What you need to know

• Apple announced watchOS 9 earlier today.
• Apple also rolled out the list of Apple Watches that will be compatible with the latest version.
• The Apple Watch Series 3 will not support watchOS 9.

Earlier today, Apple announced watchOS 9 and potentially killed off one generation of Apple Watch.

watchOS 9 added a number of notable features for Apple Watch users including new metrics, views, and training experiences in the Workout app, sleep stages in the Sleep app, AFib History, and a new Medications app.

The company also released the list of the Apple Watches that will be compatible with watchOS 9 and revealed that there is one watch that the Apple is still selling that will not be compatible with the upcoming software version: Apple Watch Series 3.

The Apple Watch Series 3, despite its age (we're on the Apple Watch Series 7 already), has remained in Apple's lineup as the most affordable Apple Watch customers could purchase at a $199 starting price. While that price is nice, it has also come at the cost of poorer performance, worse battery life, and fewer features than the company's newer models.

Today's news is, in a way, Apple's own acknowledgment that the Apple Watch Series 3 needs to go. If the company drops the model from its lineup when it announces the next generation of Apple Watch in the fall, the Apple Watch SE will likely take its place as the cheapest Apple Watch you can get your hands on.

That's a good thing. Anyone who tells you to buy an Apple Watch Series 3 right now is someone you don't need in your life.

Fitbit Charge 5 launched at the end of September 2021 and hosts Fitbit's most advanced tracking features to date. New sensors and technology offer more comprehensive health and fitness monitoring. Apple Watch Series 3 is beginning to show its age but is outfitted with smart features that you're not going to get with the Charge 5. So, which one is a better fit for you?

Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 3: Features and specs

When it comes down to it, your final choice depends on the operating system and features you prioritize. Fitbit Charge 5 offers more advanced health and fitness monitoring, whereas Apple Watch Series 3 offers media, customizable apps, and Siri. Let's break down the specs to see how these two compare.

Both wearables are in a similar price range, but Apple Watch Series 3 is a bit more expensive. Fitbit Charge 5 is newer and offers Sp02, ECG, and EDA scans that you're not going to get with the Series 3. However, if you need media and smart technology, Apple Watch Series 3 is the way to go. Let's get granular and break things down even further.

Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 3: Take Charge of your health

Fitbit Charge 5 is one of the best fitness trackers available. It's outfitted with the latest, most advanced tech via Fitbit. It hosts exciting new features like EDA, ECG, and Daily Readiness Scores on top of the things we loved about its predecessor Fitbit Charge 4, like built-in GPS, Active Zone Minutes, and workout intensity maps.

Charge 5 enables on-wrist EDA scans to detect electrodermal activity — tiny changes in your skin's sweat level, which indicate your body's response to stress. It delivers a daily stress management score based on these scans to show how your exercise routine, mindfulness, and sleep help to manage your stress levels.

ECG is a brand-new feature to the Charge device family. You can keep tabs on your heart health with a compatible ECG app that assesses your heart for atrial fibrillation — heart rhythm irregularities. It will monitor and store these readings so you can share them with your doctor if anything falls out of whack.

Charge 5 is outfitted with a built-in GPS. Active Zone Minutes give your wrist a buzz when you reach your target heart rate zones to ensure you're getting the most out of every sweat session. You can then view how your heart rate fluctuated along your workout routes in your workout intensity maps in the Fitbit app.

Unlike Apple Watch Series 3, Fitbit Charge 5 is capable of Sp02 monitoring. Track the oxygen level in your blood so you can be alerted if there's an indication of essential changes in your overall wellness. Regarding more comprehensive health and fitness monitoring, Fitbit Charge 5 comes out ahead of Apple Watch Series 3.

Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 3: Apple Watch Series 3 has got smarts

Apple Watch Series 3 is a smartwatch, while Fitbit Charge 5 is a tracker, so you're only going to get smart features like media play, stream, and storage, a smart assistant, and internal storage with Apple Watch Series 3. It features a more advanced navigation system and comes preloaded with Maps, so you can get turn-by-turn directions right on your wrist.

It features 8GB of internal storage, so you can download and listen to your favorite tunes via Apple Music and customize it with some of your favorite apps. Take note that you have to completely restore Series 3 to update it, and the latest operating system takes up a lot of that storage space. This process indicates this smartwatch is starting to show its age.

Apple Watch Series 3 does have Siri, your friendly smart assistant, so you can do things like set reminders and alarms, check the weather, or catch up on the news. It also supports a more advanced navigation system. A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, and QZSS can pinpoint your location worldwide. Emergency SOS enables you to call for help if your iPhone isn't in reach or even around. However, it does not have fall detection or international SOS calling like the newer series.

Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 3: Battery, customization, compatibility

Fitbit Charge 5 offers up to seven days of battery life depending on your usage, while Apple Watch Series 3 delivers up to 18 hours. Many say 18 hours is a conservative number for Series 3 and that they can get up to two to three days of use while operating in basic watch mode. Still, Charge 5 comes out way ahead. Keep in mind that if you use either wearable in GPS, Wi-Fi, or music mode a lot, the battery will drain much quicker.

These wearables feature customizable watch faces and interchangeable bands, but Apple Watch Series 3 has more options. You have a lot more band material and colors to choose from. Fitbit Charge 5 comes in three different color combinations.

If you're an Android user, your obvious choice is Fitbit Charge 5, as it supports iOS and Android. Apple Watch Series 3 is only compatible with iOS.

Fitbit Charge 5 vs. Apple Watch Series 3: Which should you buy?

Fitbit Charge 5 is a better value and offers more comprehensive health and fitness monitoring unless you need the smart features. It's much newer, so it's outfitted with the latest technology and hosts new sensors to help you stay on top of your health and track every part of your day.

Apple Watch Series 3 does offer media play, stream, and storage, as well as Siri and emergency SOS. However, it's dated, more expensive, and new updates eat up a lot of your internal storage space. Plus, it's only compatible with iOS, whereas Fitbit Charge 5 works with both iOS and Android.

The truth is, both of these wearables are capable of health and fitness tracking, but Fitbit Charge 5 features Fitbit's latest tech and advanced sensors for more comprehensive health and fitness monitoring. Fitbit Charge 5 is the right move.

What you need to know

• iOS 14.6 recommends that users completely reset their Apple Watch Series 3 when updating.
• It used to try to get users to free up space.

If you're still rocking an Apple Watch Series 3 you're going to have to completely restore your watch in order to update to the latest version of watchOS.

iOS 14.6, rather than recommending users to free up space by deleting content and apps, is now telling users to just unpair their Apple Watch and then re-pair it to their iPhone.

As reported by 9to5Mac,

At the beginning of the month, a report pointed out that attempting to update watchOS on the Series 3 was basically impossible without wiping it due to it only having 8GB of storage on the WiFi-only model.

It really seems that the Apple Watch Series 3 is poised to be replaced as the entry-level Apple Watch. We'll find out soon since Apple will announce watchOS 8 in a couple of weeks and reveal which Apple Watch models it is compatible with.

If you want an Apple Watch now and are wondering which one to buy, check out our list of the Best Apple Watch 2021.

The news that Apple Watch Series 3 is beginning to show its age began circulating yesterday when The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg wrote about the farce that was his attempt to update the software on his watch. And it's a prime example of Apple sometimes not knowing when it's time to put a device out to pasture.

Apple Watch Series 3 has been around for almost four years at this point and it sits at the bottom of the Apple Watch pyramid, riced at just $199. That's a bargain Apple Watch to be sure, but sometimes meeting a price point means you cut too many corners. The same goes for keeping older devices around, like is the case here.

See, updating any Apple Watch Series 3 is an issue, whether you bought it in 2017 or today. The cheap Apple Watch comes with just 8GB of storage which means getting a new version of watchOS onto it is a battle at best and an impossible one at worst.

Gartenberg then goes on to run through the process needed to update watchOS on an Apple Watch Series 3 and, amazingly, it involves resetting the whole device. Even more amazingly, that's what Apple tells users to do, too. Because 8GB of space isn't enough to run the watchOS update even with the most modest number of apps installed. And that's just bad.

Apple Watch Series 4 and newer all come with 16GB of storage and don't suffer from this issue. I appreciate that Apple kept its Series 3 model around to hit that sub-$200 price point. Bit if the experience is so shoddy, what are the chances anyone will want to upgrade and pay more for a new model?

Apple Watch Series 3 will no doubt go the way of the dodo later this year when Apple Watch Series 7 arrives. It should have been killed off last year at the latest.

What you need to know

• A new report shows how difficult updating an Apple Watch Series 3 is in 2021.
• The Verge tried updating the watch to watchOS 7.4.

Updated an Apple Watch Series 3 to watchOS 7.4 is a bit of a struggle.

As reported by The Verge, while Apple still sells the Apple Watch Series 3, trying to update it to the latest supported software is not an experience you would expect from a "current" Apple product.

The article goes on to explain the insanely long process of updating the Apple Watch Series 3 to watchOS 7.4, which Apple released to the public last week:

• Unpair and wipe your Apple Watch to factory settings
• Set up the Apple Watch again and restore from backup
• Realize you weren't supposed to restore from your backup yet
• Watch an episode or two of Brooklyn Nine-Nine while you wait for the backup to finish restoring
• Start from step one again — but as a brand-new Apple Watch, without restoring from an existing backup
• Update completely fresh Apple Watch, which now has enough free memory to update
• Consider how much you actually want to use this face unlocking feature everyone keeps hyping up in the first place
• Unpair and wipe the Apple Watch a third time
• Restore from your backup and finally use normally

According to the Apple Support website, Apple does not offer any other option, including clearing storage.

It is clear that, while Apple can technically claim that the Apple Watch Series 3 supports the most recent version of watchOS, the process to even update the software is clearly showing the age of the device. At this point, customers would most likely be better served by purchasing the more recently released Apple Watch SE.

Those looking to score a great Apple Watch deal might be best served by going for a previous-generation model. If you can snag a refurbished Apple Watch, you can often get an even better deal. Today only, Woot has a variety of refurbished models on sale from just $149.99 in various sizes and colors giving you the chance to save.

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Apple Watch Series 6 models are available for some of their best prices ever right now. The lowest price is on the red 40mm version which is $70 off with 44mm and cellular models seeing discounts of up to $91.

While Apple moved to the Apple Watch Series 6 late last year, the previous-gen models are still some of the best smartwatches on the market and make for great entry-level devices for those just trying out their first wearable.

Take the Apple Watch Series 3, for example. It might not have all the new features of the latest Apple Watch, but it's still a worthy pick — especially at today's prices. You can score 38mm models starting at $149.99 or 42mm models starting at $169.99.

