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lazerbrains

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2011
110
9
My biggest complaint is that they wasted the right to left swipe on switching watch faces. Who does that often enough to devote a limited UI gesture to it, especially when we already have Force Touch to accomplish the exact same thing? Swiping should switch open apps, just like it does on every other device Apple makes.

I totally agree with that.
 

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,893
My biggest complaint is that they wasted the right to left swipe on switching watch faces. Who does that often enough to devote a limited UI gesture to it, especially when we already have Force Touch to accomplish the exact same thing? Swiping should switch open apps, just like it does on every other device Apple makes.

I see people still in the mindset that you should only use one face. No, you shouldn't. A watch face can only have 4-5 complications max. If you want 10 complications daily, that means 3 watch face (of the same style). Put them side by side and swipe to the one that has the complication you're looking for. That's quicker than even accessing it through the dock.
Then put the rest you use less in the dock.

For example, if you're using Apple Music all the time, don't put it in the dock. Adds complication to the face. it will accomplish the same thing but much quicker.
 
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Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,749
7,949
Who does that often enough to devote a limited UI gesture to it,

Me! As I explained in my earlier posts, I set up mulitple faces with various combinations of complications, and swipe through them to get to the one I want. In fact, I think I do this a lot more often than I used to swipe through the glances.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,721
Boston, MA
I an absolutely respect your opinion. That said it is the polar opposite of what most people are saying. I never used 2.0 or lower but I love OS 3. I'm also not clicking and touching hardly ever, particularly not when working out. For runs I just have active calories, distance, pace, heart rate. I never found I needed much else and this was all I've ever had in any other device (various Fitbit). I also quite like the idea of multiple Watch faces. I have one for daily stuff and one for activity tracking and that's it.

Sucks you're disappointed. Hopefully suggestions here get you happy (or at least happier) with changes.
 
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BarracksSi

Suspended
Jul 14, 2015
3,902
2,664
You can customize and choose what 4 pieces of information are displayed for each workout type in the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.

Oh really!?!? That will help me feel less robbed. It would be nice to be able to add more than 4, like the watch used to allow. But at least having that ability will help get some of the functionality back.

Thanks for that info.

The lesson here ^^^^^ is, after you've updated your device, go into Settings and see what changes were made. It's the quickest way to learn what's been done in the new OS. Same goes for macOS and iOS, too.
 

Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Mar 4, 2003
9,220
12,252
I have had an Apple Watch since the beginning and have loved it. It has really helped me get active and overall it has been fun to use. (except for the speed of loading 3rd party apps) Enter watchOS 3. I was excited to see the progression of this new OS and see how much it could be refined to make the watch even better.

Sadly, this update has made my watch clunkier and harder to use. I find I only use the few apps I NEED to use for activity tracking, even these have become let informative. Before when running it would tell me my current calories burned on one screen and other information on other. Now it just gives me one screen with limited information. (and calories burned isn't one of them.)

Also the dock is much less intuitive than Glances were. Although glances took longer to update and open the app, it was much easier to swipe back and forth between apps to get information. Now I have to click a button to get to the dock, open and app, click a button to close it, swipe and repeat. This constant cycling between button presses and swipes makes me use my watch less, and use less apps on my watch. Thus making my watch less useful.

And lastly Siri. Siri apparently no longer understands English on watchOS 3 and I cannot for the life of me get her to understand simple dictation. My wife has the watch as well and same thing on hers. It appears that Siri is broken. Anyone else having this problem?

Does anyone know of a way to revert the watch to watchOS 2?
Yeah, I've had some of the same issues. For the most part I like Watch OS 3, but they need to refine it a bit. I was really excited that glances were replaced with the Dock, but they haven't yet nailed the implementation. Along with the problems you described, my watch vibrates and makes a sound if I wake it up by pressing the dock button, and I have no idea why.

And I spent a 40 minute drive pleading with Siri to play the song I wanted. I used to be able to do that no matter how much background noise there was. Mostly she would just stall out-- it wasn't even that she wouldn't understand me, she'd just get stuck.

I've got high hopes for it though-- I think they're closer to a workable system than OS 2 was.
 

Recognition

macrumors 6502a
Jun 27, 2013
596
673
Yes it is faster. That is the only thing that I mentioned was better. We agree on that.

