Heads up if you are still on WatchOS 9

[PhillyGuy72]

I'm charging my S4 now, this was at 4-5% battery this morning. Just had the pop ups on my phone, iPad and Mac "Device added to account." (Now the S4 shows again thankfully).

Once this watch fully charges, I guess I'll update it to OS10 if I can, I know you can update through the watch itself, I never tried that before...always through the phone.

View attachment 2356202 View attachment 2356203

Anyway, so this is what you will get if you have not updated to WatchOS10.

Its cool that Apple still supports this "ancient" S4 & it can run OS10, but personally I'm not thrilled being forced to update it. Just my 2 cents.

Only hope it feels smooth as before after the update.

 

[jz0309]

Anyway, so this is what you will get if you have not updated to WatchOS10.

Its cool that Apple still supports this "ancient" S4 & it can run OS10, but personally I'm not thrilled being forced to update it. Just my 2 cents.

Only hope it feels smooth as before after the update.

View attachment 2356212 View attachment 2356213

so clearly your "Apple Watch 1" does not support watchOS 10 - is it still functioning?

and I share your sentiment of "being forced" to upgrade, though it was laziness on my part that didn't make me upgrade earlier ...

 

[PhillyGuy72]

so clearly your "Apple Watch 1" does not support watchOS 10 - is it still functioning?

and I share your sentiment of "being forced" to upgrade, though it was laziness on my part that didn't make me upgrade earlier ...

My original 2015 Apple Watch is currently in a ziplock bag, the battery has bulged pushing the screen out. I'm going to try and tackle a battery replacement on my own soon.

Little shocked it even shows up on my phone 🙁

Anyway, the S4 JUST finished updating, it took about 50-55 minutes.

The battery life back on OS9 was eh..not great at all, but already I lost 5-6% in just a few minutes on OS10. 😬. Wonderful.

 

[jz0309]

My original 2015 Apple Watch is currently in a ziplock bag, the battery has bulged pushing the screen out. I'm going to try and tackle a battery replacement on my own soon.

Little shocked it even shows up on my phone 🙁

Anyway, the S4 JUST finished updating, it took about 50-55 minutes.

The battery life back on OS9 was eh..not great at all, but already I lost 5-6% in just a few minutes on OS10. 😬. Wonderful.

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well, it shows because you never un-paired it

The reason I still have my S4 (I turn it on and charge it every couple months) is that it is absolutely pristine (SBSS), I got it replaced under AC+ ~ 2.5 years or so ago (battery health is at 95%) and I would have to give it away for like $50 or so, so I kept it . Now battery life will always be "bad" right after an upgrade, give it a few days

 

[PhillyGuy72]

well, it shows because you never un-paired it

The reason I still have my S4 (I turn it on and charge it every couple months) is that it is absolutely pristine (SBSS), I got it replaced under AC+ ~ 2.5 years or so ago (battery health is at 95%) and I would have to give it away for like $50 or so, so I kept it . Now battery life will always be "bad" right after an upgrade, give it a few days

LOL. I have to do that, I thought I already unpaired it, but I guess not. It showed up on the list above for the first time in a long time since I plopped the old watch into a baggy.

I'll let the battery adjust to this major update...yeah, it's most likely why the % is tanking fast right now.

This old AW original is actually a replacement. The battery in my original I bought when it came out, that bulged around Aug. 2020. Went to the Apple Store when they were still doing the strict appointments, social distancing. My Apple Care+ expired on the watch, but let me get a replacement for 75-80 bucks, so I went with that. Black Stainless Steel and I liked it too much. But since then, the watch itself has been extremely slow, not worth more $$ to replace it. Replacement battery for the S1 tutorial doesn't look TOO intimidating, just takes patience.

If this S4 Stainless battery decided to bulge out also and I was given the option to replace it for 75-85 bucks (whatever), I would do that. I keep this in excellent condition also & I like THIS watch way too much to just throw away...or toss into another ziploc bag.🙂

 

[glindon]

I was able to pair my watch again and the update showed up. Took almost 2.5 hours before I finally had a working watch restored from the last backup.

