This is insane. I have unpaired/reset the watch 3 times, then each time after taking 2 hours or more to download the update, it hits some error and quits. Each attempt takes hours and hours.
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Apple isn’t serious about Series 3 updates…
- Thread starter Sebosz
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Every year its the same thing so I bought an SE last month specifically so I can avoid the Series 3 WatchOS update stress. I really wanted to hold out for the Series 7 but after a very fast 7.4 upgrade on my SE then I feel justified.
BTW. I set up my Series3 for trade in but before I shipped it I just wanted to try the 7.4 update just to see how it goes. After many hours a dozen attempts I still haven’t gotten it to work yet. I know I am getting ripped off on trade in value but after years of update headaches then I’m happy to get this watch out of my life... (…after I update it. I am determined to not lose this final update battle)
BTW. I set up my Series3 for trade in but before I shipped it I just wanted to try the 7.4 update just to see how it goes. After many hours a dozen attempts I still haven’t gotten it to work yet. I know I am getting ripped off on trade in value but after years of update headaches then I’m happy to get this watch out of my life... (…after I update it. I am determined to not lose this final update battle)
I'm just trying to help people out who do want to update an S3.
Replace "We" in your sentence with "I" and "our" with "mine".
Unpairing is the only way. The storage is way too less for the kind of updates the watch gets. Unpairing to update is definitely a hassle and I've often thought about upgrading the watch. It does everything I bought it for so I'll wait for a significant upgrade in terms of features. Even a 2-3 day battery with Always on display would do
Also having this issue. Annoying. I'll try the unpairing thing. Probably gonna upgrade this if the next one has glucose monitoring anyhow
Folks on Reddit are having the issue as well (The struggle of owning a series 3. I’m on my 4th ring of death trying to download watchOS 7.4) I just tried to unpair and set up as a new watch but I still only have 2.5GB free, not enough to install the update. What gives Apple?
I have the same issue (every software update has required me to reset the watch because there just is never enough space- even with every app removed)... it does seem odd for a current product to not have capacity for updates without a full reset each time
Well, I did just submit feedback on Apple's Feedback page about this issue, especially since they still sell the Series 3 as new. We'll see what happens.
Don’t hold your breath. I made several calls to Apple support. Had the issue escalated all the way to engineering. I was told it would be fixed in an update. That was almost 2 years ago. Obviously it hasn’t been fixed.
Same boat. I wonder if the S3s being sold today still have the same issue? As in do the new ones have more storage?
Apple is probably just trying to get the Series 3 through Watch OS7 and will drop support when Watch OS8 drops.. Series 4 would of been a much better choice for the base model as the S3 storage capacity obviously can't handle the size of each update and unpairing the watch and jumping through hoops just to get the update to load onto the device must be a very frustrating experience to deal with..
The Apple site has a walkthrough. You have to unpair, re-pair and set up as new, update to new software. Then you have to unpair again and re-pair but this time use back up to restore it. It was a pain but I got mine updated.
My wife had this issue with her Series 3 GPS. I do not have the issue with my Series 3 GPS + Cellular since it has more storage. I tried everything under the sun with her watch, and I’m a software engineer and former iOS app developer, so I know a lot more than your average Apple Watch user, but no matter what, I could never get her watch to update without resetting first. Finally I just got her a Series 6 and sold her Series 3 to some poor soul on Facebook… they’ll probably never figure out how to update it. I’ve also saved multiple friends and family from buying a Series 3. I directed them to buy the SE instead. It’s absolutely insane that Apple still sells the Series 3 new in such a broken state… that fact alone has changed my view of Apple. I no longer have faith that they will always put their users first or fix broken software.
Right, you only have to do it if you get the “no storage” error message. Glad is not everyone having to do it.
I just bought one from the Apple store. Same issue. Was able to go from the 6... it shipped with to 7.3.3 no problem. Worked great for a couple days, after having to unpair and start from scratch again to get to 7.4 I'll be returning it. Fortunately still within 14 days of purchase.