In our best Apple Watch guide, we still give the Series 3 model the title of best budget option. While it may have a slightly smaller display and is missing a few of the newest features, it's still a premium smartwatch that puts most others to shame. At over 50% less than the Series 6, it's worth some serious consideration if you're looking to keep the price low.

Other devices in the sale include the Apple Watch Series 4 with its edge-to-edge and EKG capabilities from $239.99 and the previous-gen Apple Watch Series 5 from $289.99.

The devices at Woot are limited in supply, and some are already sold out, so don't miss out on the other models that still remain. All of the Apple Watch models are listed as refurbished condition which means they have been tested to ensure they work like new. Their batteries are at minimum 85% capacity, too. Each is backed by a 90-day warranty.

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It might lack the bells and whistles of the Apple Watch Series 6 or the S5 system-in-package of the Apple Watch SE, but the Apple Watch Series 3 is still a capable Apple Watch. Particularly if you're planning on using it primarily for fitness tracking, the Apple Watch Series 3 is a solid buy if you're just jumping into Apple's wearable ecosystem.

The Series 3 is already the cheapest Apple Watch you can get that Apple still makes, and that's before you add the Black Friday discounts from retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. It's subject to some of the best Black Friday Apple Watch deals that you'll find, marking it down well below its $200 starting price.

While the Apple Watch Series 3 is still a decent device, it's starting to look a little long in the tooth. It's already three years old, and there have been many advancements in the Apple Watch's chip design since it launched. It is, by no means, the best Apple Watch you can buy right now.

But if you want something newer and better, you don't have to make the leap all the way to the Apple Watch Series 6. That's because this year, Apple introduced a more middle-of-the-road watch, sitting between the older, entry-level Series 3 and the top-of-the-line Series 6. That would be the Apple Watch SE.

The Apple Watch SE features the more modern design of the Apple Watch Series 4 onwards, without as many features as the Apple Watch Series 6. In many ways, it more like an enhanced Apple Watch Series 3. For instance, it lacks the pulse oximeter of the Series 6 and the ECG hardware of the Series 4. However, it does have fall detection, just like the Series 4 onwards, but in technical capability, it's more like a faster version of the older watch than a stripped-down version of the best watch.

If you're concerned about the longevity of the Apple Watch Series 3, you should give the SE a look. It's also a part of the great Black Friday Apple Watch deals that you'll be able to find this year. And stay tuned for even more Black Friday Apple deals!

Last month, the 2019 Apple Watch Series 5 debuted with its new, always-on display, starting at $399 for the regular model and $499 for the cellular version. In my Apple Watch Series 5 review called it the world's best health and fitness tracker and motivator, connected communications and emergency contact band, and wearable computer platform — and now simply the best watch period.

At the same time, though, the 2017 Apple Watch Series 3 was also re-introduced, and at the lowest entry-level price ever — $199 for the regular model and $299 for the cellular. Sure, it's a low enough price that some original and Series 1 Apple Watch owners might be tempted to upgrade when they otherwise wouldn't. But, it's also a low enough price where I think a lot of people — the vast majority of people — who still haven't tried out an Apple Watch might decide to take the plunge for the first time. Especially during the holiday sales and gift-giving season.

So, the question becomes — is it worth it?

Apple Watch Series 3 in 2019: Design & Display

Apple Watch Series 3 was the last to bear the original design. By that, I mean the displays are slightly smaller, the bezels slightly bigger, the capsule of the casing not quite as flat feeling or sleek looking.

But, strap it on and light it up, and instantly it still looks pure sci-fi. Even if it's a little retro sci-fi now compared to the latest models.

It still comes in two sizes, which is great for people with both smaller and bigger wrists… and display needs. The smaller is 242 by 360 resolution at 38mm and the large, 312 by 390 resolution at 42mm.

The Series 3 displays are also OLED, which means deep, inky blacks that almost melt away into the big bezels, and rich, vibrant colors that pop right out. And RGB stripe, not PenTile like phones, which makes them look even sharper. It's not the same as the Apple Watch Series 4 and 5, which hit 324 by 394 pixels at 40mm and 368 and 448 pixels at 44mm. That gives the new small watch a display pretty much the size of the old big watch, the new big watch… well, even bigger.

Also, because the Series 3 display is square and not rounded, and smaller, it seems a bit cramped now compared to the 5. And, it is. For example, the Series 3 doesn't get all the new, fancy watch faces of the Series 4 and 5.

In some cases, that's no loss. Several of them are just special effects faces, like fire and water, designed entirely to show off the bigger watch faces.

In other cases, like with the infographs, the loss is more meaningful: You don't get all the richer, super-complications that provide higher information density. And that's something I've come to depend on as my daily dashboard while at work, for example.

You do get the same 1000 nits brightness on both Series 3 and Series 5, though, so the display remains legible even under fairly aggressive sunlight.

But you don't get the always-on display of the Series 5 which, instead of turning off when you're not interacting with it, simply abides in a dimmer, lower-power state, but in a way that you can still glance at it and see the time, even complications or workout data, without having to raise or tap to wake it.

For me that makes the watch functional as a watch, but others seem not to like or want it, so it may make no real difference to you.

The physical casing for the Series 3 isn't just smaller than the Series 5 either, it's ever so slightly thicker. Less than a millimeter, but it does end up feeling not quite as flat on the wrist and a bit more capsule-like.

Also, because Apple is only selling the aluminum version of the Series 3, it's only available with Ion-X, or ion exchange glass. That's a fancy name for the chemically hardened glass Apple uses to reduce the likelihood of scratch, scuffs, and breaks, including on all of the iPhones.

If you want the even tougher sapphire crystal, you'll have to move up to the Apple Watch Series 5 and the higher-end materials like steel, titanium, or ceramic, or the special partnership watches like Nike or Hermes to get it.

I have gotten a few scratches and scuffs on my glass Apple watches over the years but nothing that I can see when the display is lit up or even really notice unless I hold them up to the light and look for them.

It also has an original, physical crown instead of the new, haptic crown of the Apple Watch Series 5. The feeling is a little different, at least when the watch is powered on, but the effect is the same. Turn it and the app or interface element scrolls in that direction.

The really cool thing is, though, that Apple Watch Series 3 is compatible with all Apple Watch bands going back to the original and up to the most recent ones released this fall.

That includes the sport bands and loops, metal Milanese, leather buckle and sold-separately Hermes.

Small to small, large to large, even though the case sizes have changed, the groove and lug sizes have remained the same.

So, if bands matter most to you, you have exactly the same options, even with the Apple Watch 3.

Apple Watch Series 3 in 2019: Health and Fitness

Apple Watch Series 3 has most of the same health and fitness features as the Series 5. That includes activity rings, so you can keep up with meeting or exceeding your stand, movement, and exercise goals every day.

The coaching and encouragement mechanisms have gotten better and better over time but the simple, satisfying nature of seeing those rings close towards the end of the day.

The Series 3 is also properly water-proof to 50mm, so you can track all your swims, as well as walks, runs, cycles, wheels, all of that. And it's got a biometric altimeter to measure elevation for your stairs, hikes, and climbs, and an optical heart rate sensor, not only for accurate calorie counts, but for low, high, and irregular heart rate notifications.

It doesn't have the electrical heart rate sensor of the Series 5, though, so it can't use the ECG app, even where available, and it doesn't have the newer generation sensors needed for fall detection either, so you can't get those alerts.

When Apple introduced those features last year, I immediately got the Series 4 for my immediate family. Fall detection itself was just that important for me. And, earlier this year, when one of them fell down the stairs and it went off, it was immediately worth it.

Also, while the Series 3 does have Emergency SOS, so you can call for help if your iPhone isn't in reach, or even around if you have the cellular model, it doesn't have the new modem with international SOS calling, even if you don't have a local cell plan.

So, if you want all the potentially life-saving features Apple Watch has to offer, you're going to want the Series 5.

But, if what you're looking for exercise, activity monitoring, coaching and encouragement, and workouts, the Series 3 offers pretty much everything you'll need.

Apple Watch Series 3 in 2019: Power & Performance

Beyond the cool faces and features, the Apple Watch is a full-on wrist computer. It can run all the apps in the Apple Watch Store, and it has some cutting-edge silicon inside. Yeah, silicon. In a watch.

There's an S3 system-in-package, which is like a whole computer in a chip. It's dual-core and 70 percent faster than the previous generation S2. It also enables voice-activated Siri.

Apple's also pretty much the only company making cutting-edge silicon for wrist computers so, while it's hard to tell exactly, I wouldn't be surprised if the S3 in the Series 3 is still leaps and bounds ahead of what other smartwatches are using.

The S5 SIP in the Apple Watch Series 5 is even more capable, of course — fully 64-bit, and 50 percent faster again than the S3. It also has a built-in compass which makes things like walking directions in maps just that much better, and a new W3 chip that improves on the W2 in the Series 3, making wireless work even faster and more efficiently.

They both have the same Wi-Fi capabilities, up to 802.11n at 2.4Ghz, but while the Series 5 has Bluetooth 5, the Series 3 tops out at Bluetooth 4.2.

So, Series 3 doesn't quite have the same range, speed, and efficiency over Bluetooth but, practically, you may not notice much difference.

The Series 3 also has 16 GB of storage to the 32 GB now in the Series 5. If you want to keep a lot of music, podcasts, or audiobook local on your wrist, that's something to consider as well.

Still, both are rated for the same 18 hours of battery life. But, in my experience, it really depends on how much you use it. Make a few calls, do a few workouts, and you'll have to recharge far more often. Do almost nothing, and it could last you overnight and until lunch.

Ultimately, though, while they both get the same battery life, the Apple Watch Series 5 can just do more things with it — the always-on display chief among them.

Apple Watch Series 3 can also run the brand new watchOS 6, of course, with its new calculator, audio book, activity trends, and cycle tracking, and more. I'm going to do a separate video on that, but it includes the new on-device App Store so you can download right onto the Series 3, no iPhone needed.

And, given that Apple is currently supporting watchOS 6 all the way back to the 2016 Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2, there's a good chance they'll keep on supporting Apple Watch Series 3 until at least watchOS 8, if not 9.

Apple Watch Series 3 in 2019: Conclusion

The Apple Watch Series 5 is legit amazing. But it starts at $399 for Wi-Fi + GPS and $499 for cellular. That's why, at the last Apple Event, when they announced the Series 3 was dropping to $199 for Wi-Fi + GPS and $299 for cellular, I was almost more excited. It was the same excitement I felt when Apple announced the 9.7-inch iPad — now 10.2-inch iPad — for $329.

Prices go up. It's what they do. And the price of the very top end of Apple's product lines has been rising as steadily as their feature sets. Average selling prices have largely stayed the same, even if they peak and valley from year to year, but the big stickers are the ones that stick out and get all the attention.

So, when you see a new entry-level, especially when it has a price like the Apple Watch Series 3, it has an equal and opposite effect. It makes the technology feel affordable and attainable to everyone.

