WatchOS 5.1 bricking some Apple Watches

[mr moose]

3 things people probably should try to remember when this happens:

 

1. as tech gets more and more complicated, interconnected, more and varying uses updates that go wrtong become more and more common.

 

This means bricking and update failure is not necessarily the result of negligence.  Sometime shit just goes wrong and the cost of the product is moot.

 

2. Yes it's a pain in thee ass to send something back for repair/replacement.  I've had to do this with an ecodrive watch I brought recently.  twice it had to go back due to manufacturing issues.  But now it's fixed, just because something is electronic (sometimes even more so because it is) or cost a lot of money doesn't mean things aren't going to go wrong, there is no such thing as a perfect flawless product and the more they sell the more you will hear about failures.

 

3. the only real issue here hasn't actually happened yet, and that is that some customers might be left with a dud product, so far apple haven't dome that and the reports are that they are replacing/fixing the issue.

 

Which means this thread is an interesting talking piece and raised some great discussion and speculation about what might be the problem, but just like the 2080 failure thread, until you have actual information that says apple aren't honoring their products then that's all it is.

[jt999]

10 minutes ago, mr moose said:

3 things people probably should try to remember when this happens:

 

1. as tech gets more and more complicated, interconnected, more and varying uses updates that go wrtong become more and more common.

 

This means bricking and update failure is not necessarily the result of negligence.  Sometime shit just goes wrong and the cost of the product is moot.

 

2. Yes it's a pain in thee ass to send something back for repair/replacement.  I've had to do this with an ecodrive watch I brought recently.  twice it had to go back due to manufacturing issues.  But now it's fixed, just because something is electronic (sometimes even more so because it is) or cost a lot of money doesn't mean things aren't going to go wrong, there is no such thing as a perfect flawless product and the more they sell the more you will hear about failures.

 

3. the only real issue here hasn't actually happened yet, and that is that some customers might be left with a dud product, so far apple haven't dome that and the reports are that they are replacing/fixing the issue.

 

Which means this thread is an interesting talking piece and raised some great discussion and speculation about what might be the problem, but just like the 2080 failure thread, until you have actual information that says apple aren't honoring their products then that's all it is.

I wouldn't have expected Apple to not deal with it (all Series 4 Watches are still well within warranty), but it's a longwinded process for replacement - I'm looking at 2-3 weeks without it. These things happen, and it's just a watch (although I have to admit, I adore it), just a shame it had to happen to me on so many devices 

[mr moose]

1 minute ago, jt999 said:

I wouldn't have expected Apple to not deal with it (all Series 4 Watches are still well within warranty), but it's a longwinded process for replacement - I'm looking at 2-3 weeks without it. These things happen, and it's just a watch (although I have to admit, I adore it), just a shame it had to happen to me on so many devices 

My ecodrive took 3 weeks each time it went back.  I feel the pain.

[suicidalfranco]

44 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

No big deal,just buy another $300 watch after apple's update bricked it. It is apple's fault for not providing an update that doesn't break sh*t, then again not that surprising after the "chargegate" mess which was also software bugs.

What's 300$ more when you can afford 1000$+ phones to go with it

[Blademaster91]

35 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

What's 300$ more when you can afford 1000$+ phones to go with it

True If you have a 1,000$+ phone and need the watch buying another isn't a problem. Yeah it happens stuff breaks,sucks to have it bricked from an update but at least Apple took down the update quickly.

[AnonymousGuy]

I would just buy a second Watch and return it when my original comes back from service.  14 day return policy ftw.  Shit happens, it's a relatively "cheap" consumer product, and Apple is doing what they can to make it right.

 

I'm still on the fence whether to buy one.  On the one hand it seems functionally pretty cool.  On the other I already have a much more expensive watch, and I'm not sure I really need notifications and shit on my wrist when I pretty much always have my phone within reach anyways.  Maybe just the cheapest variant to use while skiing when using my phone is a pain in the ass (2 layers of gloves and zippered jacket pocket).

[mynameisjuan]

12 hours ago, suicidalfranco said:

just buy another watch. Not apple's fault if you decided to download the update as soon as it got out

Probably one of the most ignorant comments I have read on this forum

[suicidalfranco]

2 minutes ago, mynameisjuan said:

Probably one of the most ignorant comments I have read on this forum

yours gave me gases 

[DrMacintosh]

This has pretty much been happening since Series 0. With no real way to wipe and recover the OS without access to Apples Diagnostic Machine there is always the possibility that an update could brick your Watch. Thankfully Apple has a lot of stores and their mail in service with really quick turn around times that have historically fixed this kind of stuff for free. 

[Curufinwe_wins]

Also in fairness to people on the smartwatch bandwagon... they are still ludicrously cheaper than the standard 'entry to premium watches'.

 

Though the Apple Watch needs to about double its time on for me to recommend it to anyone (holding myself to the same standard, the new Galaxy Watch is the first Sammy watch I'd recommend to those interested users as well).

 

Anyways, ouch. I know efficient design is a pain, but times like this really make you wish these devices had a physical debug port (that was actually used to fix these sorts of issues if it comes up).

[Master Disaster]

Apple have announced affected watches will need returning to be repaired...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46045414

[79wjd]

 

11 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

Though the Apple Watch needs to about double its time on for me to recommend it to anyone (holding myself to the same standard, the new Galaxy Watch is the first Sammy watch I'd recommend to those interested users as well).

Doesn't the new Galaxy Watch also get about three days -- same as the gear S3, a bit more than the gear sport, and about the same as the series 3 and later?

 

[DrMacintosh]

11 hours ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

Anyways, ouch. I know efficient design is a pain, but times like this really make you wish these devices had a physical debug port (that was actually used to fix these sorts of issues if it comes up).