The only thing I would consider is that Apple is still selling the S3 brand new from their store. I highly doubt they will drop support for it this year. Probably next. Perhaps WatchOS 8 will be more optimized?
That is just weird. Maybe Apple wants you to get a new one? I know that the series 3 is great, but it’s starting to get old. Hopefully watchOS 8 supports it. The series 3 is the second most outrageous product Apple still sells next to the 2017 iMac.
That's true but the gps version is the only one they sell and that has 8gb of storage (cellular/gps had 16gb). 8gb of storage sounds like it doesn't allow enough headroom to handle the size of the updates being pushed out. I'm surprised Apple didn't up the storage to 16gb on the newer gps S3 to make sure issues like this didn't occur.
I had a heck of a time going from 7.0 to 7.1, despite repeated resets of the watch, clearing extra space on my phone, and every other thing I could think of. Except mine didn't fail with insufficient space, but a "not connected to network" error late in the preparation stage. Finally gave up, booked a Genius appt. and they sent it away for a check and update.
7.2 to 7.1 went off without a hitch, surprisingly. Skipped 7.3.
Trying to install the 7.4 update again resulted in eventual failure with the network error message, so I did a reset from the watch itself. Re-paired and restored the backup, and figured I'd leave auto updates on and see if it worked itself out. But just for one last crack, I initiated the update from the watch, and let it run. It failed again with the error, but the progress bar was nearly finished, so I dismissed it. Some time later, the watch pinged while on the stand, and the update was underway, and completed successfully. Saved another trip to the store.
The fundamental issue is that the S3 barely has enough storage to accommodate the payload and the scratch space it needs to update, even when freshly reset. Each time the watch is reset, it has no more than about 3GB free, and oddly, says it has 15 phantom photos, even when never synced, or set to sync them.
And there, there's the possibility of other issues, like the one I've experienced, where I believe some connection is lost, and whatever machinations are being done in the background get interrupted.
Either way, there's still a lot of voodoo, and opaqueness in trying to administer the Watch, and it is frustrating. Perhaps if/when the Watch can function autonomously, and not have such a close link to the iPhone, things may improve.
I only wanted to install 7.4 for the mask unlock feature, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. If 7.5 lacks any notable changes, I question I'll even try, for what is likely the end of the line in terms of S3 update support.
7.2 to 7.1 went off without a hitch, surprisingly. Skipped 7.3.
Trying to install the 7.4 update again resulted in eventual failure with the network error message, so I did a reset from the watch itself. Re-paired and restored the backup, and figured I'd leave auto updates on and see if it worked itself out. But just for one last crack, I initiated the update from the watch, and let it run. It failed again with the error, but the progress bar was nearly finished, so I dismissed it. Some time later, the watch pinged while on the stand, and the update was underway, and completed successfully. Saved another trip to the store.
The fundamental issue is that the S3 barely has enough storage to accommodate the payload and the scratch space it needs to update, even when freshly reset. Each time the watch is reset, it has no more than about 3GB free, and oddly, says it has 15 phantom photos, even when never synced, or set to sync them.
And there, there's the possibility of other issues, like the one I've experienced, where I believe some connection is lost, and whatever machinations are being done in the background get interrupted.
Either way, there's still a lot of voodoo, and opaqueness in trying to administer the Watch, and it is frustrating. Perhaps if/when the Watch can function autonomously, and not have such a close link to the iPhone, things may improve.
I only wanted to install 7.4 for the mask unlock feature, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. If 7.5 lacks any notable changes, I question I'll even try, for what is likely the end of the line in terms of S3 update support.
I think next time if indeed there is a next time, if it does not go through straight away, I will go straight to unpairing/updating/reloading from backup.
For me I unpaired, then did restore from backup and somehow, it just worked then when I tried to update
Same. I've tried it 3 times. Think its time to give up for a week and try again later.