I would be nice if Apple would let us update our watches over wifi while wearing a different watch (and also why I never updated my overnight watch because it's such a hassle to update two watches).

 

[Tony_YYZ]

I made the mistake of updating my phone to iOS 17.4 without knowing about this issue. Woe is me. I really don’t want to update to WatchOS 10.

 

[Gator5000e]

I made the mistake of updating my phone to iOS 17.4 without knowing about this issue. Woe is me. I really don’t want to update to WatchOS 10.

You can downgrade back to 17.3.1 as long as Apple is still signing the IPSW file. As of now, they are. I am not sure if I can list the name of the site but if you search for IPSW me you will find it. Clear directions are on the site. You will need to use iTunes. It worked well for me.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

You can downgrade back to 17.3.1 as long as Apple is still signing the IPSW file. As of now, they are. I am not sure if I can list the name of the site but if you search for IPSW me you will find it. Clear directions are on the site. You will need to use iTunes. It worked well for me.

Thanks. Yeah I’ve been down that road before. I’d rather not hold back on iOS updates due to the security patches that are in them. I will hold off for a while and see if they fix this in a 17.4.1 release and if not I’ll have to bite the bullet and upgrade to WatchOS 10.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

I just got off the phone with Apple Support. I voice my concern over the issue. They advised that I needed to update my watch. Which was the response I was fully expecting to hear going into the call.

I asked why Apple thought it was ok to break basic functionality from older WatchOS versions. Keeping aside the fact that I have a supported model, what about the people who have Series 1-3 who could at least count on using their watches for receiving notifications and controlling media? The rep said that those watches are out of support and users need to upgrade and that Apple provides a recycling program for them to get rid of their old watches.

I asked him if he knew how absurd that sounded? Apple wilfully breaking functionality of older devices to force people to buy a new one. It’s one thing to not get new features and another entirely to break old features. He said that he himself has a Series 3 which is not useful anymore since this iOS upgrade. I told him I came into this call fully knowing I wasn’t going to get the resolution I wanted but I wanted to have a complaint on record about this. He said that was good and provided me a site to submit feedback.

So that’s it for now. I did my part. I don’t expect to see them reverse course on this unfortunately.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I'll stay on 17.3.1 for awhile and see if Apple sticks to its guns. Most likely I'll just have to update to Watch 10.4 and just deal with the changes

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I'll stay on 17.3.1 for awhile and see if Apple sticks to its guns. Most likely I'll just have to update to Watch 10.4 and just deal with the changes

I absolutely hate that I DID give in and update my Series 4. Battery is "92% health" but that didn't matter...each major update would drain the battery more and more fast. After giving in and updating Stainless S4 to OS10, I get honestly 2, maybe 2 1/2 hours now (100% - 12%!) before I have to charge. Absolutely useless right now. I charged it last night and turned the watch completely off, it still drained to 5% this morning.

So..I don't know, this was my fear. Maybe totally un-syncing it, re-syncing may fix it somewhat...I'm a bit peeved and at a loss now. I'll try to see what Apple Store can do, if anything. Kinda doubting it to be honest! 😒

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I absolutely hate that I DID give in and update my Series 4. Battery is "92% health" but that didn't matter...each major update would drain the battery more and more fast. After giving in and updating Stainless S4 to OS10, I get honestly 2, maybe 2 1/2 hours now (100% - 12%!) before I have to charge. Absolutely useless right now. I charged it last night and turned the watch completely off, it still drained to 5% this morning.

So..I don't know, this was my fear. Maybe totally un-syncing it, re-syncing may fix it somewhat...I'm a bit peeved and at a loss now. I'll try to see what Apple Store can do, if anything. Kinda doubting it to be honest! 😒

Wow, this is actually FAR worse than yesterday. When I tried to turn it on, it showed a dead battery...changed it, watch turned on and now showed 92% in 45 seconds!

Take it off the charger, it drains down 92% to 65% in less than 90 seconds...what the....!
I know my watch is old, but this OS10, and the update yesterday turned this watch into a paperweight!

https://imgur.com/a/7xouROd

 

[zkap]

My S4 has 85% battery health, is on 10.3.1 and all good, I started the day with 80% and took it off just now (10:30 p.m.) at 45%.

