Apple Releases watchOS 4.0.1 Update for Series 3 Models With Fix for Cellular Bug

Wednesday October 4, 2017 12:09 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 4 to watchOS 4.0.1. The watchOS 4.0.1 update comes one week after Apple first released watchOS 4 to the public.

watchOS 4.0.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. Today's update is only for the Apple Watch Series 3 models.


watchOS 4.0.1 addresses a serious Wi-Fi bug impacting the performance of the new LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 models.
watchOS 4.0.1 fixes issues that in rare cases were causing Apple Watch to join unauthenticated (captive) Wi-Fi networks, such as those found in public places like coffee shops and hotels, which direct the user to a web page before the network can be accessed.
During the review period for the new Apple Watch, testers discovered that the device would frequently disconnect from LTE, choosing to connect to an unusable Wi-Fi hotspot instead of an LTE tower due to its preference for Wi-Fi to save battery.

The Apple Watch was mistakenly connecting to free Wi-Fi hotspots that have interstitial agreement pages to use the service. With no way to see the page or confirm, LTE Apple Watches couldn't actually use the Wi-Fi, but it still prevented them from connecting to LTE.

Apple said it was aware of the issue just before the Series 3 models launched, and said it was investigating a fix for a future software update, which is available today.

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anthonyjr
31 months ago
I want them to fix this for the iPhone, actually. It seems to be commonplace for my iPhone to attempt connecting to open Xfinity Wifi networks while I'm driving, interrupting my music or podcasts during streaming while at traffic lights or moving through the city.

I wish they had a qualifier for low quality wifi networks on all of their devices.
Rating: 11 Votes
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UL2RA
31 months ago

Will the Verge and other sites re-test the Watch and update their ratings?

The Verge doesn't usually update their reviews despite positive changes because they suck.
Rating: 10 Votes
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SoCalGadgetGuy
31 months ago
My S3 GPS+Cellular v4.01 final update/installation statistics ...

"Preparing..." stage on iPhone app: 10 minutes
"Verifying..." stage on iPhone app: 1 minute
"Installing..." stage on iPhone and watch: 16 minutes

Total Time Required: 27 minutes

Rating: 5 Votes
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KPOM
31 months ago
Will the Verge and other sites re-test the Watch and update their ratings?
Rating: 4 Votes
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ericg301
31 months ago

Anyone that has downloaded this, does it fix the issue with not getting stand reminders?


have you tried the wheelchair setting?
Rating: 3 Votes
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Mlrollin91
31 months ago

Anyone install this yet? Wondering how long it takes... the 4.0 install took half of forever, and if possible I'd like to squeeze it in during an hour when I'm already planning not to wear the watch.

How did 4.0 take a half hour on your S3 as it would have come with 4.0.
Rating: 3 Votes
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flofixer
31 months ago

would hope this will fix my terrible battery on Series 0, but not holding my breath

my S0 battery has had no problems. how long have you noticed the battery behaving terribly?
Rating: 2 Votes
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Mlrollin91
31 months ago

Yes...I was replying to a poster who suggested battery life on the S0 was worse than normal on watchOS 4.0 but I haven't found my battery to be much different to when it was running the previous OS version. I understand my S0 has a very used battery.

I'm aware. I was merely adding context, as the original poster may not connect the dots. Some people don't realize battery decay is a thing and just blame everything on software.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Relentless Power
31 months ago

would hope this will fix my terrible battery on Series 0, but not holding my breath


To me, I think the first generation Apple Watch won't likely see watch support past watchOS 4. I think the majority seem watchOS 4 has degraded the battery life, but some are reporting positive results. It's definitely variable.
Rating: 2 Votes
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slippytoad
31 months ago

watchOS 4.1 requires iOS 11.1


It doesn’t actually. I’m running WatchOS 4.1 beta with iOS 11.0.2
Rating: 2 Votes

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