Tech media obsesses about upgrades, especially year-over-year upgrades that increasingly just aren't the norm. People who do that tend to pre-order; they're already taken care of. But, like I said at the beginning, the vast majority of people don't even have an Apple Watch yet, any Apple Watch, and Series 3 starting $199 might just be the thing that changes that.

And, in that case, I'd say pretty much exactly the same thing. At $199, the Series 3 is a hell of a deal, and could potentially get even better as we roll into the holiday shopping season depending on how competitive the big retailers get.

So much so that, even tech enthusiasts who already ordered their Series 5 may just start looking at Series 3 for the rest of their families.

And sure, if for you and yours, the Series 3 is what gets your attention but you ultimately decide the bigger, always-on display, and especially those potentially life-savings features like fall detection, ECG, and international SOS, are worth the extra cost, that's totally cool.

Otherwise, even in 2019, Apple Watch Series 3 is still one of the best health and fitness trackers and motivators, connected communications and emergency contact bands, and wearable computer platforms in the world. That's why, starting at $199, I expect it to fly off the shelves and into a lot of new lives this year.

When your iPhone isn't nearby, you can still connect to a Wi-Fi network on your Apple Watch. To get started, you'll need watchOS 5 or later installed on your wearable device.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi network on Apple Watch

Note: When your iPhone is near, your Apple Watch will automatically connect to the same Wi-Fi or cellular network, when applicable. These directions are used when the Apple Watch isn't in the same location as iPhone.

1. Tap on the Digital Crown on Apple Watch.
2. Open the Settings app.
3. Tap Wi-Fi.

4. Tap the name of the network that you want to join from the list of available networks. Your Apple Watch can only connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks.
5. If necessary, enter the network password using Scribble.
6. Tap Join.

You can use Scribble in these languages: English (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), French (France and Canada), German, and Italian.

Forgetting a Wi-Fi network on Apple Watch

Like on iPhone, you can have your device forget a Wi-Fi network on your wearable device.

1. Tap on the Digital Crown on Apple Watch.
2. Open the Settings app.
3. Tap Wi-Fi.

4. Select the name of the network you're connected to.
5. Tap Forget This Network.

Are you connected?

To see if you're connected to a Wi-Fi network on your Apple Watch:

1. Tap your Apple Watch or press one of its buttons to wake it up.
2. On your Apple Watch's watch face, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center.

The Wi-Fi icon is at the top right. When it's green, you're connected to a Wi-Fi network. Otherwise, you are not.

Try some new bands

Looking for a new Apple Watch band? Check out two of our favorites:

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro band and case ($18 at Amazon)

Supcase makes wonderfully protective cases for phones and the Apple Watch alike, and this case and band combo is made of sturdy silicone and hard plastic, protecting your Apple Watch from the elements, as well as bumps and scratches.

Woven nylon band with buckle ($22 at Amazon)

This comfortable woven nylon band features the durable and long-lasting NATO (G10) strap design, which has a buckle and is built for all-day wear. The connectors are black steel so that they blend in seamlessly.

Any other questions about Apple Watch and Wi-Fi?

Let us know below.

Updated July 2019: Updated for latest watchOS version.

I've been an active Apple Watch user for 260 days. Not a lot compared to some of the Watch veterans here at iMore, but enough for me to know a fair bit about the strengths and weaknesses of the platform throughout my daily use. I'm largely a fan of the way Apple does things on the Watch, but like most smartwatch owners I find myself never truly happy with display performance in daylight or the battery after a day of constant use. Neither are easy problems to solve, and the watches offering solutions to date have compromised in other areas which make them downright unpleasant to wear in my opinion.

The folks at Mobvoi got my attention recently with its TicWatch Pro, a watch running Google's Wear OS promising between five and thirty days of battery life in certain modes and and a special display which works perfectly even in direct sunlight. After a week of using this new watch, I find myself ready to call TicWatch Pro the best Wear OS watch I have ever used. But compared directly to my Apple Watch, the title of best overall is less easily won.

So much more than round vs square

Any time you compare anything to the Apple Watch, the initial wave of reactions are the same. People on Twitter, in droves, respond to photos of the two watches side by side with a comment about how round displays actually look like watches and are therefore better. I think it's clear by Apple's sales record with the Watch so far that not as many people care about round vs square as these folks might think, but it remains a talking point int he general public. Personally, the physical shape of either watch doesn't impact me one way or the other. I've never really worn traditional watches, and I don't wear a TicWatch Pro or an Apple Watch to tell me the time. These are tiny computers I wear on my wrist to give me a deeper look into my digital self. From acting as a trusty notification dumpster to giving me fitness information, and everything in between. I don't need these things to look like watches, so I don't really care about the shape.

What I will say is, because the TicWatch Pro is round, it feels noticeably larger on my wrist than the Apple Watch. TicWatch Pro isn't appreciably thicker or taller, but the design feels roughly the same as it does when I'm wearing a leather cuff watch band on my Apple Watch. Since I wear a cuff-style band frequently, the size of the TicWatch Pro doesn't feel particularly big. But on those with smaller wrists, or those who prefer the smaller of the two Apple Watches, the difference will be significant.

TicWatch Pro and Apple Watch both have a pair of buttons for use on the side, but only Apple's watch has a rotating crown. I admit I almost never use the rotating crown on my Apple Watch, but those who take advantage of not needing to rub your finger on the display are going to notice it missing on the TicWatch. The secondary button on the TicWatch Pro is entirely programmable though, which I really enjoyed. I like having a shortcut to Strava on my watch, and the physical button is more convenient for me than adding a Complication to one of the Apple Watch faces.

The main event in comparing these two watches is the display. Apple's third generation Watch display is impressive, but the TicWatch Pro display is on an entirely different level functionally. It's called a "dual layer" display, with one layer being a fairly standard-looking round AMOLED display. That second layer is using Film compensated Super Twisted Nematic (FSTN) LCD tech, and it exists specifically to deliver high contract black and white displays at much wider viewing angles than anything else. And wow does it work well. This secondary display is on when the AMOLED display is off, which means when I'm on my bike I can glance down and my wrist and there's actually information I care about there. I don't have to lift my arm from the handlebars, or from my keyboard while typing, to gain access to the information I want.

When I do lift my wrist to see the full color display, the time it takes for the watch to transition from FSTN LCD to AMOLED is about the same wait time it takes for the Apple Watch to wake up when I life my wrist. Which is to say it's not as fast as I would prefer but it get the job done. There's never a time when the display is unresponsive, and if my wrist is still I can push a button in the bezel or touch the display to wake it as well, but there's never a time when some amount of information is being displayed on this watch and I'm a fan of that.

The other thing of note regarding the hardware is the method of charging. Both of these watches require you to use a fairly proprietary dock to charge the watch, but by nature of its popularity the Apple Watch charger is significantly easier to replace when you need to. The charger for the TicWatch Pro is also a pin-based charger instead of the smooth magnetic-seal wireless charger Apple is using. I personally prefer Apple's charger in general, but the use of pins instead of a fully wireless set up on the TicWatch is a real shame. Other Wear OS watches with wireless charging have been found to work with a host of third-party chargers, and it would have been nice to see this watch do the same.

Apps, watch faces, gestures, and everything in between

These little wrist computers need to earn that spot on my wrist, and for me that means delivering information when I want it and leaving me alone the rest of the time. While watchOS and Wear OS both have great notification controls to keep apps from pestering me when I'm busy, and Theater or Do Not Disturb modes when I really don't want to feel that vibration at my wrist, delivering information is another thing entirely.

Apple doesn't allow third-party developers to build faces for watchOS. The options you get from Apple are what you have available to you, and nearly all of them can be adjusted by adding Complications with additional information or links to apps you want shortcuts to. This is fine, but it means I'm only ever going to use the Activity Rings face on my Apple Watch. That is the information I care about the most, and this face is the only way to show that information with the detail I like. Wear OS takes a different approach, letting just about anyone make a face for these watches. It means I have access to my body tracking data in many different formats, with a ton of visual flourish. I like having access to so many options, though very few of these third-party faces have any customization options at all which is just limiting in a different way.

Both Wear OS and watchOS do a great job delivering me notification I can interact with, but only Wear OS makes that interactivity possible with just my wrist. Gesture controls in Wear OS remain one of the biggest strong points the platform has, especially when I'm on my bike. Being able to dismiss a notification with a flick of my wrist, or scroll further into a text message with a simple wrist twist, is tremendously convenient. It means I don't have to slow down, and don't have to take my other hand away from its task. This is something Apple really should implement sooner rather than later, especially as the watchOS platform continues to offer features for fitness-focused folks, because it makes a huge difference in how convenient a lot of features actually are.

Apple's biggest strength against Google right now with its Watch platform is popularity. Developers know watchOS is where the people are, and that's where the energy for optimizing third-party apps goes. Strava on Wear OS is a prime example. The watchOS counterpart displays an order of magnitude more useful information about my ride while I'm moving, and is generally more stable for things like auto-pausing. The Wear OS app straight up isn't very good, which is a shame. Wear OS apps in general are at least a generation behind watchOS when it comes to things like optimizations for information density and battery performance.

On the subject of battery performance, a few notes about that exciting "5-30 day" experience on the TicWatch Pro. Mobvoi includes these numbers on the box with a caveat, it only really applies to when the watch is in one of two low power modes. These special modes turn off the color display and leave you with the always-on LCD, effectively blocking you access to most of the things which make the watch useful. While it is amazing that I can flip the watch into these low power modes and know it will still function for much longer than a day or two, the battery drain when you're actually using the watch is almost identical to the Apple Watch. I get a little over two full days out of it if I'm not using it for much, but 4-5 hours on my bike with Strava running will cut the battery down to 50% with no problem.

Finally, virtual assistants. To be perfectly honest, the less said about Siri on the Watch the better. I know things are going to be much better in the next generation of watchOS, but Google Assistant is more capable in every possible way on the TicWatch Pro. That's another one of those things that can be a big deal when you don't want to reach for your phone because you're driving and want that hands-free experience. I will say that, in comparing the two side by side, the microphones on the Apple Watch did a noticeably better job translating my speech to text when outdoors.

Which should you buy? It depends

Apple Watch is almost always the best experience for people who live entirely in the Apple ecosystem. It meshes better with its software, and the level of polish in the overall Apple experience can't be discounted. But if you lean into the Google ecosystem from your iPhone, and a MacBook isn't your primary computer, and you're not especially slender in the wrist, the TicWatch Pro is the first general non-Apple watch I've been genuinely happy using with my iPhone. The layered display tech is exceptional, the size is just right for my needs, and while the apps aren't all as functional as I'd like there's a lot to love about the Wear OS ecosystem.

If you're not totally sold on an Apple Watch and want something a little different, I don't think there's a better place to spend your $250.