One thing no one has mentioned is Siri. Mine can't seem to understand anything i say. I tried to get directions the other day and no matter how well I enunciated the words. She just kept saying "I didn't get that". I ended up having to use my phone. It has happened when I have tried to text and pretty much anytime I try to use my voice to control it. One of the reasons I did upgrade after the research I had done was because I heard there were improvements to Siri. However, ever since I upgraded Siri basically no longer works. Anyone else experience this?
Check what language Siri is set to on your phone.
I had trouble with Siri recognising certain words but real sized it was set to US English not UK.
Changed it and not had a problem since.
 

zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
I see people still in the mindset that you should only use one face. No, you shouldn't. A watch face can only have 4-5 complications max. If you want 10 complications daily, that means 3 watch face (of the same style). Put them side by side and swipe to the one that has the complication you're looking for. That's quicker than even accessing it through the dock.
Then put the rest you use less in the dock.

For example, if you're using Apple Music all the time, don't put it in the dock. Adds complication to the face. it will accomplish the same thing but much quicker.

Me! As I explained in my earlier posts, I set up mulitple faces with various combinations of complications, and swipe through them to get to the one I want. In fact, I think I do this a lot more often than I used to swipe through the glances.

I understand this but to me this is a work-around to an imperfect UI. I don't need more shortcuts for launching apps, I need a better way to get to the apps that are already open.
 
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Julien

macrumors G4
Jun 30, 2007
11,837
5,437
Atlanta
Have been using iDevices since the 2ed iPod (looooong before they were iDevices) and I would say IMO that wOS 3 is one of the best updates ever in Apple history. Probably only surpassed by iOS 2 (App Store).

Not just a lot of pretentious fluff but real improvements that are benefited in everyday use.
 
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entropi

macrumors 6502a
May 20, 2008
600
397
I haven't upgraded yet, OS 2 works for me and also 86% battery left after half a day in use! (sadly it is almost the opposite for my 6Splus.... just almost four hours of use and just 66% left...)
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,749
7,949
I understand this but to me this is a work-around to an imperfect UI. I don't need more shortcuts for launching apps, I need a better way to get to the apps that are already open.

I find that on the Apple Watch (and even in iOS) there is no practical difference between launching an app and getting to an app that is already open. It's the same process for both actions, there's no need for a separate way to just see apps that are already open.
 

zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
I find that on the Apple Watch (and even in iOS) there is no practical difference between launching an app and getting to an app that is already open. It's the same process for both actions, there's no need for a separate way to just see apps that are already open.

I guess I don't understand. Say I have a timer running and I'm using the Remote app to control my tv and a message comes in that I want to deal with. I start composing the message but need to switch back to the remote. With a complication I swipe to a new watch face, then have to tap on the remote complication and load the app. If there was real app switching, I'd just swipe back and forth between the open apps.

Or I am in the middle of a workout and want to manage my music or deal with a message. Neither of those scenarios work well with extra complications that show me little or none of the data I want to see. I just want to be able to quickly swipe back and forth between a couple of active apps, and be directly in those apps, without extra button presses or taps of small targets. Just like I can do on every other device Apple sells.
 
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noteple

macrumors 68000
Aug 30, 2011
1,528
546
For dictation make sure the correct English dialect is selected on the iPhone as there are now 8.
Also activating the Hey Siri function on iOS 9 and 10 starts a training session that improves understanding.
If this training was skipped or corrupted in a noisy location you may wish to redo it.
Using broadcast enunciation with imessage Siri has been mostly spot on in my replies.
I do still read what I spoke before I hit send and get an autocorrect gaffe
 

Khalanad75

macrumors 6502a
Jul 8, 2015
543
1,881
land of confusion
Yes it is faster. That is the only thing that I mentioned was better. We agree on that.

One thing no one has mentioned is Siri. Mine can't seem to understand anything i say. I tried to get directions the other day and no matter how well I enunciated the words. She just kept saying "I didn't get that". I ended up having to use my phone. It has happened when I have tried to text and pretty much anytime I try to use my voice to control it. One of the reasons I did upgrade after the research I had done was because I heard there were improvements to Siri. However, ever since I upgraded Siri basically no longer works. Anyone else experience this?

I disagree on Siri. I have a tendency to speak quickly and mumble, and I am simply amazed at how well the dictation is. I use it everyday to respond to messages, to set timers, and make reminders.
 

Phil A.

Moderator emeritus
Apr 2, 2006
5,800
3,100
Shropshire, UK
Me! As I explained in my earlier posts, I set up mulitple faces with various combinations of complications, and swipe through them to get to the one I want. In fact, I think I do this a lot more often than I used to swipe through the glances.

