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Apple Watch Series 1&2 |OT| Better, Wetter

Not sure about older model, but the new watches are smooth af.

Not me. Sometimes I still have to make artificial movements in order to 'raise to wake'. It can be inconsistent. The Bluetooth is also pretty crappy on mine – I pair it with my Jaybird X2's and the music consistently cuts out when I go for a run etc...
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Thank you, friend.

For those that have had the Apple Watch for an extended period of time, Series 0 for example, have you noticed an increase in battery drain due to the fact that it's perpetually connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone?

Edit: does the Watch have to be tethered to the iPhone for me to be able to use Apple Pay? For example, when I go out for a run, I don't take my phone with me, so if I was to go to a store and use contactless (UK), would it work without the iPhone?

I think Apple Pay is independent of the phone. Haven't tried without having my phone with me though
 

SuperPac

Member
For those that have had the Apple Watch for an extended period of time, Series 0 for example, have you noticed an increase in battery drain due to the fact that it's perpetually connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone?

Are you asking because you're concerned about drain on the watch itself, or on the phone that the watch is connected to? Either way, I have not noticed any impact on battery drain.

Edit: does the Watch have to be tethered to the iPhone for me to be able to use Apple Pay? For example, when I go out for a run, I don't take my phone with me, so if I was to go to a store and use contactless (UK), would it work without the iPhone?

Yes it will work without the iPhone.
 
Thank you, friend.

For those that have had the Apple Watch for an extended period of time, Series 0 for example, have you noticed an increase in battery drain due to the fact that it's perpetually connected via Bluetooth to your iPhone?

Edit: does the Watch have to be tethered to the iPhone for me to be able to use Apple Pay? For example, when I go out for a run, I don't take my phone with me, so if I was to go to a store and use contactless (UK), would it work without the iPhone?

I was concerned about iPhone drain when the Watch came out, but I've never noticed a negative effect on iPhone battery life with the watch connected. I would think that using the phone less due to the watch probably helps too.
 
I think Apple Pay is independent of the phone. Haven't tried without having my phone with me though

Are you asking because you're concerned about drain on the watch itself, or on the phone that the watch is connected to? Either way, I have not noticed any impact on battery drain.



Yes it will work without the iPhone.

I was concerned about iPhone drain when the Watch came out, but I've never noticed a negative effect on iPhone battery life with the watch connected. I would think that using the phone less due to the watch probably helps too.

Thank you, friends.

I had initial battery drain issues on my iPhone 6s Plus but I've restored it and all works well now. Loving the notifications and the fitness features on the Watch itself!
 

Quonny

Member
Cancelled my Apple Store order.

October 18-30? lol no

Best Buy had the gold + cocoa model and guaranteed would be here by Friday, so I went with that.
 
I've been reading that some people have had problems with their Series 1 watches' batteries draining very quickly down to single-digit battery after 12 hours of light use. Has anybody here with a Series 1 had any problems with the battery?

I've been using my Series 1, checking 2-3 per hour + some other usage time, lasting my almost 2 full days. picked it up at 100% at 5AM one day, next day at 8PM was at 5%
 

br3wnor

Member
Notification issue I've experienced for a while with a Series 0 watch:

Most days I only use my watch at work and then the gym if I go, after that I take the watch off and put it on the charger. At this point, I usually turn the bluetooth on my Phone off since I'm not using it anymore. (So around 6-7pm usually)

In the morning when I turn my bluetooth on and put my watch on, for the first 5 minutes without fail I start getting a flurry of notifications that took place during the time my phone wasn't connected to the watch. So while I'm driving to work, my phone starts buzzing and posting notifications for texts or calendar events that are long past.

Anyone experience this and find a workaround that isn't just leaving the bluetooth on 24/7?
 

SuperPac

Member
Anyone experience this and find a workaround that isn't just leaving the bluetooth on 24/7?

Let go of your fears and leave bluetooth on 24/7.

This thing takes forever to turn on. I think I might never turn it off again.

I don't think I ever turned my Series 0 off except on rare occasions of an OS update or some app or complication that wouldn't update. Definitely takes longer than the phone to boot.
 
Notification issue I've experienced for a while with a Series 0 watch:

Most days I only use my watch at work and then the gym if I go, after that I take the watch off and put it on the charger. At this point, I usually turn the bluetooth on my Phone off since I'm not using it anymore. (So around 6-7pm usually)

In the morning when I turn my bluetooth on and put my watch on, for the first 5 minutes without fail I start getting a flurry of notifications that took place during the time my phone wasn't connected to the watch. So while I'm driving to work, my phone starts buzzing and posting notifications for texts or calendar events that are long past.

Anyone experience this and find a workaround that isn't just leaving the bluetooth on 24/7?

I mean, is there any reason you're turning your Bluetooth off?
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
I don't think I ever turned my Series 0 off except on rare occasions of an OS update or some app or complication that wouldn't update. Definitely takes longer than the phone to boot.

