Visibility in sunlight AND is this the start of a theft epidemic!!?

[FrancoRumors]

Is there any real life feedback on using the watch outdoors in bright sunlight? Also, how easily can the apple watch be ripped off your hand if you are using a closure that relies on a magnet? Can it be located with "find my watch" if someone rips you off?

 

[Wallabe]

Is there any real life feedback on using the watch outdoors in bright sunlight? Also, how easily can the apple watch be ripped off your hand if you are using a closure that relies on a magnet? Can it be located with "find my watch" if someone rips you off?

I don't know about sunlight, but if you can read an iPhone, you can read the Apple Watch. They are retina display.

Don't let anyone touch your wrist. The modern buckle is easy to steal. Just pinch and pull. The leather loop is even worse, just grab and run, the magnet will come loose.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=magician+steals+watch

From what I can tell, there is no way to recover a stolen Apple Watch. There is no GPS, no lock/passcode mechanism. I'm sure Apple built it in a way so that just in case the real owner lost the iPhone that they paired with it, they can use a replacement iPhone to pair it again. There is no way the watch will know who's who and it can be reset easily by going thru the settings. Perhaps in later generations, they will add more security and locking features. Until then, you're screwed.

About the only security I can think of is for anyone to wipe or reset the watch, the setting on the phone would require an existing iPhone be paired with it, and both the watch and phone have the same Apple account before it can be de-linked and reset. But that still doesn't prevent it from being stolen, and there's no way to track it once it's stolen.

You should keep a copy of the serial number. For high-end watch, police will go in pawn shops and ask if they received certain items with the reported item of that serial number. That goes the same with just about any high value property.

 

[MICHAELSD]

The theft risk of the magnetic bands is actually a pretty good point. I was considering buying a Milanese band and waiting for a premium leather brand to design a band but it does seem too easy to rip a Milanese band off.

 

[zacheryjensen]

From what I can tell, there is no way to recover a stolen Apple Watch. There is no GPS, no lock/passcode mechanism.

If you are using Apple Pay, you have to unlock the watch with a PIN each time you put it on and this is required if the watch detects it has been removed from your body at all. So if it was stolen, it would be locked down immediately. I do not know if it will allow 6+ digit PINs though.

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The reality is, skilled thieves can steal any watch off any arm so long as the owner of said arm isn't paying attention, as is often the case. Any valuable watch or seemingly valuable watch is a target in the same manner as pick pocketing.

Palming a watch is a very classic thieving tech.

 

[Vundu]

If you are using Apple Pay, you have to unlock the watch with a PIN each time you put it on and this is required if the watch detects it has been removed from your body at all. So if it was stolen, it would be locked down immediately. I do not know if it will allow 6+ digit PINs though.

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The reality is, skilled thieves can steal any watch off any arm so long as the owner of said arm isn't paying attention, as is often the case. Any valuable watch or seemingly valuable watch is a target in the same manner as pick pocketing.

Palming a watch is a very classic thieving tech.

Yes but because there is no buckle on some of the straps just magnets it makes it even more vulnerable to a greater range to thieving scumbags.

I would be too worried of it falling off while on my bike or if I caught it to get a strap with magnets.

 

[Stayfly2407]

Even worse, if someone sticks you up for your watch they also know you have an iphone on you......so don't go flaunting your watch around when you get it.

 

[magicMac]

If the watch is removed from your wrist, the thief is presented with a PIN entry. So they can't get to the settings and pair it with a different phone.

Regarding sunlight. That would depend if th watch has an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the display brightness to max when outdoors on a sunny day.

 

[priscilla55]

I think the watch could reduce theft. I feel my phone is vulnerable when I'm using something like the map app, walking with my phone in my hand and paying attention to the screen. With the watch on, both phone and watch can be safely out of sight.

 

[bransoj]

I've mentioned this previously but i dont think the loop bands will be easy to remove as easy as some folk think. Even if the magnet is unlatched i dont think that will then fit through the hole very easily, if at all, to remove the loop as such. If that is the case then it needs to be unlatched, loosened and then completely worked over the wrist and hand to take the watch off your arm.

 

[matrix07]

From what I can tell, there is no way to recover a stolen Apple Watch. There is no GPS, no lock/passcode mechanism. I'm sure Apple built it in a way so that just in case the real owner lost the iPhone that they paired with it, they can use a replacement iPhone to pair it again. There is no way the watch will know who's who and it can be reset easily by going thru the settings. Perhaps in later generations, they will add more security and locking features. Until then, you're screwed.

I'm not too sure about this. From current information, yes. But further information could prove against it. For example, you can use the Watch to have the phone sending distress signal so I think it would be easy for the phone to also sending it when the Watch is away from you too much, like disconnected from it.

 

[Mactagonist]

I don't know about sunlight, but if you can read an iPhone, you can read the Apple Watch. They are retina display.

...

IIRC Apple Watch is using a different screen technology then iPhone. So despite their similar pixel density there could be quite different performance in sunlight.

AMOLED (apple Watch) vs LCD (iPhone) technology...

 

[zacheryjensen]

I would be too worried of it falling off while on my bike or if I caught it to get a strap with magnets.

Which is why I will have a sport strap to go with my nice strap. Also, fwiw, the modern buckle may pull itself together with magnets, but, it also has a mechanical clasp with buttons to press to release it.

 

[Julien]

I don't know about sunlight, but if you can read an iPhone, you can read the Apple Watch. They are retina display....

The Watch uses an OLED display. OLED has many advantages over backlight LCD but unfortunately light output is not one of them. So in bright sunlight it will be struggle much like the iPhone to see the Watch. One advantage is you can easily cup/shade the small screen with your other hand.

 

[FrancoRumors]

The watch "band" one chooses is definitely going to have a huge effect on the steal-ability of the watch. Hopefully this won't be an issue if apple closes down the market with some sort of lock out feature. I am hoping that the screen is adequate in sunlight, I have been holding out on getting a fitness wearable knowing that the watch has been in the pipeline..Ill be very disappointed if I can't see it in the sunlight.