Well it does, however only Apple has the cable to interface with the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch.  

[mr moose]

22 hours ago, AnonymousGuy said:

 

I'm still on the fence whether to buy one.  On the one hand it seems functionally pretty cool.  On the other I already have a much more expensive watch,

Pun about watches?  I don't have time for these jokes.

[AnonymousGuy]

26 minutes ago, mr moose said:

Pun about watches?  I don't have time for these jokes.

Damn I didn't even notice but I'm happy to take credit for a good pun!

[TechGod]

On 10/31/2018 at 10:17 PM, Sauron said:

What can I tell you? Don't buy from Apple, they are notorious for this sort of thing. Sometimes, their stuff just breaks for a rushed update or a design flaw in the hardware. It's pretty well documented, I think there's a list somewhere - although obviously Apple will do everything in its power to convince you they sell "premium" products with superior design.

LOL! What a joke. 

 

Evey ofher company’s product has shat itself. Apple products are the only goddamn things that lived. 

[TechGod]

22 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

This has pretty much been happening since Series 0. With no real way to wipe and recover the OS without access to Apples Diagnostic Machine there is always the possibility that an update could brick your Watch. Thankfully Apple has a lot of stores and their mail in service with really quick turn around times that have historically fixed this kind of stuff for free. 

Unfortunately not in my country so I can’t risk it lol 

[Sauron]

10 minutes ago, TechGod said:

LOL! What a joke. 

 

Evey ofher company’s product has shat itself. Apple products are the only goddamn things that lived. 

Uhm... that's objectively false. Just open amazon.com and search for "smartwatch".

[DrMacintosh]

8 minutes ago, TechGod said:

Unfortunately not in my country so I can’t risk it lol 

Well they pulled the update so there is nothing to risk anymore. Lol

[Curufinwe_wins]

2 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Well it does, however only Apple has the cable to interface with the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch.  

Thus the actually used part

 

Youd think they'd let their geniuses do that sort of work for stuff like this. Uploading a OS update/roll back isnt hard.

[Curufinwe_wins]

2 hours ago, 79wjd said:

 

Doesn't the new Galaxy Watch also get about three days -- same as the gear S3, a bit more than the gear sport, and about the same as the series 3 and later?

 

The 46mm variant (which I own and use constantly) gets 4-5 days. I charge it every Tuesday and Friday during the day (at work lol) so that I can use it for sleeping (vibrating alarms are the best). 

 

The 42mm variant gets like 60-84 hours (2.5-3.5 days), and the older ones likewise are better for 2 days than 3. The Series 3 and later still can barely make it 2 days, at best. Apple only rates it for 18 hours, making it always a charge every day device.

 

2x a week vs every day makes a gigantic difference in usability of various features (like vibrational daily alarms, and sleep recording). Also it means if you forget a day, you aren't wearing a paperweight.

[79wjd]

2 minutes ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

The 46mm variant (which I own and use constantly) gets 4-5 days. I charge it every Tuesday and Friday during the day so that I can use it for sleeping (vibrating alarms are the best). 

 

The 42mm variant gets like 60-72 hours (2.5-3 days), and the older ones likewise are better for 2 days than 3. The Series 3 and later still can barely make it 2 days, at best. Apple only rates it for 18 hours, making it always a charge every day device.

 

2x a week vs every day makes a gigantic difference in usability of various features (like vibrational daily alarms, and sleep recording). Also it means if you forget a day, you aren't wearing a paperweight.

I easily get 3 days out of my series 3 -- same as with the gear S3 and sport that I tested for a couple weeks. 

[Curufinwe_wins]

5 minutes ago, 79wjd said:

I easily get 3 days out of my series 3 -- same as with the gear S3 and sport that I tested for a couple weeks. 

You are a special one then lol. You can take another look at the rating for the series 3/4, I'm not making that up. I've never had luck getting past 2 days myself.

 

 

Here are the official ratings for the 3 and 4.

Apple Watch Series 3:

• Up to 18 hours
• Talk: 3 hours connected to iPhone
  • 1 hour connected to LTE
• Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
  • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS
  • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
  • Up to 3 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

Apple Watch Series 4:

• Up to 18 hours
• Talk: 2 hours connected to iPhone
  • 1 hour connected to LTE
• Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
  • Up to 6 hours outdoor workout with GPS
  • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
  • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

 

[79wjd]

6 minutes ago, Curufinwe_wins said:

You are a special one then lol. You can take another look at the rating for the series 3/4, I'm not making that up. I've never had luck getting past 2 days myself.

 

 

Here are the official ratings for the 3 and 4.

Apple Watch Series 3:

• Up to 18 hours
• Talk: 3 hours connected to iPhone
  • 1 hour connected to LTE
• Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
  • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS
  • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
  • Up to 3 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

Apple Watch Series 4:

• Up to 18 hours
• Talk: 2 hours connected to iPhone
  • 1 hour connected to LTE
• Workout: Up to 10 hours indoor workout
  • Up to 6 hours outdoor workout with GPS
  • Up to 5 hours outdoor workout with GPS & LTE
  • Up to 4 hours outdoor workout with streaming audio, GPS, and LTE

 

I know what they're rated for, and they easily last longer. I took my watch off the charger this morning -- 11 hours ago and I'm at 91%.

[Curufinwe_wins]

4 minutes ago, 79wjd said:

I know what they're rated for, and they easily last longer. I took my watch off the charger this morning -- 11 hours ago and I'm at 91%.

I don't really know what to say. I've used a Series 3 and have friends that use them, and none of us have managed more than 2 days on it. I'm not sure if its notification settings, always on settings, or use-case changes (workout use maybe?) Honestly not sure.

 

I guess its good to know that someone does sl well (relatively speaking) with them.