I actually turn mine off at the movies, probably unnecessary but like if I scratch my beard or something it could light up.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
same. I wish there was a "raise to wake" toggle on/off on the command center screen for this very reason

You can turn it off pretty quickly from the watch app on the phone. Would also still get notifications which might be useful if you need to be contacted
 

SuperPac

Member
I actually turn mine off at the movies, probably unnecessary but like if I scratch my beard or something it could light up.

Hot tip - make a photo face with a blank/black image and turn the color of the time to red, then use that face as your "movie face." Doesn't light up/doesn't distract.
 

japtor

Member
Hot tip - make a photo face with a blank/black image and turn the color of the time to red, then use that face as your "movie face." Doesn't light up/doesn't distract.
Yeah I was gonna mention this, don't even need a black photo. Just do the modular face, set the color to red and turn the complications off.

Anyway some dock chat, I don't care enough to get one for when I'm home, but when traveling all the cables and stuff I have can get annoying. I was looking into the Apple one (cause then I could just detach and use one of my many other lightning cables then came across this one, figure I can just bring and charge everything off that instead of disconnecting my other charger brick and cables:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019SO9EHI/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Anyone have it? It seems like a lot of the reviews have the "I was given this for free/at a discount for a fair review" so I'm not sure how trustworthy the rating is.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Hot tip - make a photo face with a blank/black image and turn the color of the time to red, then use that face as your "movie face." Doesn't light up/doesn't distract.
Thats pretty clever but I'm not really able to switch watch faces. It's just... weird to me.
 

SuperPac

Member
Thats pretty clever but I'm not really able to switch watch faces. It's just... weird to me.

Not able? You can create a new face inside the Apple Watch app on your phone and it's one swipe across the face to switch between them. That is easier to have at the ready than turning the watch off or even switching to low power mode (which is almost like turning it off anyway since you have to reboot after that point anyway).
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
Not able? You can create a new face inside the Apple Watch app on your phone and it's one swipe across the face to switch between them. That is easier to have at the ready than turning the watch off or even switching to low power mode (which is almost like turning it off anyway since you have to reboot after that point anyway).

Mentally unable. I dislike it.
IDK, I like to have the computers completely off when I'm trying to seriously watch something. Its just truly the only way to go offline.

I have two faces configured. My mainstay is Simple and I also have a Modular configured to my liking. But I just never ever switch to it.
 

mrkgoo

Member
Not able? You can create a new face inside the Apple Watch app on your phone and it's one swipe across the face to switch between them. That is easier to have at the ready than turning the watch off or even switching to low power mode (which is almost like turning it off anyway since you have to reboot after that point anyway).

Thats' something I discovered with watchOS 3 - how much I'm liking just being able to swipe between watch faces. I have different "modes" now.

Even though I largely stick to one, I have a bunch of others just for fun.
 
Not me. Sometimes I still have to make artificial movements in order to 'raise to wake'. It can be inconsistent. The Bluetooth is also pretty crappy on mine – I pair it with my Jaybird X2's and the music consistently cuts out when I go for a run etc...

Are you standing or lying down when you have to make artificial movements? It doesn't work so well when you are lying down flat on your back. Standing up, works 99.99 % of the time (in my case).

Bluetooth - Haven't had any cut outs when listening to my Bose head phones, even when running. Looking at Jaybird X2 reviews on Amazon, I highly doubt this is a watch issue. Try pairing your watch to different brand of bluetooth headphones for comparison.
 

Aiii

So not worth it
Call me insane, but I actually got an Apple Watch Sport instead of a Series 1 or 2, for 100 Euro under the Series 1 price (new).

I debated this for a while, I'm making the switch (back, after 4 years) from Android to iOS with the iPhone 7 and have been using a Android Wear device for a few years now (LG G Watch R and then the Huawei Watch), so I first tried out the Huawei Watch with the iPhone 6S from my job. But yeah, that's not a good experience.

First I tried Android Wear for iOS, that was okay for notifications (even allowed some interaction with Google Apps from the watch), but you lose every single app and watchface, so that was a shame. So I tried some workaround methods that have you pair the watch to an Android device and then connect via Bluetooth to the iPhone for notifications, that worked... about 10% of the time. So yeah, not a great experience.

Went back to the iOS version of Android Wear and sideloaded some watchfaces, but at this point it's just a notification device and you lose pretty much everything smart about the watch by not being able to install any apps that can communicate with your phone in any significant way. So yeah, it was time to make the switch to an Apple Watch.

So, enough about that. I did my research, compared all the devices. I have no interest in swimming, and I don't run (I walk, briskly, as Apple put it, for 1,5 hours every day) so I always have my phone with me for GPS, so the Series 2 only advantage would have been the brighter display and I decided that was not worth the steep price increase over the Series 1. Then I looked at some speed comparisons between the Series 1 and the original, and decided that I could miss a few extra seconds waiting for a weather update or the maps app to load, if it meant dropping another 100 Euro off of the price. Functionality wise they are both the same, and it's a lot of money just for a bit more speed, just couldn't justify that to myself, if it had been both speed and the brighter display, I probably would have made a different choice.

Got a nice space grey one.