See at Amazon

"Hey Russell, what Apple Watch strap is that?" - Check out the $16 Nickwea Apple Watch cuff on Amazon!

Yep, that's right: the Apple Watch with LTE isn't just for customers of big national wireless carriers anymore. Two popular regional carriers have been added to Apple's official Apple Watch roster, giving potential Apple Watch owners more options to choose from in the US.

Now, in addition to the ability to choose AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon, users can also opt to go with either U.S. Cellular or C Spire.

C Spire — serving Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Memphis — initially announced that it would begin carrying the Series 3 Apple Watch with cellular on Tuesday, just in time for Father's Day. The wearable is available in stores and on C Spire's website, and for a limited time you can get 50% off your watch with the purchase of an eligible iPhone. What's more, the company is offering three-month introductory cellular trials on its 4G LTE network to get those interested in both C Spire service and the Apple Watch Series 3 started. After the trial ends, the plan will cost $10 a month on iPhone 6 and later devices.

U.S. Cellular, on the other hand, was pretty quietly added to Apple's carrier list and has yet to list the Apple Watch Series 3 or any related information on its website. However, the Chicago-based company is nothing to sneeze at — it has over five million customers across 23 different states — so it's likely that a big announcement is on the horizon for it as well.

Apple recently announced watchOS 5 at WWDC earlier this month, and many are expecting Apple Watch Series 4 to be introduced at an Apple event a bit later this year.

Thoughts?

Are you a customer of either of the regional carriers newly-added to the Apple Watch roster? If so, are you thinking of taking the plunge now that you can? Share in the comments below!

Your Apple Watch is an incredibly resilient piece of technology. It has to be! Not only will folks take their Apple Watches for the occasional swim or dip in the dish-filled sink, it spends quite a bit of its time pressed against your oil-laden, sweat-covered skin. Over time, you'll find that your Apple Watch gets coated in all kinds of grub and grime but it doesn't have to stay that way! With a bit of elbow grease and just a few moments of your time, you can have a sparkling clean Apple Watch again!

• How to clean your Apple Watch
• How to clean your Apple Watch's Digital Crown
• How to clean your Apple Watch bands

How to clean your Apple Watch

Before we begin, I want to point out that Apple says you should avoid using soap, cleaning products, abrasive materials, compressed air, and heating devices (like a hair dryer) when you clean your Apple Watch. That said, I've used mild cleaning products and soap to clean a number of Apple devices without issue. I would suggest avoiding abrasive materials and heating devices at all costs. Apple explains why:

Unless you've got a seriously grimy Apple Watch, all you're going to need is a microfiber cloth and some water.

Do not clean your Apple Watch while it's connected to the charger. Fresh, purified water — especially distilled water — is your best choice for cleaning your Apple Watch. Purified waters contain less chemical compounds (other than H₂O) so they're far less likely to interfere with the electrical components of your Apple Watch.

1. Turn off your Apple Watch.
2. Dampen your (nonabrasive) microfiber cloth with some water and wipe clean your Apple Watch.
3. Dry your Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth.

How to clean your Apple Watch's Digital Crown

If you've ever gone to spin the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch only to find it resisting movement or sticking, this is how you remedy the situation!

1. Turn off your Apple Watch.
2. Turn on your faucet and adjust the temperature until the water is warm.
3. Hold the Digital Crown under the stream of water for about 10 to 15 seconds. If you've got a leather band on your Apple Watch, remove it before sticking your Watch in the water. Nylon, metal, and fluoroelastomer bands are fine.
4. While it's under the stream of water, turn and press the Digital Crown. As long as water is running between the space in between your Apple Watch's housing and the Digital Crown, you should be able to dislodge any debris with this technique.
5. Dry your Apple Watch with a microfiber cloth.

If you've got a stainless steel Apple Watch and need to do some deep cleaning, check out this piece from my colleague Daniel Bader:

How to clean, buff, and remove scratches from your stainless steel Apple Watch

How to clean your Apple Watch bands

Just like the Apple Watch itself, your Apple Watch bands are likely to get grimy over time — especially if they're porous. You can give your bands a nice, thorough cleaning with these techniques!

In the interest of limiting wear and tear or accidental damage, Apple is pretty conservative in its suggestions for cleaning your Apple Watch bands. Here's what the company recommends:

In my experience, a lightly dampened cloth was not enough to clean away the dirt, lint, and grime that collected on my most worn band (a black woven nylon band that, sadly, Apple doesn't offer anymore). With the knowledge that it runs counter to Apple's official recommendations for cleaning your bands, here's what I do to clean my nylon Apple Watch bands (for metal and leather bands, I adhere to Apple's guidelines).

1. Gather your supplies:
   • Some paper towels
   • Your nylon Apple Watch bands
   • A bowl
   • Warm water
   • A spare toothbrush with soft bristles
   • Mild soap
2. Add the warm water and a touch of mild soap to the bowl.
3. Drop your nylon Apple Watch bands in the warm water and allow them to sink to the bottom of the bowl.
4. Remove your nylon Apple Watch bands from the bowl shortly after they sink to the bottom (this means they're saturated with water).
5. Place your nylon Apple Watch bands on the paper towel(s) and gently brush the surface of your bands with the soft-bristle toothbrush.
6. Repeat steps 3 - 5 for particularly pesky grime.
7. Dry your nylon Apple Watch bands by patting them with a dry paper towel (do not scrub).
8. Allow your nylon Apple Watch bands to air dry (can take up to several hours).

Questions?

That's all it takes to get your Apple Watch and Apple Watch bands so fresh and so clean (clean). If you have any questions about the process, be sure to leave a comment!

The Apple Watch is one of the best wearables on the market for tracking your health and having core smartphone features on your wrist, but — like any frequently-used technology — the more exposed it is to the outside world, the likelier it is to have problems down the line.

RECALLS: Certain Series 2 Apple Watches may be eligible for free repairs or replacements if they have swollen batteries; read our section on service programs, recalls, and free repairs for more information.

If you're having difficulty using your Apple Watch due to a broken screen, jammed Digital Crown, swollen battery, bad band unlock mechanism, and more, here are your options for getting your watch back up and ticking.

• How to repair your Apple Watch yourself
• How to get Apple to repair or replace your Apple Watch
• What is Apple's Express Replacement Service for Apple Watch?
• Apple Watch Series 2's battery swelling replacements: What you need to know

How to repair your Apple Watch yourself

Are your Apple Watch problems software-based? Before you call AppleCare, there are a few steps you can take to try and troubleshoot a malfunctioning wristwatch. And if they're hardware based, there are a few guides and companies who can help you repair your watch yourself.

Running into cellular or Wi-Fi connection problems? Slow apps? Malfunctioning displays? Here are some of our favorite tricks for troubleshooting your Apple Watch and getting it back to normal.

How to troubleshoot your Apple Watch

It's a fact of life: Dirt, dust, lint, and grime will get into any device you regularly use out in the open — especially one that you wear on your wrist. If your screen is getting gross, your bands are getting dirty, or your hardware buttons have stopped being quite so responsive, you can clean your Apple Watch in a few easy steps.

• How to clean your Apple Watch
• How to clean, buff, and remove scratches from your stainless steel Apple Watch
• Best ways to protect the Apple Watch while working out
• How to swap out your Apple Watch band

This isn't the first thing we'd recommend: Apple Watch repairs are incredibly tricky and should only be attempted if you already have a solid DIY foundation. That said, if you're in a jam and the Apple Store's service pricing is too expensive — or will take too long — you can do certain repairs yourself, including screen replacement. Currently, iFixit has the best Apple Watch repair guides out there; check their repository if you're considering going the DIY route.

iFixit's Guides on Repairing Your Apple Watch Yourself

How to get Apple to repair or replace your Apple Watch

Run out of self-troubleshooting options? It may be time to talk to an Apple Authorized Service Professional or Apple Support. If your Apple Watch needs a hardware repair, you have two options in the Apple Support ecosystem: under warranty, or out of warranty.

For any of these options, you'll need any of the following three items:

• Your Apple Watch
• Your Apple Watch Serial Number
• Original proof of purchase

If you're under your original warranty (one year for Apple Watch, Sport, and Niké models; two years for Edition and Hermès), you'll be able to get service for any manufacturing defects, batteries that hold less than 80% of a charge or are unnaturally swollen, and screen cracks from manufacturing defects. Your base-model warranty doesn't cover accidental damage to the screen or water damage.

If you picked up AppleCare+, you're covered for up to two years on the standard warranty, as well as two incidents of accidental damage for $69 (or $79 for Hermès and Edition) each.

AppleCare+ also gives its subscribers the benefit of Express Replacement Service: If you have a malfunctioning or broken Apple Watch but don't want to lose your exercise streaks or go without while your smartwatch is being repaired, Apple will send you a replacement watch immediately, along with a box and shipping label to mail your malfunctioning watch back to Apple.

There are a few caveats here: Your replacement watch can't have engraving, for one. In addition, Apple will place a hold on your credit card for the replacement value of the watch until you return your old watch; you'll also need to return that watch within 10 days to avoid paying late fees. And if the watch is unrepairable and not a manufacturing defect, you may be charged an accidental damage fee.

Non-AppleCare+ users can take advantage of Express Replacement Service, too, but it'll cost you an out-of-warranty service fee (which varies from $199-$2800, depending on the device).

Apple's Express Replacement Service Pricing

If you're out of warranty, pricing varies depending on the type of repair needed for your Apple Watch.

In the United States, battery replacement service costs $79, no matter which Apple Watch Series you own. The out-of-warranty service fees vary a bit more, with low-end Series 1 and 2 watches costing $199, and Edition watches $800-$2800.

There is a third way to get your Apple Watch repaired: if it qualifies under one of Apple's public or internal service programs. Currently, Apple has a service program open for 42mm Series 2 Apple Watch models that may be experiencing swollen batteries or do not power on. As reported by MacRumors, the program is currently open to users in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and likely other countries as well.

This isn't the first time Apple has offered an extended repair period or waived costs for swollen Apple Watch batteries: It did the same for Series 0 Apple Watch models (both 38mm and 42mm) for up to three years after the original date of purchase.

All 42mm Apple Watch Series 2 models less than three years old are eligible for this program, including Sport, Nike+, Steel, Edition, and Hermès.

If you already paid for an Apple Watch out-of-service battery repair, you can contact Apple Support to inquire about a refund.

1. Open a support ticket for your Apple Watch on Apple's website.
2. Choose the Bring in for Repair option to find a local Apple Store or Authorized Service Provider to repair or replace your watch. You can alternatively choose to Talk to Apple Support Now, and set up an Express Replacement Service.

• How to exchange or repair your Apple product if you don't have an Apple store near you

Questions about repairing or replacing your Apple Watch?