Did you reset the watch to factory settings and re-pair?

 

[PhillyGuy72]

My S4 has 85% battery health, is on 10.3.1 and all good, I started the day with 80% and took it off just now (10:30 p.m.) at 45%.

Did you reset the watch to factory settings and re-pair?

Yes. After charging it back up to 96% again, took it off the charger and seeing the % drop like a rock again, I totally erased the watch and set it up as "new" again, did a new sync. This - so far - solved the god awful problem.

After setting it up, it showed 72% battery, I charged it back to 100%, took it off the charger and it's been on my wrist for 25 minutes now. Its still showing 100%.

Whatever that absolutely insane drain was...(knock on wood), it gone. I usually do "optimize battery," that will kick in again tomorrow..or I'll toggle it back on before I go to bed.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

Yes. After charging it back up to 96% again, took it off the charger and seeing the % drop like a rock again, I totally erased the watch and set it up as "new" again, did a new sync. This - so far - solved the god awful problem.

After setting it up, it showed 72% battery, I charged it back to 100%, took it off the charger and it's been on my wrist for 25 minutes now. Its still showing 100%.

Whatever that absolutely insane drain was...(knock on wood), it gone. I usually do "optimize battery," that will kick in again tomorrow..or I'll toggle it back on before I go to bed.

I spoke too soon. Watch was great after total erase, re-sync last night. I powered the watch down (off)

Woke up, wanted to see if this was ok. I got the red lightning bolt and time..wouldn't turn on. Put it on the charger..in 2 minutes the watch powered up AND showed 97%, exactly the same % as last night when i turned it off.

Then once again % started dropping like a rock, even putting it back on the charger the % contiuned to plunge. So..something is wrong or completely off here. Next step, charge it up and DO NOT power the watch down. I'll try to go to the Apple store next week also and see if they can tell me anything...not feeling confident about that.

https://imgur.com/a/maiTMPM

 

[jz0309]

I spoke too soon. Watch was great after total erase, re-sync last night. I powered the watch down (off)

Woke up, wanted to see if this was ok. I got the red lightning bolt and time..wouldn't turn on. Put it on the charger..in 2 minutes the watch powered up AND showed 97%, exactly the same % as last night when i turned it off.

Then once again % started dropping like a rock, even putting it back on the charger the % contiuned to plunge. So..something is wrong or completely off here. Next step, charge it up and DO NOT power the watch down. I'll try to go to the Apple store next week also and see if they can tell me anything...not feeling confident about that.

https://imgur.com/a/maiTMPM

don't know if you mentioned it - what's the battery health?

what are your background refresh settings? that's where a rogue app could cause this ...

 

[PhillyGuy72]

It's 92%. I did another Erase, Set up as new watch again. Background refresh is off for now, I totally removed Clockology (watch app I had for a few years, synced up different watch faces. Don't need or want it anymore)

This time I simply won't shut the watch down - like I did last night - and see what happens from here.

 

[jz0309]

It's 92%. I did another Erase, Set up as new watch again. Background refresh is off for now, I totally removed Clockology (watch app I had for a few years, synced up different watch faces. Don't need or want it anymore)

This time I simply won't shut the watch down - like I did last night - and see what happens from here.

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I think you said SS so it has cellular - do you have that active? If yes, can you live for a day with cellular turned off for another data point?

I updated my phone the day iOS 17.4 was released, updated my S7 to 10.3.1 the day after and my Ultra2 to 10.4 on Thu and I see no battery degradation at this point.
If I remember to I will update my S4 to 10.4 and see what it does

 

[PhillyGuy72]

I think you said SS so it has cellular - do you have that active? If yes, can you live for a day with cellular turned off for another data point?

I updated my phone the day iOS 17.4 was released, updated my S7 to 10.3.1 the day after and my Ultra2 to 10.4 on Thu and I see no battery degradation at this point.
If I remember to I will update my S4 to 10.4 and see what it does

No Cellular is not active on this. Right now, this S4 is just totally messed up. It was at 100% for 25-30min, saw an immediate drop to 72%, then 65-64% a few seconds later....then it totally shut off and back on to 10% giving me immediate low battery warning.

