Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone XS Max XS Max range to Apple watch worse than iPhone 6.

W

windows12

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 21, 2018
47
43
This seems weird and I want to be sure that i'm not doing something wrong. So, I have an Apple watch series 3 and an iPhone 6 and I can leave the phone in my room, go down a flight of stairs and well into my garden and I still get notifications and calls. On the other hand, my girlfriend has a XS Max and a Series 4 and she loses reception the moment she goes down the flight of stairs, even if the phone is right at the top, so it doesn't seem to have a range of more than 15 meters (50 feet).

Is this normal?
 
windows12 said:
This seems weird and I want to be sure that i'm not doing something wrong. So, I have an Apple watch series 3 and an iPhone 6 and I can leave the phone in my room, go down a flight of stairs and well into my garden and I still get notifications and calls. On the other hand, my girlfriend has a XS Max and a Series 4 and she loses reception the moment she goes down the flight of stairs, even if the phone is right at the top, so it doesn't seem to have a range of more than 15 meters (50 feet).

Is this normal?
Click to expand...

Is yours connected to the WiFi and using that instead of the Bluetooth?
 
There is a few reasons this might be happening.

Doe she both have wifi on? The Apple Watch will transition to wifi when out of range of the iPhones bluetooth. Bluetooth range can vary quite a bit on numerous conditions but 30-50 feet and you are doing good. Performance and feature set can be unaffected if your Apple Watch is on Wi-fi.

Does she have Wi-Fi calling for other devices turned on in the iPhone settings (Settings > Phone > Add Wi-Fi Calling for Other Devices)? And in the Apple Watch settings on the iPhone (Watch app > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling)?

Do you both have the same cellular provider? Not all carriers support wifi calling from iCloud devices. You can see what features her carrier supports here, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204039 . Also make sure your emergency address has been input on the iPhone (Settings > iPhone > Wi-Fi Calling > Update Emergency Address). A carrier needs that information for emergency services when calling over Wi-Fi.

Also verify she is signed into her Apple ID in the Watch app on the iPhone (Watch > General > Apple ID).
 
cynics said:
There is a few reasons this might be happening.

Doe she both have wifi on? The Apple Watch will transition to wifi when out of range of the iPhones bluetooth. Bluetooth range can vary quite a bit on numerous conditions but 30-50 feet and you are doing good. Performance and feature set can be unaffected if your Apple Watch is on Wi-fi.

Does she have Wi-Fi calling for other devices turned on in the iPhone settings (Settings > Phone > Add Wi-Fi Calling for Other Devices)? And in the Apple Watch settings on the iPhone (Watch app > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling)?

Do you both have the same cellular provider? Not all carriers support wifi calling from iCloud devices. You can see what features her carrier supports here, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204039 . Also make sure your emergency address has been input on the iPhone (Settings > iPhone > Wi-Fi Calling > Update Emergency Address). A carrier needs that information for emergency services when calling over Wi-Fi.

Also verify she is signed into her Apple ID in the Watch app on the iPhone (Watch > General > Apple ID).
Click to expand...

I've looked at all you mentioned, thank you. Everything seems to be correctly set up, and we both have the same carrier.
 
windows12 said:
I've looked at all you mentioned, thank you. Everything seems to be correctly set up, and we both have the same carrier.
Click to expand...

Long shot but have your restarted both devices? Does she have any other devices she can take phone calls or text on, Mac, iPad?
 
windows12 said:
I've looked at all you mentioned, thank you. Everything seems to be correctly set up, and we both have the same carrier.
Click to expand...
It’s the xs max. I’ve been having this problem since last year. No one will help me. Apple says it TMobiles fault. TMobile says it’s Apples fault.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back