Going to take me a while to get used to not having an always-on display and I'm sad to lose out on custom watchfaces, but that's not going to kill me I reckon. I'm currently waiting for the WatchOS 3 download to finish, it's taking forever to download for some reason. I might post a more in depth comparison between Android Wear and Apple Watch if people are interested after I use the Apple Watch for a bit.
 
Call me insane, but I actually got an Apple Watch Sport instead of a Series 1 or 2, for 100 Euro under the Series 1 price (new).

It's the complete opposite, you made the most sensible decision.
Now the Sport can be found for £180-200, anybody paying an extra £100 for a Series 1 just for a (arguably negligible) speed increase is what would be insane.
The Sport model is very capable due to OS3 and great value now.
 

br3wnor

Member
It's the complete opposite, you made the most sensible decision.
Now the Sport can be found for £180-200, anybody paying an extra £100 for a Series 1 just for a (arguably negligible) speed increase is what would be insane.
The Sport model is very capable due to OS3 and great value now.

Yeah, I've had a Sport since last year and w/ the OS3 update, it still works great. Unless you're going to take advantage of the water proof and GPS updates to the newer models, it's a solid buy for the price. Screen is fine, most of my time using it is snappy, the only real issue is sluggishness opening certain apps which like the poster you quoted said, didn't seem like a huge issue to him.
 

Spyware

Member
Got my package today, finally!

I'm gonna use the shit out of all those activity reminders and the breath thingy. I'll need that because I'm a lazy ass. :D

Really pleased with my choice of bands. Got a midnight blue classic buckle and a sport band in the same color. Was a bit sceptic about the sport band and couldn't really believe all the people saying it feels sooo comfy and whatever, but it does! I like it a bunch.
I'm considering the milanese loop too but dunno if it's worth it. The price isn't really a problem, I just don't know if I will like the feel of it and use it enough. But I would love a band that is completely adjustable.

That expensive Belkin dock for Watch + iPhone is great btw! It's sturdy and looks good. Both devices charge quickly too. Very happy about it.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Please do

I had an lg g watch r for a while, and now have an Apple Watch (first gen, SS)

Haptics: Apple Watch has nice, quiet haptics - android wear by contrast was more like a usual vibration and that could be quite noisy in quiet situations. On Apple Watch in silent mode is great at providing discreet notifications. On the other hand, it is really disapppointing that Apple Watch doesn't allow more customisation of the haptics. You can tap out a custom vibration pattern for notifications on iPhone, yet you can't carry that over to the watch. It would be such an obvious improvement being able to tell who is sending you a message or calling you. Especially frustrating because android wear lets you do that, and it's great.

Telling the time: quite a useful thing for a Watch to be able to do. But here Apple Watch falls down by not having the option of an always-on mode. Android wear always-on is a godsend. I often glance at my watch without making large wrist movements and Apple Watch is annoying when I can't check the time by doing this. I don't need onboard GPS so let me choose to use the battery life for something I'd find really useful.

Watch faces: hands down (sorry) android wear wins here. There are a couple of usable Apple Watch faces, but I hate being restricted to just a handful of presets, along with limited customisation of complications. Using an app like Facer on Android wear you can easily create a completely custom Watch face and custom complications in any locations you want.

Complications : complications on Apple Watch are much better now than they used to be, with third party support. But they are still quite limited by not being directly interactable - they all display some info and jump to an app (except the stopwatch complication on the chronograph face). With custom faces on android wear you can easily have buttons that do things right there, rather than jumping off to an app - e.g. Stopwatch, timer, toggle weather display. With a little work you could set up a face that did most things you wanted to do without ever having to leave the Watch face.


Key things I really hope Apple Watch adds soon to make it that much more usable for me would be
- custom haptics
- always on mode.
- custom watch faces (third party or make your own), including complication locations
- interactable complications
 

mulac

Member
Picked up a 38mm Series 2 to go with my shiny new iPhone7 Plus.

Any tips?

Just got the basic gunmetal - first impressions are centered on the strap...that is a NICE strap apple have there.

Also I was on the fence with the size of the watch, used to bigger faces but the 38mm sits very neat on my tiny man wrists.
 
My classic buckle arrived! Now I have a space black watch, black sport band, black nylon band, black Milanese loop, and a black classic leather buckle. Just need to cop that black link bracelet and I'm complete

Edit: crap, the black leather buckle looks very nice but the lugs are silver stainless steel, it clashes with the watch body. Might return it
 
Just got my first Apple Watch after a few weeks of indecisiveness. Got a Series 1 and pretty satisfied with it so far. But man, Apple really just kind of throws you into the wilderness. Trying to figure out how to operate the watch was almost like a puzzle.
 

Animator

Member
Oh shit a white silver series 2 just randomly popped available now on the Apple Store app for my local store. Picking it up shortly.

I have to say the Apple Store app is an absolute masterpiece with its realtime stock updates.
 
Oh shit a white silver series 2 just randomly popped available now on the Apple Store app for my local store. Picking it up shortly.

I have to say the Apple Store app is an absolute masterpiece with its realtime stock updates.

Yeah, it looks like these things are starting to make their way into actual stores. I just ordered a rose gold watch for pick up at the Grand Central store.
 
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