Like I said, the battery life wasn't perfect back on OS9, but 10 really destroyed it, it clearly did something! 😠

My Ultra 1 is totally fine after the update.

https://imgur.com/a/VUzZIId

 

[jz0309]

No Cellular is not active on this. Right now, this S4 is just totally messed up. It was at 100% for 25-30min, saw an immediate drop to 72%, then 65-64% a few seconds later....then it totally shut off and back on to 10% giving me immediate low battery warning.

Like I said, the battery life wasn't perfect back on OS9, but 10 really destroyed it, it clearly did something! 😠

My Ultra 1 is totally fine after the update.

https://imgur.com/a/VUzZIId

these kind of drops seem to be pointing to a bad battery imho, so, you can wait to go to Apple next week as you indicated, or, contact them today via chat or phone ... the battery health saying 92% doesn't mean much.
is this the original battery?

 

[PhillyGuy72]

these kind of drops seem to be pointing to a bad battery imho, so, you can wait to go to Apple next week as you indicated, or, contact them today via chat or phone ... the battery health saying 92% doesn't mean much.
is this the original battery?

Yep, this is the original battery. That severe drop, restart to almost nothing battery % does remind me of my old iPhone 6 Plus. There was no battery swell in that phone, it just totally died, constant reboot and I ended up getting a replacement battery. You're probably right.

I'll make an appointment with Apple Store for next week, it's not that far from me.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

I caved and updated to WatchOS 10 last night on my Series 5. The Watch was pretty useless unless I did.

On WatchOS 9 I was unable to:

Get notifications
Use Now Playing controls
Update watch apps
Install new watch apps
Adjust watch faces in the iOS Watch app
Unlock while wearing a face mask
Some apps complained of lack of connectivity.

Now I have to adapt to this new terrible UI. I already miss the docked apps feature a lot.

 

[Howard2k]

I caved and updated to WatchOS 10 last night on my Series 5. The Watch was pretty useless unless I did.

On WatchOS 9 I was unable to:

Get notifications
Use Now Playing controls
Update watch apps
Install new watch apps
Adjust watch faces in the iOS Watch app
Unlock while wearing a face mask
Some apps complained of lack of connectivity.

Now I have to adapt to this new terrible UI. I already miss the docked apps feature a lot.

It has its good points too. Now that it's inevitable for you it's worth taking a few minutes to review; it won't take you more than that. I resisted for while until forced (new watch) but I have to say I have perfectly adapted to and like the new OS. I'm still skeptical that battery life hasn't take a significant hit, but I expect "some" hit when upgrading to a new OS. Anecdotally it feels like too much of a hit, and again it's a bit annoying to learn new things but I now find it equally intuitive after a short adjustment period. Overall I guess I'm ambivalent to be honest. Would I go back to OS 9? Definitely maybe, but not definitely.

At the very, very least - umping to 10.4 is better than 10.0.

 

[Tony_YYZ]

It has its good points too. Now that it's inevitable for you it's worth taking a few minutes to review; it won't take you more than that. I resisted for while until forced (new watch) but I have to say I have perfectly adapted to and like the new OS. I'm still skeptical that battery life hasn't take a significant hit, but I expect "some" hit when upgrading to a new OS. Anecdotally it feels like too much of a hit, and again it's a bit annoying to learn new things but I now find it equally intuitive after a short adjustment period. Overall I guess I'm ambivalent to be honest. Would I go back to OS 9? Definitely maybe, but not definitely.

At the very, very least - umping to 10.4 is better than 10.0.

Yeah so far it’s ok. It has some quirks like my automations are not setting the watch faces properly which all worked fine in OS 9 and it’s a pain to manually swipe them back since you can’t just swipe without long pressing first.

The dock is still my most missed feature though. Battery life seems to be somewhat worse so far. Not a huge drain but definitely draining a bit faster than it used to. I always expect that though with newer major OS releases. They are never as optimized for power efficiency as older devices it seems. My battery is at 77% life but it was still enough to get me to bedtime each day without issues. I’ll have to see how it progresses now.

And you are right, 10.0 was an absolute mess. I’m lucky I was able to hold out for as long as I did. Cheers!