First Apple Watch S3 Devices Suffer from LTE Connectivity Issues

We’re still a few days away from seeing Apple’s LTE-capable Watch Series 3 hit store shelves; however, as with every new product, the company has been sending out review units to the media in hopes of generating buzz about its third-generation wearable. Unfortunately, while some of these reviews have been stellar, other outlets have reported experiencing rather serious issues with their Apple Watch S3 reviews units, prompting Apple to publicly acknowledge that some of them are, in fact, hindered by LTE connectivity problems.

The issue appears to arise when, without an iPhone nearby, certain Apple Watch Series 3 review units “may attempt to connect to unknown Wi-Fi networks” instead of an LTE network, according to a report from The Verge. Similar issues were experienced by publications including The Wall Street Journal — whose authors spoke about how Apple issued as many as three replacement review units after the first was deemed a dud. Ironically, all of those replacement units sent to both The Verge and WSJ faced the same fate.

In response to the outcry, Apple on Wednesday issued a statement in which is not only acknowledged receiving reports of LTE connectivity problems with some Watch Series 3 review units, but that its engineers are currently investigating a solution that should be bundled in an upcoming software update to watchOS 4.

“We have discovered that when Apple Watch Series 3 joins unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks without connectivity, it may at times prevent the watch from using cellular,” an Apple spokesperson told The Verge. “We are investigating a fix for a future software release.”

The first round of Apple Watch Series 3 orders should already be on their way to customers’ doorsteps at this point, and if you haven’t ordered one already, the wearable will be available in Apple Stores and via Apple-authorized third-party partners beginning September 22. What’s not entirely clear, of course, is whether or not all of Apple’s earliest Watch S3 shipments will be plagued by this issue, however it’s certainly a good thing to know the company is already working to fix it, right?

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