That's what I do - I use watch faces as "super-glances" where you can effectively see multiple ones at once. It's easier than the old glances (as you just swipe across, not up then across) and as you can get more info onto each screen, you're not having to swipe through 20 pages to get to the one you want! Far from being a "workaround" as someone else has suggested, I think this is how Apple intended it to be used
 
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The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,842
20,086
UK
Dock is far better than glances and actually updates in the background. It’s far quicker as well…can’t imagine how os3 would be worse.
 
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jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Aug 18, 2009
5,905
3,053
Upstate NY
I understand your concerns, but watch OS 1 & 2 made me want to return my watch (OS 1 made me want to smash it). With OS 3, I consider it at least tolerable.
 

chfilm

macrumors 68040
Nov 15, 2012
3,383
2,070
Berlin
My biggest complaint is that they wasted the right to left swipe on switching watch faces. Who does that often enough to devote a limited UI gesture to it, especially when we already have Force Touch to accomplish the exact same thing? Swiping should switch open apps, just like it does on every other device Apple makes.

THIS! It's my only complaint for OS3. At least while in the dock, they should implement that gesture instead of having to push that stupid button all the time.
I mean seriously I dont get it - why do they force us to do that push, when the next move is the swipe gesture anyway!?
it's the worst if you try running and have the workout app open and then need to push the button, swipe over to the music app, change a song, then push the button again, swipe again, only to be back at workouts, seriously. I hope they will change that in the future, as they've shown their willingness to improve watch os so much this far.
One thing I have to say though since I received my S2 today, the button gesture feels SLIGHTLY better on this model than on the S0, because of the thicker body of the watch. Somehow it makes the grip feel better.
 
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zhenya

macrumors 604
Jan 6, 2005
6,931
3,681
THIS! It's my only complaint for OS3. At least while in the dock, they should implement that gesture instead of having to push that stupid button all the time.
I mean seriously I dont get it - why do they force us to do that push, when the next move is the swipe gesture anyway!?
it's the worst if you try running and have the workout app open and then need to push the button, swipe over to the music app, change a song, then push the button again, swipe again, only to be back at workouts, seriously. I hope they will change that in the future, as they've shown their willingness to improve watch os so much this far.
One thing I have to say though since I received my S2 today, the button gesture feels SLIGHTLY better on this model than on the S0, because of the thicker body of the watch. Somehow it makes the grip feel better.

You can double tap the crown button to switch between the last two apps, but it's very difficult to do this while running.

Using a hardware button to trigger the dock seems like an inefficient use of those limited buttons. Swipe up to trigger the dock, like we used to do with Glances. The control center should just be another item in the dock. Then we'd have an extra hardware button that developers could have access to in-app. I guess that would provide an 'inconsistent' UI at times, but I really want a single button for things like starting/stopping timers, workouts, etc.
 

dyn

macrumors 68030
Aug 8, 2009
2,708
388
.nl
1) I'll tell you why. watchOS 3 is a user experience nightmare, unless you like to click, touch, click, touch, click touch, all day long. It was way better to swipe than continually change how you are interacting with the watch.
Swiping is even worse as it doesn't work all the time and there are also differences in how you swipe. Using buttons, the crown for scrolling and tapping to activate something is far more accurate as it works all the time. Not only that, it's also faster because swiping only moves you to the next app so you have to do it 5 times if you want to go from the first app to the 6th. When you use the crown you can do it extremely quickly as it scrolls a lot faster. With a little practice you can do it in 1 movement under less than a second. Not to mention that this all works with a wet/moist finger without any issue. Capacitive touchscreens go haywire when you do that.

The crown is the most used way of controlling the watch in my case. To preview the apps in the dock I click the side button and then scroll with the crown which is near my finger (nearer than the display is). When I click the crown I go back to the watch face (like hitting the esc key) and when I want to interact with the app I simply tap it and then do what I want to do. I like that this also works with the recently opened app (that one also updates just like the apps in the dock).

What I dislike is the fact that you actually have to swipe to go from one watch face to the other after you've force touched the current watch face. You can't use the crown there as you'd expect (the interface looks similar to the dock so you'd expect to be able to scroll with the crown too).

2) Using screens and swipes made most things in watchOS 2 discoverable. Now you need an instruction manual to figure out how to use your watch.
Never read the manual and yet I'm able to use the watch. Probably because it is consistent with how things work on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Previously you did need to read the manual because watchOS 1 and 2 had its own way of interacting (you needed to know if you have to force touch, tap, swipe, etc.).