Let us know in the comments.

Apple Watch and your Mac (2013 and newer) can work together to keep everything on your computer a little more secure thanks to watchOS's Auto Unlock: It lets you automatically unlock your Mac (no passcode needed) if you have your watch on and unlocked.

But if you have an Apple Watch Series 3, you'll need to upgrade your computer to macOS High Sierra for this feature to work properly — at least for the time being.

Why? The Series 3 Apple Watch uses the company's newly designed W2 wireless chip; it makes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth faster and more efficient, but requires updated software on the Mac so that the two devices can talk to each other.

Currently, the W2 chip is only supported in macOS High Sierra, which means that any Mac you might want to use with your Apple Watch is going to need the update to function correctly.

But what if you don't want to upgrade to High Sierra? Unfortunately, we don't currently have a roadmap for when this software tweak might arrive on older versions of the software (in the form of a security update, most likely). As far as we can tell, there's no technical reason why Sierra wouldn't be able to receive a patch to let it interface with Series 3 — both macOS 10.12 and 10.13 support the same computer models. More likely: This update fell down the priority list in the wake of other, more potentially destructive macOS bugs.

If you need to continue using Sierra for app-related reasons — or you're a little wary of upgrading given the aforementioned destructive macOS bugs — you can still use Auto Unlock if you feel like partitioning your drive: That way, you can keep some of your work in a Sierra-only space, but get the everyday benefits of using High Sierra on the other partition.

How to create a partition on your Mac

Otherwise, it's about playing the waiting game. There are still plenty of great things you can do with your Series 3 Apple Watch — but if you have macOS Sierra, unlocking won't be one of them just yet.

Updated March 2018: Added the latest information about Series 3 and macOS Sierra.

Before Apple's official Series 3 Apple Watch announcement in September, I admit: I was concerned. As a devout fan of Apple's 38mm casing size, I didn't love the rumors over LTE connectivity. LTE networking is hard and battery-draining, and every other manufacturer on the market who's tried it has been forced to make big, clunky watches that look more like 1980s ideals of wrist-connected technology than actual watches for humans without 6'4"-sized wrists.

Would Apple abandon 38mm users in its quest to chase after the "true" dream — the watch as a stand-alone product? Or would it include 38mm users but destroy the user experience? Could it actually make LTE useful on the small watch?

Apple's official on-stage debut and our subsequent hands on time allayed my fears for a few days, but then early reviews of the Series 3 started trickling in with concerns over connectivity. While the vast majority of those problems seem to be related to a Wi-Fi bug, it still left me uneasy.

I've now been able to test the 38mm Series 3 LTE model for 48 hours, and I have a few thoughts about all of this. Like many of our other iMore reviews, this is a living document — I plan to update this again in about a month with more longterm testing notes and observations, but for those of you curious about my initial observations, feelings, and questions over Apple Watch Series 3 — read on (or watch below!).

See at Apple

Let's talk tiny watches (and why they're so hard)

I want to start with a statement that has been true since 2015: Apple is currently the only company in this space innovating on full-featured smartwatches below 42mm.

There are lots of smartwatches out in the world. Pretty much every fashion company, tech manufacturer, or fitness company has at least one device they're marketing as some sort of "smartwatch," but not a single one of them is actively thinking about a full-featured watch for anyone whose wrist size doesn't look great with a 44mm circular frame.

And just to go on a quick tangent here — I don't bring this up to pit women vs men, or style preferences. There are plenty of women who like big watches and men who like small ones. But in practice, the big "boyfriend"-style watches of the fashion world are worn rather loose on the wrist. You can't make that work on a smartwatch if you want accurate fitness data. As such, if you're a smaller-wristed person, your options have largely been "use a smart band with limited performance options," "wear a gigantic sundial strapped tightly to your wrist," or buy an Apple Watch.

I also say this to point out that Apple never had to make a 38mm watch. Its competitors all think that market doesn't need to be served by anything beyond a bracelet-style fitness band; they haven't even tried to produce a watch in that sizing bracket — largely because trying to shrink the components down to that size while still getting good battery life is hard. Adding LTE? That's just crazy talk.

I suspect that one of the reasons Apple went with a rectangular face rather than a round one when first making the Apple Watch has to do with the 38mm — the same general size in a circular model is a vastly harder engineering problem.

Apple could have easily dropped support for the 38mm watch after its first generation, and the greater tech community wouldn't have batted an eye: "It got terrible battery life in comparison to the 42mm." "Who wears that thing, anyway?" "The screen is so small!"

But the company didn't stop making the 38mm. Instead, it doubled down on making the size actually useable. The Series 2 had proper all-day battery life for its smaller watch, all while keeping feature parity with its 42mm sibling.

I wear and champion the 38mm because of this: It's a triumph in technology that Apple, every year, fits everything it needs to in this casing size without compromising on features. The company could have easily announced LTE as a 42mm-only perk this year, much as Portrait mode is limited to iPhone Plus.

But it didn't. The company figured out how to embed its LTE radio around the screen of the Apple Watch to fix its space problem and offer LTE to both models.

Are there compromises you'll get by wearing a 38mm over 42? Absolutely. You lose out on battery life and a larger screen, and third-party app interfaces don't always consider the smaller watch when making touch targets.

But by and large, the 38mm and 42mm models are identical to the end user — and this is why, for all of Apple's rough waters in making LTE work for Apple Watch, I applaud the company for giving a damn and trying to make this work.

The Apple Watch isn't in its perfect, final form yet with Series 3, but because Apple is forcing itself to innovate here, I can easily foresee a time when it will be — all while the rest of the industry sits and twiddles its thumbs, claiming that no one will buy smaller sizes, so why even try?

But I do. And so, I suspect, do millions of others.

On that Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity bug

Before I get into the rest of my review, we should probably talk about the elephant in the room: The Series 3's reported LTE and cellular problems. Here's what I can say for sure, after my tests.

The good news is that the issues reported can be tweaked or fixed by software — this isn't a hardware problem, which means it's infinitely easier to solve for the end user. And Apple's teams are likely working weekends at this point to make sure that the LTE watch experience improves.

That said, there's definitely a Wi-Fi bug. I ran into it on Friday while riding Amtrak; when I switched watches, rather than my Series 3 watch hopping on cellular, it attempted to grab the Amtrak captive network. A quick "toggle Airplane mode on and off again" seemed to right its senses, which I'll recommend to anyone else currently having problems.

This is an unfortunate issue, and I'm rather disappointed in Apple for catching it so late in the process — especially because I'm sure older Apple Watches have been falling prey to this bug for years, but no one noticed because they wrote the cloud Wi-Fi support off as finicky.

I certainly did. I've been complaining upwards of a year about Apple not having a way to enter Wi-Fi passwords or interstitials, but I was primarily thinking about new networks — it didn't even occur to me that memorized captive networks might trip up the Apple Watch.

But it's not my job to catch those bugs. It's Apple's. And because the company didn't, it's a huge black mark that tarnishes an otherwise exciting launch.

Now, aside from that bug, have I found any other gaping problems with LTE on the Apple Watch? Not personally. I've tested the watch wandering through NYC, various parks, Amtrak, a Faraday-cage-like hotel with no cellular service, and New England over the last two days — including a particularly ill-advised experiment in putting my iPhone's SIM card into a Samsung phone to make the Apple Watch work for Android users — with no LTE problems whatsoever.

But that said, your mileage may vary. With various carriers, service areas, and everything else that goes into cellular signals, I'm not surprised to see early reviewers having issues. Add in the fact that the watch wants to stay connected to your iPhone or a Wi-Fi network as long as possible before switching to LTE (to keep from unnecessarily draining your battery by looking for a cellular signal), and you have the perfect recipe for potential problems.

Do these make the LTE watch a bad buy, or unusable? Depends on your use case. As I said, I've been using mine for the last few days without issue. But if you've logged into a lot of captive Wi-Fi networks (like Starbucks or Panera) on your iPhone in areas you frequent, you may have weird connectivity while using the watch without an iPhone present until Apple pushes a bug fix.

If you do run into cellular connectivity issues on the watch, there's at least a pretty simple fix: Toggle Airplane mode on and off on your Apple Watch. This will disconnect everything and reboot your cellular antenna, allowing the device to grab onto a new signal. (It's a trick I've used for years when having cellular problems with my iPhone, and now, I suppose, for my watch.)

Perhaps the best praise I can give is that when it works, it feels seamless — something the Apple Watch has always had problems with in the past when pulling data from the iPhone.

Siri queries have improved across the board for watchOS 4 users, but when they're LTE-powered, they feel almost like magic. I frequently got answers to my questions almost before I finished asking them, and the Siri voice is a lovely little chirp in my ears without being too grating. (You can always turn off the feature if you dislike it.)

watchOS 4 has definitely made the Series 2 snappier at quick responses, especially once Siri has been asked an initial query. But on more complex questions, the Series 3 Apple Watch's LTE powers shine.

Directions is a big one. On Series 2 and older, asking for directions directly on the watch was often a crapshoot — sometimes it would work; sometimes the watch wouldn't even load your current location, let alone anything else in the Maps ecosystem.

Series 3 is still slower than I'd like in the directions-seeking department, but it found driving directions to Apple Park from NYC within a minute and a half; in contrast, I waited a minute and a half more for my Series 2 watch (paired to a different iPhone) to try and resolve the same identical query, and eventually gave up.

Calls are crystal clear, and both cellular and FaceTime audio connections work without problem — though they're both battery hogs, eating up anywhere from 5-15% of your power capacity on 5-20 minute calls. I am slightly curious as to which burns more battery (FaceTime or cellular), and it's something I plan to test soon.

There are still queries Siri can't accomplish, which is doubly frustrating when you're away from your iPhone. You can't take a note, for example, or use any of the third-party Siri integration options. (The lack of Lyft support is particularly grating: Even if Siri can't interpret "call a Lyft" into the third-party Siri framework, it should at least be able to open the Lyft app for me to use.) If you ask a query that requires your iPhone even if you're away from your device, the watch will still ask you to "Continue on iPhone," though it has no way of actually accomplishing that task. (Whoops.)

That said, you can ask a number of things I didn't know, including showing photos you took last year, playing music, and querying Wikipedia (by saying "Wikipedia [your query]) or WolframAlpha.

Lastly, carrier limitations. There are a few things to cover here: For one, yes, there's no option to roam. Part of that has to do with the slim number of LTE bands packed into each region-specific model (there are six — 3 of each size) of Apple Watch, but I'd guess the bigger deal here is the cost of roaming on battery life.

How cellular data works on Apple Watch

Bigger issues, though, are individual carrier limitations. When you set up your Series 3 via your iPhone's Watch app and pop into your carrier portal, you'll be asked to pay a $5-$10 "monthly access charge" to essentially let your Apple Watch access your iPhone's pool of data. It's a money-grubbing move by carriers, and I'm not a fan of it, but hey, at least they're not making us sign up for individual plans or locking SIMs.

