaging work fine. "Make a sound" from "Find My iPhone" works fine as well.

 

[Stefan johansson]

Again, where is that documented?

All the connected functions of the watch are working fine tethered only to wifi. Wifi calling and messaging work fine. "Make a sound" from "Find My iPhone" works fine as well.

As long as phone and watch is on the same wifi network,yes. As I said,the wifi ability in the watch is there to replace Bluetooth when both devices is on the same network. Try a little experiment,if you do not believe me. If the watch can communicate over internet,it should be able to connect to other connected devices,like iPads or macs,but if you try that,you will find it impossible,as the watch ONLY can communicate with the dedicated iPhone app,either with wifi or Bluetooth. This is how the present Apple Watch models are designed,so that's the way it is. In fact,most smart watches work in the same way. All the Apple Watch actually can do,is to mirror the phone and record movement and activity,nothing else.

 

[sorka]

Completely false. Messaging, wifi calling, and "make a sound" are all working on the watch with the iPhone OFF.

Again, you've made claims that you haven't documented and can't be reconciled with what DOES work when the watch is connected to my MiFi and the phone is off.

 

[Stefan johansson]

Completely false. Messaging, wifi calling, and "make a sound" are all working on the watch with the iPhone OFF.

Again, you've made claims that you haven't documented and can't be reconciled with what DOES work when the watch is connected to my MiFi and the phone is off.

Is the phone completely off,or just in standby mode? Turning off screen set it to standby,not off.

 

[sorka]

Yes, this has been thoroughly tested with the phone completely powered off. It has also been tested with the phone in airplane mode. It has also been tested with the phone off and left at home and the watch out and about connected to a MiFi. All those functions continue to work connected to the MiFi with the phone off and many miles away from the watch.