3) Siri doesn't work at all. Voice dictation doesn't understand anything. It is so much worse than on watchOS 2 that I have given up even trying to ask Siri anything.
Siri is a PITA in any language that isn't English let alone when things are bilingual. When voice recognition was first introduced somewhere in the 90s it didn't understand when you had things set in Dutch and you wanted it to play an English song. Now it's 2016 and here we are, pronounce something in English and Siri has no clue what you are saying. This is why non-English speakers hate voice recognition/dictation/commands/etc.

Swiping should switch open apps, just like it does on every other device Apple makes.
Not in this world. None of the Apple devices work the way you describe here. On iOS devices you always have had to double click the home button and then swipe between the open apps. You could do it like in OS X when you are using an external keyboard: use cmd-tab and keep pressing it until you get to the right app so no swiping here either*. The way it is done in watchOS 3 is the exact same way as it is done in iOS 10 and earlier (right back to when multitasking was first introduced, I think that would be iOS4).

TL;DR:
iOS: click home button, swipe through apps
watchOS: click side button, swipe or scroll with crown through apps
OS X/macOS: cmd-tab through the apps*

*alternatively there is Mission Control but it only displays windows that are opened, apps that are hidden (and their windows) or windows that are minimised are not shown. The actual app switcher is cmd-tab and goes through all the apps (not windows).
 
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chfilm

macrumors 68040
Nov 15, 2012
3,383
2,070
Berlin
You can double tap the crown button to switch between the last two apps, but it's very difficult to do this while running.

Using a hardware button to trigger the dock seems like an inefficient use of those limited buttons. Swipe up to trigger the dock, like we used to do with Glances. The control center should just be another item in the dock. Then we'd have an extra hardware button that developers could have access to in-app. I guess that would provide an 'inconsistent' UI at times, but I really want a single button for things like starting/stopping timers, workouts, etc.
Yes, plus the double crown tab doesn't work reliably for me.

I tried this: Open the currently playing app from the dock. Then opened the workout app. Then back to music. in my logic, a double tap should now only toggle these two apps back and forth. But it just jumps to a random third app or the homescreen some times. Very unreliably.
Plis like you said, it's hard to press the crown twice like this while running.
 

TRICKorDEVICE

macrumors 6502a
Sep 20, 2014
854
120
I have had an Apple Watch since the beginning and have loved it. It has really helped me get active and overall it has been fun to use. (except for the speed of loading 3rd party apps) Enter watchOS 3. I was excited to see the progression of this new OS and see how much it could be refined to make the watch even better.

Sadly, this update has made my watch clunkier and harder to use. I find I only use the few apps I NEED to use for activity tracking, even these have become let informative. Before when running it would tell me my current calories burned on one screen and other information on other. Now it just gives me one screen with limited information. (and calories burned isn't one of them.)

Also the dock is much less intuitive than Glances were. Although glances took longer to update and open the app, it was much easier to swipe back and forth between apps to get information. Now I have to click a button to get to the dock, open and app, click a button to close it, swipe and repeat. This constant cycling between button presses and swipes makes me use my watch less, and use less apps on my watch. Thus making my watch less useful.

And lastly Siri. Siri apparently no longer understands English on watchOS 3 and I cannot for the life of me get her to understand simple dictation. My wife has the watch as well and same thing on hers. It appears that Siri is broken. Anyone else having this problem?

Does anyone know of a way to revert the watch to watchOS 2?


Right off the bat...for the workout app you can tell it exactly which metrics you want, or don't want to see on the screen during any particular workout. It's very customizable, and a vast improvement from wOS 2.0, you just have to set it up on the Apple Watch App on the phone. Now all your info is on one screen, no more swiping back and forth in runs...much better.
 

Mabus51

Suspended
Aug 16, 2007
1,366
847
The problem I have is a lot of apps crash now on Watch 3.0. Also the watch face doesn't always load when you raise your arm. You'll see the watch arms but that's it. You have to put your wrist down and try again to see if it loads on the 2nd try.
[doublepost=1475617329][/doublepost]
The lesson here ^^^^^ is, after you've updated your device, go into Settings and see what changes were made. It's the quickest way to learn what's been done in the new OS. Same goes for macOS and iOS, too.

The notes don't tell you the music app is broken in 3.0 if you transfer music to your watch from your phone it causes the iPhone to lag, drain the battery, and soft reboots the phone randomly. You have to unpair the watch and re-pair the watch in order to resolve the issue.
 
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