You can switch to a different carrier (including ones in a different country supported by your Apple Watch's LTE bands) if you switch your iPhone line, but not until that point; there's not even an option to pick a different carrier until your iPhone is set up.

Once you've set up with a carrier, you're bound by their rules. AT&T, for instance, won't let Apple Watch Series 3 users call internationally without the iPhone is connected. I was also unsuccessful at sending a "green bubble" SMS, though I'm not quite sure if that issue was terrible networking or an actual AT&T limitation. (iMessages, for what it's worth, work quite well even with your iPhone in Airplane mode.)

Bottom line: If you don't run into any LTE issues, it feels like magic on the watch and it's hugely helpful into making the watch feel like the device I've wanted on day one.

Battery life

Here's the section I wanted to start my review on before the insanity of LTE issues and Wi-Fi bugs. Can the 38mm be functional for a full day when you're using it as a LTE-only option?

Mostly.

In the few days I tested, I ran the watch ragged for one day — calling multiple people on cellular and FaceTime audio, querying Siri, forcing the watch to run on LTE by putting the iPhone in Airplane mode, doing a skating workout — and wore it more normally the next.

On the stress-test day, I started at 9AM around 100% battery, and immediately enabled Airplane mode on my phone to force my watch to use LTE. First, I placed a few 5-minute calls to my folks in LA. That begged the battery a few notches (97%), but not too much.

After that, I experimented with international calls, FaceTime calls, iMessage texts, and SMS for about a half-hour. By the end of that session, I had hit 90%.

I swapped back over to iPhone connectivity around 10:40AM and proceeded to work on my computer, answering the occasional notification on my watch. By 1PM when I broke for lunch, it was around 84%.

After lunch the real fun began: This was when we tested using an Apple Watch with Android, which meant keeping the 38mm watch entirely on an LTE connection while we attempted outbound and inbound calls, sending iMessage notifications, and looking up some directions in Maps.

By 4PM when we went to start shooting for my Apple Watch review, the watch had hit 47%.

After filming (which involved both LTE-only connectivity and iPhone) and skating tests (three short skating workouts), I hit 29% around 5PM.

By 7PM, I got a 10%-pleading-for-a-charge battery notification from my 38mm watch. Result: 10 hours with about 3-4 hours of forced LTE connectivity and short workouts. Not fantastic battery life, but solid given everything I put it through.

On the second day, the watch behaved similarly in battery consumption to my Series 2, giving me a full 14-16 hours with a short walking workout included in that time period.

So, is battery life functional on the LTE Series 3? Pretty much. You're not going to be able to eke out a full day of LTE-only use without something like a BatteryPro in your bag. But if you work out and use LTE the way Apple intends it (AKA let your Apple Watch decide when it hops between networks, rather than forcing your iPhone into Airplane mode), you should easily get similar battery life to the Series 2.

That's still not fantastic, but I honestly don't know how Apple solves this problem short of a revolution in battery tech or permanently moving to a bigger casing size. For me, the smaller watch size is more than worth the tradeoff of a few extra hours of battery life.

It's also worth noting that Apple has optimized watchOS to better reflect battery decay: Now, when you hit 50%, it's actually 50% — the second half of battery consumption (49%-1%) should take as long as the first half, rather than exponentially draining.

Casings and bands

Not a ton to say here, but a few thoughts for posterity.

The new Sport Loop is fantastic, and I'll be writing a stand-alone review shortly. It's the lightest, most comfortable band Apple has ever made while still looking stylish, the Velcro-style hook and loop closures are rock solid, and it's so much better at repelling water than the Woven Nylon.

The new gold color is an ever-so-slight buttery copper that matches the new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus shade. It's halfway between the original gold shade of the watch and the almost-purple rose gold tint from last year. I love the look, personally, and vastly prefer it to last year's gold models.

Yes, there's a red crown. Yes, it's for every LTE model. And yes, you can cover it up if you really hate it. I was expecting to strongly dislike it, but I find myself largely indifferent — possibly because I wear the watch in reverse orientation, which makes the crown far less noticeable when I look at the watch.

The Series 3 LTE model comes with 16GB of storage. More room for apps, more room for Apple Music when it shows up in October, more room period.

The non-LTE Series 3 models only get the composite back, rather than the ceramic back upgrade that all Series 3 LTE models get (and all Series 2 got, as well). I think this is kind of a raw deal given the difference in scratches on ceramic vs composite glass, but I'm guessing it's to keep the Series 3 GPS-only price at a reasonable rate. Doesn't mean I have to like a subpar material in an otherwise superior casing.

The Series 3's casing design is roughly identical to Series 2 (and slightly bigger/heavier than Series 0/1), though the ceramic backing has an ever-so-slightly increased lip. (About the depth of two sheets of paper, according to Apple.)

A 21x macro shot looking at the back composite glass of the Series 3 GPS-only option versus the slightly deeper ceramic lip on the GPS + Cellular model.

Qi charging: Apple Watch uses a specialized version of the Qi for its magnetic inductive charger. As such, most regular Qi chargers (like the two optimized for iPhone) won't work with the Series 3 Apple Watch, You might be able to find luck with this if you buy a magnetic Qi charger, but I haven't been able to personally confirm one working.

Lots of folks asked about the speaker system: Apple has redesigned the way the speaker fits into the casing, but it's the same basic speaker from the Series 2. The redesign definitely helps with sound projection, however.

Fitness

Where the Series 2 brought a major improvement to the fitness community with support for GPS, Series 3's altimeter addition is less of a statement, but still welcome. "Flights climbed" has become as shareable a metric as steps as of late, and runners and hikers should especially appreciate knowing their elevation gain over a lengthy trip.

The biggest fitness improvement isn't limited to the Series 3, however, and that's watchOS 4's completely redesigned Heart Rate app (for Series 1-3). It's an excellent way to get more contextual data from the watch, rather than just having your heart rate taken in the background.

watchOS 4 review

Part of Apple's success with fitness has been not only cataloging data, but making it mean something. For instance, as irksome as Stand notifications can be, they mean something in a way that "get 400 calories or else" does not.

Performance

Zoom zoom zoom. It's hard to quantify just how incredible the Series 3's S3 processor feels because of watchOS 4 improvements that make Series 2 feel — and look — faster on screen. But even if the lack of lag isn't as dramatically pronounced as it was between Series 0 and 2, it's still improved.

Everything feels snappier. Swiping feels stutter-free for the first time in Apple Watch history — including horizontal swipes for watch faces, which used to make my Series 0 cry.

I haven't done too many academic tests between Series 3 and Series 2, but Siri, app launches, and swipes showed the most dramatic improvement; Series 3 also restarts faster than Series 2, but it's still a hibernating bear in comparison to the iPhone — the two times I attempted to reboot, it took almost a minute and 40 seconds, respectively.

Software

I have no qualms about calling watchOS 4 the best smartwatch software out there right now. Between its iPhone integration and all the apps and options offered to Apple Watch users, watchOS crushes its competition by being easy to use and easier to comprehend.

The LTE Series 3 Apple Watch elevates that software by making it faster and more responsive. All apps are faster, and the Apple Watch's new S3 chip allows it to render things like a full video preview of your iPhone's rear camera.

Two Portrait mode shots taken by the Series 3 Apple Watch while filming said feature.

Just a quick shout out for the Apple Watch's Camera Remote app: What started as an almost-gimmicky remote in watchOS 1 has become an incredibly powerful second-screen tool for mobile filmmakers. The fact that I can line up a shot, tap to focus, and take the photo or video without ever touching my iPhone is a big deal. I could see people buying the watch literally just for video monitoring and shooting, and nothing else.

Comparison testing

If you're interested in how the Series 3 LTE compares to its older siblings and non-Cellular Series 3 compatriot, I'm currently in the midst of comparison testing. I just picked up a Series 3 GPS-only watch, and plan to spend a few days testing performance and battery this weekend. I'll report back when I have more concrete detail about battery life, speed, and any other notes (but feel free to leave comments below if you have a specific test you'd like me to try!).

You love the look of the new Apple Watch Series 3, but for some reason that red crown on the cellular model is rubbing you the wrong way...

Or maybe you have an Apple Watch Series 2 and you'd like to add a red crown!

WatchDots are known as the original digital crown and side button style accessory for your Apple Watch, allowing you to add custom colors that match or or contrast your Apple Watch's band color.

With these little dots/stickers that are made for everyday wear, you can truly customize and accessorize your Apple Watch to fit your everyday style and personality.

Here's how you can hide or add the red digital crown dot to your Apple Watch!

WatchDots

WatchDots are little accessories for your Apple Watch that are the true combination of fashion and technology. These little precision cut dots are designed to fit on both the Digital Crown and side button using a specialized die cutting process.

These American-made Apple Watch accessories are designed for everyday wear and can last through a variety of different weather conditions. The dots are made from a durable, commercial-grade vinyl that not only has UV protection (they won't fade due to exposure to sunlight) but are also pressure sensitive, with its adhesive only getting stronger over time.

The best part about WatchDots? The color selection! You can choose from red, black, white, midnight, orange, antique, fog, walnut, yellow, blue, green, pink, gold, magenta, scuba, and royal blue.

You can pick up your WatchDots in sets of 3 for $9.99.

See at WatchDots

What do you think?

Are you someone who isn't particularly picky about their Apple Watch's digital crown and what color it is, or would you prefer to customize and change the color to something unique and different?

Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below!

Updated February 2018: WatchDots are still your best option for transforming your Apple Watch!

You can kill any Apple Watch app at any time by force quitting it. Though the implementation differs slightly, the idea is the same as the iPhone or iPad. More importantly, it's every bit as simple and easy to do.

How to force quit Apple Watch apps

Note: You have to be in the app you want to force quit before starting.

1. Press and hold down the side button until the shutdown screen appears.
2. Release the side button, then press and hold the Digital Crown to force quit the active app.

If force quitting apps didn't alleviate the problem, you can always take your troubleshooting to the next level and reboot your Apple Watch.

Updated January 2018: Added alternative suggestions for shutting down Apple Watch apps.

First reported by CNBC, life insurance provider John Hancock is partnering up with Apple in order to give all new and current members of its Vitality program a chance to earn an Apple Watch Series 3 by living a healthy life. The company first started offering Apple Watches to customers who bought life insurance policies of $2 million or more a few years ago. After seeing that those who received the watches increased their physical activity by 20%, it was decided that the offer should be extended to all interested U.S. customers.

