Watch turning off during cold Outdoor Run workouts

[MJ22]

So twice now during “important” workouts my watch has gone blank, non responsive to screen taps or either button, and I’m wondering if this has happened to anyone else. S3 LTE with 5.1.2.


Both times it’s been during an outdoor run workout that is at a fast (for me) pace, cold outside, actual temperature not frigid but winds very cold and pretty strong. Both times I wore a band that’s not super tight to my skin and both times are hard enough workouts that my heart rate is quite high. One of the times was a 9 mile race and this was extremely maddening!


The only thing that works is holding down both buttons to restart.


Has this happened to anyone? Can the wind affect the watch this way? Can the fact that the band wasn’t very tight make this happen (like, is the HRM working too hard or something?)? This didn’t happen with any summer races but I do race a lot, so it’s concerning.

 

[kohlson]

Depends on your explanation of "cold." Normal operations are 32-95F. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204508

My daughter lives in Chicago, and she complained when she first moved there that her iPhone would stop working when using it on cold mornings. I was there at Christmas. My S3 worked fine when walking around at 25, but it was under a few layers. My phone stopped working within 5 minutes, until when went inside.

I suggest tightening the strap a notch, and or keeping it under a sleeve as much as possible.

 

[mofunk]

If its like most electronics where the casing isn't weather proof then yes. My DSLR did that once. It was about 30ºF outside and I had the camera in the trunk. When I went to shoot with it, it wouldn't turn on. The type of camera I had wasn't geared for cold like weather. I found out later that it was because of the battery being cold. Once that battery warmed up everything was fine.

What you could probably do is to wear a wristband or some cold weather sleeve over your Apple watch to keep it warm.

 

[Kerry78]

Depends on your explanation of "cold." Normal operations are 32-95F. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204508

My daughter lives in Chicago, and she complained when she first moved there that here iPhone would stop working when using it on cold mornings. I was there at Christmas. My S3 worked fine when walking around at 25, but it was under a few layers. My phone stopped working within 5 minutes, until when went inside.

I suggest tightening the strap a notch, and or keeping it under a sleeve as much as possible.

Had a issue with my 5s (I use for music) last week where I got out the door switched it on and it was 1% then walking up the road it died was so annoyed when I got home later that day turned it on and it was 77% so cold is a issue to devices especially on 5c days or under

 

[Newtons Apple]

Might work better if tighter on your wrist and maybe a few sweat bands to cover and keep the heat in. My iPhone and watch have been out in 15 degrees Fahrenheit but we’re inside my coat while snowmobiling.

The batteries hate the cold.

 

[liteshow]

I run about 2 - 3 times a month outdoors in the winter. My last run which was probably the coldest was about 2 weeks ago. I ran for 70 minutes. Temperatures were about -10 to -15 degree Celcius, with the wind chills around -20 to -25. My series 3 GPS was sitting partially exposed between the cuff of my jacket and my mitts. My watch ran without any issues. Oh, and the strap was snug, so the watch had good contact against my wrist (better heart rate monitoring, and better heat transfer between my wrist and the watch). Then again, it's only about 8 months old and battery life has always been very good. Maybe your battery is near the end of it's life and needs to be replaced?

 

[MatthewUT44]

I noticed the watch is a little sensitive to colder weather. Mine doesn't like when I run in 20 to 25 degree F weather in the morning. For a fitness device I thought it could handle some cold