Series 9 + iMessage = broken.

[WilliamG]

So ever since my wife and I upgraded from our Series 7 to Series 9, we're having a really rough time with Messages on the Watch. The microphone button to dictate a message is 90% of the time unresponsive until you hit it two or three times, as is the Cancel button. I confirmed with a few friends with Series 9, - they experience the same thing. I don't know if this is anything to do with the blue cursor no longer flashing when you're typing or dictating, and I don't have my old Watches anymore to check/confirm. Either way, this is driving us nuts.

Anyone else?

 

[NikkiAngel]

I am having the same issue. I restarted my watch, and I am up to date on the software updates. I did not have this issue on my series 7. I hope this gets fixed soon.

 

[WilliamG]

I am having the same issue. I restarted my watch, and I am up to date on the software updates. I did not have this issue on my series 7. I hope this gets fixed soon.

Yep, it's completely maddening since I use my Watch for texting all the time.

 

[WilliamG]

I just installed watchOS 10.1 beta 2 and the problem still exists on the Series 9. However, the cursor now actually flashes in Messages, which it did not do prior. The microphone button in Messages is still mostly unresponsive, as is the Cancel button. Boo. 😥

 

[gti13]

This is a bug in Watch OS 10.

When in a conversation, tap the iMessage prompt and the keyboard will appear. Tapping on microphone icon for dictation will be unresponsive to tap input, requiring several taps to respond.

Repeat the same steps above, but tap any key on the keyboard when it appears and only a single tap of the microphone icon is required to activate dictation. Works 100% of the time.

This is disappointing. Apple seems to want to kill dictation in iMessage. A couple releases back, they moved the microphone icon from the conversation view into the keyboard input view, making a single tap for dictation to two. With this bug, dictation now requires three.

But I’m happy to report that the keyboard input notification on the iPhone still works when responding to messages on the watch. Most useless feature ever!

 

[jags828]

I’m having issues with my iMessage syncing with Watch and phone. I’ll get the alert on my watch but when I go into the app on the watch it’s not there and other text are missing. Restarting watch and phone fixes it but it eventually happens again.

 

[WilliamG]

This is a bug in Watch OS 10.

When in a conversation, tap the iMessage prompt and the keyboard will appear. Tapping on microphone icon for dictation will be unresponsive to tap input, requiring several taps to respond.

Repeat the same steps above, but tap any key on the keyboard when it appears and only a single tap of the microphone icon is required to activate dictation. Works 100% of the time.

This is disappointing. Apple seems to want to kill dictation in iMessage. A couple releases back, they moved the microphone icon from the conversation view into the keyboard input view, making a single tap for dictation to two. With this bug, dictation now requires three.

But I’m happy to report that the keyboard input notification on the iPhone still works when responding to messages on the watch. Most useless feature ever!

You’re right. Tapping a keyboard key before hitting the microphone button and the latter becomes responsive. I’m honestly perplexed this made it past the testing phase being so blatantly broken.

 

[cwanja]

I just tested on a Series 9 and latest release candidate without major issues. First time, took me two taps to hit the microphone and same with cancel. Similar results with the cancel. I do not think it is a “Bug” as much as they messed or narrowed the surface area for which you have to hit to engage the microphone or cancel button.

I know on my Series 8 and watch face, hitting one of the central complications was a nightmare. 90% of the time i hit the lower left or right corner and not the lower middle complication. Had to be nearly in the middle of the watch face for it to engage that app. That seems fixed on watchOS 10.

Do you have another app that has buttons in those locations? Is it facing the same issues responding? Trying to determine software or hardware issue.

 

[WilliamG]

I just tested on a Series 9 and latest release candidate without major issues. First time, took me two taps to hit the microphone and same with cancel. Similar results with the cancel. I do not think it is a “Bug” as much as they messed or narrowed the surface area for which you have to hit to engage the microphone or cancel button.

I know on my Series 8 and watch face, hitting one of the central complications was a nightmare. 90% of the time i hit the lower left or right corner and not the lower middle complication. Had to be nearly in the middle of the watch face for it to engage that app. That seems fixed on watchOS 10.

Do you have another app that has buttons in those locations? Is it facing the same issues responding? Trying to determine software or hardware issue.

It’s a software bug/issue. As mentioned above, if you hit a keyboard key first before the microphone button, the microphone button works fine afterwards.

 

[cwanja]

It’s a software bug/issue. As mentioned above, if you hit a keyboard key first before the microphone button, the microphone button works fine afterwards.

Fair enough, just not able to replicate on my device. Tested again, within messages, and the microphone engages immediately when tapping.

PS hilarious to run into you here, TMC and Reddit.

 

[WilliamG]

Fair enough, just not able to replicate on my device. Tested again, within messages, and the microphone engages immediately when tapping.

PS hilarious to run into you here, TMC and Reddit.

Damnit, my online profile isn't too subtle, right?! Small world, or maybe... we're just nerds. You seemed to be able to replicate since it took you a couple of presses. As @gti13 mentioned above, if you hit a keyboard key before hitting the microphone button, it doesn't happen. I have 100% success rate enabling the microphone after tapping a key, but that's not really good solution in general. It does however, confirm this is an annoying bug.

 

[jdb8167]

The microphone button seems to work for 100% of the time but the target is extremely small and hard to hit. If I'm careful I can hit it the first time. I wonder if typing a key somehow expands the microphone icon touch target making it easier to hit. I don't really notice any difference though.

The Cancel button target is also too small. Same thing, if I am very careful and precise I can get it to work 100% of the time but if I casually try and hit it, I get about 30% success.

The weird thing is the keys themselves seem to work very well yet they seem even smaller than the cancel button or the microphone.

The non-flashing cursor is also a problem.

 

[WilliamG]

The microphone button seems to work for 100% of the time but the target is extremely small and hard to hit. If I'm careful I can hit it the first time. I wonder if typing a key somehow expands the microphone icon touch target making it easier to hit. I don't really notice any difference though.

The Cancel button target is also too small. Same thing, if I am very careful and precise I can get it to work 100% of the time but if I casually try and hit it, I get about 30% success.

The weird thing is the keys themselves seem to work very well yet they seem even smaller than the cancel button or the microphone.

The non-flashing cursor is also a problem.

The non-flashing cursor is fixed in the betas for watchOS. The cancel/mic button issue is 100% a bug, per the above posts.