Here's how it works: Once customers sign up for the Vitality program, they can purchase the watch through John Hancock for an initial payment of $25 plus a monthly installment plan. The more they exercise, they less their monthly payments are. If they meet their exercise requirement for the month, they don't have to pay anything at all, and end up owning an Apple Watch Series 3 for nearly free. And, hopefully, they'll feel healthier too. If you want the GPS + cellular model of the watch instead, you can choose to do that for an additional cost (unless you live in New York, in which case you aren't eligible for that offer).

Though John Hancock is the first to offer it, this Apple Watch motivation technique may extend to other insurance companies soon. Apple met with health insurer Aetna back in August to discuss a similar plan.

Thoughts? Questions?

Would you jog your way to a $25 Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments!

Choosing which bands you want to accompany your Apple Watch on your wrist can be slightly difficult. With new styles every season and thousands of third-party band sellers in the space, you have a ton of options and choices when it comes to picking out an Apple Watch band that suits your style and personality.

Here are our favorites bands for the Apple Watch Series 3!

• Elobeth leather band cuff
• Nicwea modern buckle leather strap
• UMTele Milanese-Loop-Style Watch Band
• Apple Sport Band
• Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro

Elobeth leather band cuff

Inspired by the look of equestrian fixtures, the Elobeth leather band cuff has a beautifully unique style to pair with your Apple Watch!

The band is designed from a high-quality, genuine leather, while the buckle is designed to be sturdy and secure. Regardless of whether you like something more simple or something a bit more extravagant, the Elobeth is definitely eye-catching.

If you're not a fan of the standard, classic brown color, there are a number of other options to consider, including a rich blue, red, or gray color. You can pick up the Elobeth leather band cuff for around $20.

See at Amazon

Nicwea modern buckle leather strap

This genuine leather strap from Nicwea looks and feels like the real deal but for a fraction of the price. For about $30, you can choose from seven color varieties. For that price, you may want to invest in a few colors!

The magnetic buckle is made of zinc alloy and the lugs that attach to the Apple Watch face are tight and secure. The leather is thin, soft, and easily mistaken at a distance or up close for the authentic article.

See at Amazon

UMTele Milanese-Loop-Style Watch Band

Apple's Milanese loop is one of my personal favorite styles of band you can wear around with your Apple Watch, but it's so expensive. Lucky for me (and you), there's a $20 band from UMTele that looks and feels the same!

I'm surprised by how comfortable it is, I'm surprised by how closely it resembles Apple's own Milanese Loop offerings, and I'm surprised by the build quality (given its incredibly inexpensive price tag). I've yet to have any trouble with paint or anodization flaking, the magnet offers a strong, secure connection, and the metal mesh is smooth and breathable.

See at Amazon

Apple Sport Band

When you buy an Apple Watch, Apple pairs the Watch with a band it feels makes your Apple Watch look best. And that holds true for the Sport Band.

It's made of a soft, supple, smooth material called fluoroelastomer and it's a beautiful shade of black. It sports a fancy pin-and-tuck closure, so you don't have to worry about the excess rubber fluoroelastomer band flapping about.

It's everything you could want in a band for a fitness wearable. It's sweat-resistant, heat-resistant, scuff-resistant, wind-resistant, frost-resistant, water-resistant … you get the idea. This is the most versatile band Apple offers — it's also one of the least expensive at only $49. It's for that reason I recommend you ditch the third-party models and pick it up directly from Apple. You're going to get a high-quality band at an inexpensive price and it's designed by the company itself! If my math is correct, I'm pretty sure that's three wins. Win, win, win!

See at Apple{.cta .shop.nofollow}

Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro

The maker of fine, rugged phone cases makes them for Apple Watch as well! Supcase's Unicorn Beetle Pro for Apple Watch isn't just a band, but a case as well, which fully protects your gold Apple Watch Sport.

If you need rugged protection, but still want to show off your gold (even if you can only see a little of the actual Watch case), then check out Supcase's band/case. Pricing starts around $18.

• See at Amazon
• $17 at Walmart

What's your favorite Apple Watch band?

Let us know what you use with your Apple Watch Series 3 by leaving a comment down below!

I've had my Apple Watch Series 0 since it launched three years ago. It's significantly improved my personal fitness. I recently upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular and wow, what a difference it has made!

With the Series 0, there are some glaring omissions that make it less than perfect. When exercising, I still had to have my phone with me when tracking any kind of outdoor workouts. I couldn't really rely on it for music as much as my iPhone. The battery life of the Series 0 is ok, but it often led to me babying it because it might run out of juice before I was ready to recharge it.

Upgrading from a Series 0 Apple Watch to a Series 3 has been an amazing leap for me. With the addition of an on-board cellular connection, better performance thanks to the faster dual-core S3 processor, and amazingly long-lasting battery life, if you're currently still working out with the first-generation Apple Watch, the Series 3 is going to revolutionize your experience.

Apple Watch Series 3 has tons of new features

Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular has more sensors, faster processing, and tracks your fitness data better than the Series 0 every could. The ability to see elevation changes without needing your phone thanks to the barometric altimeter inside makes it great for hiking, runs, and even biking uphill. Swim tracking, something I didn't have with Series 0, has encouraged me try swimming as a workout method simply because I can more easily quantify those results. With the new heart rate data results, I can tell when I'm more relaxed or when my heart is beating fast even though I'm not exercising (like, when I'm full of anxiety).

That battery!

The biggest improvement with Apple Watch Series 3 over Series 0 is its battery. My Series 0 had been used every day for nearly three years and it was definitely showing. Of course the CPU was aging, but the battery itself was not doing so well. I would use my external HR strap I have for working out as a way of saving battery, even when my routine wasn't very long. I'd be careful to not use all of the Apple Watch features in an effort to extend the battery life until the end of the day. I wasn't into the idea of carrying a battery pack around just for my Apple Watch.

With Apple Watch Series 3, I no longer have to worry about battery drain. This thing is a tank when it comes to staying juiced up! Recently, I went to the gym and spent 45 minutes in spin class, wore it throughout the rest of the day, tracked a short 20 minute bike ride with GPS, and then later tried out a cellular call — I still went to bed with 35% battery remaining. On Sunday, I went for a 4-mile run with GPS on, tracked an hour-long outdoor hike, and still had battery life to spare throughout the rest of the day. The hike, despite being an hour, didn't seem to affect the Apple Watch's battery life at all. I'm more encouraged now to track activities that I might have avoided before out of fear of an inevitable dead Watch.

Location tracking is like magic

Thanks to GPS and LTE connectivity, the Apple Watch Series 3 is significantly better at tracking long, strenuous hikes and provides much more accurate and useful data. I can just hop into my gym clothes and go out for a run without strapping an iPhone to my arm, but am still able to get the data I want from my runs.

I'm excited about the upcoming Apple Music streaming feature coming in watchOS 4.1, though I'm not sure how much I'll use it. Currently, my Apple Watch automatically syncs playlists that I listen to frequently while its charging overnight. It works so well that I'm not sure streaming Apple Music is even necessary.

There's one missing feature (and it's a big one)

One of my favorite activities to close all of my rings, or get motivated on weekend mornings, is to go on a longer walk than normal and listen to one of my favorite podcasts. Unfortunately, there isn't a dedicated podcast app for Apple Watch. This is one of those glaring omissions missing from the first-generation Apple Watch that Apple, unbelievably, hasn't yet fixed.

A dedicated podcast app on Apple Watch could work similar to the way playlist syncing currently works — new episodes of shows I subscribe to would sync to my Apple Watch while its on the charger. That way, when I'm ready for my weekend walk, all I have to do is put on my Apple Watch and go. No iPhone needed.

I've also not yet found any third-party apps that make the Apple Watch more useful. As Serenity Caldwell pointed out in her review of the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular, there are still a ton of apps that need to be updated to even work over cellular without your iPhone. There are also apps that are either being discontinued or delayed, making the developer story on the Apple Watch still surprisingly blank.

I'm excited to see what that developer story ends up being, but for now I'm focused on Apple's built-in apps because they're doing the job just fine.

If you're wondering if you should upgrade, the answer is yes

Having an Apple Watch has been the motivation for why I've tried new workout routines from the start.I only got into indoor spin classes because it was a workout option on the watch, which I found out I really enjoyed. Now that I have a Series 3 with swim proofing, I'm ready to test out the swimming pool at my gym to see how much of a workout I can get.

The Series 3 is a major upgrade from the Series 0. The workout types, Activity coaching and features, and music upgrades are stellar. The fact that I can stay connected without relying on my iPhone for every little thing is, in a word, freeing.

Apple's GPS + Cellular Apple Watch is here, and I've gotten a ton of questions from our readers and various folks on Twitter in regards to how cellular data works on the Apple Watch. Here's a brief overview of everything you need to know.

• How carrier plans work on Apple Watch
• How cellular connectivity works on Apple Watch
• How to set up cellular on Apple Watch
• How to switch between plans on Apple Watch
• How to delete a cellular plan on Apple Watch

How carrier plans work

Let's get this out of the way: If you want cellular phone calls or data on your Apple Watch, you're going to need to connect the Series 3 to your carrier. If you don't, and you bought a Series 3 GPS + Cellular model for a non-LTE reason, you'll never have to sign up for a plan if you don't want to: You'll still have every feature availalbe on the watch aside from Cellular connectivity.

Unlike Apple's a-la-carte iPad plans, a GPS + Cellular Apple Watch is intrinsically tied to its parent iPhone plan; this allows you to receive phone calls from the same number even if you're out and about. This means that you:

• Have to have a phone plan that currently supports eSIM (the technology used to connect the watch's cellular service)
• Need a phone plan that currently supports adding the Apple Watch
• Can't sign up for a different carrier on your watch than on your iPhone

In practice, this is pretty simple: When you set up cellular data on your Apple Watch, you'll be redirected to your current iPhone carrier's portal for Apple Watch, where you can add on a ~$10/month plan based on your carrier and region. There's no option for picking your own carrier like the Apple SIM, so you can't hack your way around your provider offering support for another LTE watch but not Apple's own.

Most providers are actually letting you share your iPhone's data plan for free; the only cost is instead a ~$5-$10/month "device fee" that covers infrastructure. It's a bit of a rip-off in terms of pricing — though, coming from cellular carriers, what else is new? — but there's currently no other option if you want to use LTE on your smartwatch.

Nope. When you first set up an Apple Watch with cellular support out of the box, you'll be asked whether you'd like to add it to your current cell plan; if you say no, you can set it up later at any time through the Watch app on your iPhone.

Not that we've heard, but it's best to check with your carrier.

As long as you can get out of your carrier contract, absolutely.

Depends on what your carrier demands, but you should be able to; in the U.S., all Apple Watch plans are month-to-month.

As long as your new cellular company supports the same LTE bands as the current watch model you own along with an Apple Watch plan, you should be able to set up a new cellular account and add your watch to it on your new carrier. (You'll have to put in your new carrier's SIM into your iPhone before switching plans, however.)

