Apple admits to LTE connection issues with Apple Watch Series 3 review units, says fix coming

Apple has acknowledged early problems with cellular connectivity on the Apple Watch Series 3, indicating it will try to patch them in a "future software release."

Without a nearby iPhone, the Series 3 may attempt to connect to unknown Wi-Fi networks instead of LTE, according to The Verge, which experienced the problem even after being sent a second review unit by Apple. Similar complaints were made by the Wall Street Journal, which reported problems with three units, used by two people in different U.S. states on two separate carriers.

"We have discovered that when Apple Watch Series 3 joins unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks without connectivity, it may at times prevent the watch from using cellular," an Apple spokesperson told The Verge. "We are investigating a fix for a future software release."

The first shipments of the Series 3 should already be on their way to stores and online customers in time for the product's Sept. 22 launch — meaning that many more people may encounter the bug before Apple can issue a watchOS update. The problem may not be universal however, as several other reviews have made no specific complaints.

LTE has been the main selling point of the Series 3, despite Wi-Fi-only models being available. The technology allows the Watch to operate more independently of an iPhone, for instance making calls, sending texts, and using Siri and Apple Maps.

The situation could also create fallout for the four major U.S. cellular carriers, each of which are charging $10 per month for Watch-specific data plans.

53 Comments

tallest skil 43086 comments · 14 Years

About 7 years ago

Watchga(L)TE!

themacman 150 comments · 16 Years

sog35 said:

This is horrible.

Who the heck does testing at Apple now?

Bozo the clown?

You figure with $200 billion in cash they would test these products to perfection.

This could be a real disaster year if people decide the iPhone X is too expensive and the iPhone 8 is actually the iPhone 6sss.

My God, Tim Cook. You had such a great last 12 months, but you are slipping.

Agreed. I remember Apple got so bad back in the system 7 days, where the startup progress bar would literally run past the gutter. iOS seems to be heading in that direction with subtle quality issues that will build up over time. BTW t-mobile offered me 3 month free for my Apple Watch.

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

sog35 said:

This is horrible.

Who the heck does testing at Apple now?

Bozo the clown?

You figure with $200 billion in cash they would test these products to perfection.

This could be a real disaster year if people decide the iPhone X is too expensive and the iPhone 8 is actually the iPhone 6sss.

My God, Tim Cook. You had such a great last 12 months, but you are slipping.

Glad to hear from an expert in software development and testing. I worked for AT&T for 34 years in a central office. Digital telephone switches were being installed in 1986. Thirty years later those switches are still being issued software patches to correct bugs. Turning something loose in the wild is completely different from testing within limited groups that cannot simulate the real world environment. The current issue is nasty to be sure but it will be fixed sooner rather than later.

nht 4491 comments · 14 Years

sog35 said:

This is horrible.

Who the heck does testing at Apple now?

Bozo the clown?

You figure with $200 billion in cash they would test these products to perfection.

This could be a real disaster year if people decide the iPhone X is too expensive and the iPhone 8 is actually the iPhone 6sss.

My God, Tim Cook. You had such a great last 12 months, but you are slipping.

a) they've probably now added this to their battery of tests
b) its a two minute fix for a dev
c) they have $200B in cash because they have an efficient production process that has a robust rather than ridiculous levels of testing.

My buddy that was the PM for a major Army system told me about the differences between US testing and German engineering and testing on the 120mm gun that's on the M1 and the Leopard (the excellent Rheinmetall 120mm) . It's been 20 years since that chat but the general gist is that we engineer for a few 9s worth of quality, build them, test them and throw away the barrels that don't meet spec. The germans build for far more 9s to have fewer rejects and test to a higher spec. Ours cost less, we build more and they shoot the same after you use them a bit.

d) are you off your meds again?