For example, if you live in the United States and use AT&T but plan on moving to Canada and using Bell, you can cancel your AT&T phone and watch plan (or put them on hold), sign up for Bell on your iPhone, and add a Bell add-on plan for your watch.

How to roam with your Apple Watch and use LTE data in a foreign country

If you move to a country that uses a different subset of LTE bands — and, as such, requires a different kind of Apple Watch — then you'll have to purchase a new model for your new country.

This entirely depends on your carrier, but generally, you can pair more than one if you really have a hankering to do so. AT&T, for instance, allows up to 5 smartwatches to share the same iPhone number on a single plan.

While you can certainly pay for multiple LTE plans on Apple Watch, the eSIM can only relay one carrier at a time. For example, if you have an AT&T personal plan and a Verizon corporate plan, you'd have to go to the Watch app and switch your cellular preferences every time you swapped SIM cards — it doesn't happen automatically. If you need to, here's how to do that:

1. Open the Watch app from your home screen.
2. Tap on the My Watch tab.
3. Select the Cellular option

4. Tap the Info button.
5. Tap Remove [carrier] Plan to untie your Apple Watch's eSIM from your current wireless provider.Keep in mind: This won't cancel your plan; you'll have to go to your carrier directly if you'd like to do that. It's the equivalent of taking out a SIM card to add a new one.
6. Switch the SIM cards in your iPhone between your current carrier and your second carrier.
7. Confirm that you can access the internet with your new SIM card.
8. Open the Watch app.
9. Tap on the My Watch tab.

10. Select the Cellular option.
11. Tap Set Up Cellular to reconnect your watch plan with your other carrier.

Decided to ditch cellular data on your Apple Watch? Unfortunately, there's only one way to remove a plan permanently: Get in contact with your carrier.

Apple will let you remove the plan in question from the Watch app (via My Watch > Cellular > Tapping on the Info button), but that doesn't cancel your service: It's the equivalent of removing a SIM card from your iPhone. Removing a plan during the unpair process does the same thing.

Instead, if you wish to cancel, you'll have to either call or chat with your provider. I ended up using AT&T's online chat service to cancel my Watch plan:

1. Sign in to your AT&T account from att.com.
2. Go to AT&T's Wireless contact portal.
3. Click on the Chat available button to open a support chat.

Essentially, the roaming limitation comes down to two issues: space, and battery life. The Apple Watch Series 3 has very little room with which to fill LTE bands, and as such, each model has a very limited number of bands that it supports; there are currently six different models (three in 38mm, three in 42mm) for the 10 countries that currently support Apple Watch.

Our personal theory as to why roaming isn't supported? Apple didn't want to offer "region roaming," where you could roam on your Apple Watch's regional bands, but other countries wouldn't work.

Also, even if you're traveling within an area where your Apple Watch should technically be able to roam, there's another factor to consider: battery life. The GPS + Cellular model just hits the usable "all-day" battery life metric; given that roaming has a habit of devouring battery life on the iPhone, I imagine the end result wasn't good enough for Apple to allow for it on Series 3.

Check with your company and your carrier, but it should be doable; you'll just need to go through your company's device manager the way you would when adding other services (like international data).

How cellular connectivity works on Apple Watch

Carrier questions answered? Good. Let's move onto the meat of things: How cellular connectivity actually works on the Apple Watch.

As of this writing, only the Series 3 GPS + Cellular options.

Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular vs GPS-only: What's the difference?

You'll be asked to activate cellular data when you first set up a new Series 3 GPS + Cellular Apple Watch — whether or not you restore from a backup of a previous iPhone. (Of course, it's up to you whether you actually decide to activate your data during setup or you want to skip it and wait until a later point.)

If you decide to set up cellular, you'll be brought out of the Watch app on iPhone and into a web view for your respective carrier. Yes, a web view. It sucks. It's slow. If you're getting your Apple Watch on Friday, be prepared to wait through a lot of spinning and erroring out. (It took me two tries to set up the Apple Watch, and that was Wednesday before launch when most people didn't yet have access to this portal.)

You'll likely have to sign in with your carrier, agree to terms and conditions, enter in some emergency contact info (AKA if you activate SOS and 911 can't locate you from your cellular signal, that's where they go), and confirm your add-on purchase. Because it's all processed through your existing carrier plan, you shouldn't need to enter in any credit card information, but your carrier experience may vary.

Once that's been set up, you'll be free to continue your Apple Watch setup and use LTE at will when your iPhone is disconnected.

If you want to change or discontinue your plan at any time, you can do so from the Cellular screen of the Watch app; you can also view your current cellular data usage from this screen.

By default, your Apple Watch will prefer being connected to your iPhone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or connecting to an external Wi-Fi network that your iPhone has authorized in the past. (If you've read about the "LTE bug" in the news recently, it has to do with pre-authorized Wi-Fi networks.)

Apple Watch Series 3's "LTE problems" are actually an existing Wi-Fi bug

While you're connected to Wi-Fi or your iPhone, you won't have any indicators on your watch face; if you swipe up from the bottom of the screen into Control Center, you'll either see a green iPhone icon in the upper left corner, or a blue Wi-Fi icon (with its traditional curved bars representing signal strength).

If you leave your iPhone at home, turn it off, or are otherwise sans iPhone or Wi-Fi, your watch will start up its LTE mechanics and look for your carrier's network. This process can take up to a minute and is similar to the process when you hop off Airplane mode on an iPhone, or toggle Cellular off and on.

It'll stay connected to LTE as long as you don't have any better options (existing Wi-Fi networks or your iPhone) available and your watch can properly "see" carrier towers (certain things, like water or faraday cage-like houses, may interfere).

Absolutely. You can either toggle it off from Control Center on your watch or by disabling both GPS and cellular through Power Saving mode (visit Settings > General > Workout).

Unfortunately, not easily. You can turn off your iPhone, but if you're within range of a known Wi-Fi network, your watch will automatically want to connect. You can always bring your iPhone with you and tell it to forget that Wi-Fi network, then explore with your watch, but it's less than ideal. We can only hope that in the future, Apple adds in a toggle to disable Wi-Fi as it currently offers with cellular and Airplane mode.

1. Swipe up from the bottom of the bezel while viewing the watch face to reveal Control Center.
2. Look in the upper left corner. If you're connected to a cellular network, you'll see four green dots, with connectivity outlined by them either being colored in (service) or outlined (no service). If you're not connected to a cellular network, you'll see one of the following:
   • A green outline of an iPhone (connected via iPhone)
   • A red X (Series 3 GPS + Cellular only) or a red iPhone with a line through it (Non-Cellular Apple Watch)
   • Blue Wi-Fi bars (watchOS 4) or a green cloud (watchOS 3 or earlier)

Almost everything you can currently do on the watch via iPhone or Wi-Fi. You can receive messages and emails, call people over cellular or FaceTime Audio, get info from third-party apps, call Siri, find friends… The list is huge.

Some information we've received is that certain carriers will allow you to receive SMS messages on your Apple Watch Series 3 without your iPhone, but won't let you send them. We're looking into this.

In short: Everything you currently cannot do with a watch connected to iPhone.

Specifically, your Apple Watch will flail around if you ask it to do a task via Siri that it doesn't know how to do (send a note, for example, or look up something on Wikipedia). You can't hand this off to your iPhone, because your iPhone isn't here… so instead, Siri just tells you to look on your phone later.

Everything the Apple Watch can do without an iPhone

You also won't be able to place international calls on the Apple Watch without the iPhone (at least on AT&T), though you can place regular and FaceTime audio calls without a problem.

You also won't be able to browse the internet, because A: Tiny Safari doesn't exist. B: A tiny internet browser would be terrible.

Other questions about Apple Watch and cellular?

Let me know below.

Updated October 2017: Added information about switching plans and international data.

For years, I've dreamed of an Apple Watch with LTE. I do a fair bit of bike riding and — if my bike is broken — will even succumb to a run or two sometimes. Like most people, I take my iPhone with me every time. Between a family and work, I need to be accessible, even if I'm out and about. And becuase I use an iPhone 7 Plus as my daily driver, this means putting up with carrying a huge slab of glass and aluminum everywhere I go. It can be frustrating, and yes — it's a shattered screen just waiting to happen.

The LTE Apple Watch promises to solve this. Leave your silly phone behind, it whispers, and it'll just be you and me. For basic connectivity, it does the bill: My spouse can call me if something comes up, and my business partner can send me an iMessage if he needs anything. I can take a call or reply with Siri quickly and easily, all while I take a quick break from filling my rings. If I am involved in an accident or need help, I can get in touch with anyone in my Contacts list with ease.

But living that Watch-only lifestyle with the iPhone behind me isn't quite as easy as I had hoped it would be.

Cars and the Apple Watch do not mix

Something as simple as listening to music in my car with just my Apple Watch has proven difficult: During an untimely iPhone screen repair, I found myself in need of music for my 2014 Toyota, with only my watch at hand. Unfortunately, while my iPhone has been able to auto-pair with my car for years, the Watch is a different story — while they could see each other over Bluetooth, they failed to connect whatsoever.

Turns out, that sort of Bluetooth connection just isn't supported by watchOS at this point. I guess if I leave my iPhone behind, I'll need to grab an iPod instead to avoid listening to terrestrial radio.

The Apple Watch app problem

Here's the bigger problem I'm running into: A bunch of my Apple Watch apps aren't really ready to be independent of their phone-based parents.

As of watchOS 3, developers could build apps that could connect directly to a web service or server, bypassing the iPhone completely. As such, when the LTE Watch was announced, there were theoretically a bunch of apps ready on day one to live iPhone-free.

The reality is less rosy: Very few apps are truly iPhone free. Many need you to set up a profile on the iPhone first, due to privacy permissions for things like Health or logging into an online account. Others are still stuck in the past, and can't be used independently of the iPhone at all.

Like many companies, Relay FM depends on Slack for almost all of our internal communication. Without the iPhone, however, the watchOS app is currently ... less than helpful. The same goes for Tweetbot, my Twitter app of choice. If I want to check my home security cameras, I'm out of luck there, too. And that's not even mentioning the utter lack of podcast playback support.

I don't mention these apps to shame the developers behind them. I like and use all three on a daily basis on both my Mac and iPhone. I'd also bet that watchOS updates were fairly low on their priority list, given that until now, very few people used an Apple Watch without an iPhone in their pocket — or used third-party Apple Watch apps at all.

Time to stand

There are always growing pains when a platform expands: This is a transition, much like when larger form factors were introduced to the iPhone line, or when multitasking options first appeared on the iPad.

As with those changes, I'm sure implementing full watchOS 4 support in apps will take time. Developers need to re-work their watch apps, and some may find the hours they sink into development aren't worth it. Right now, that's fair; long-term, however, I think the untethered Apple Watch will only grow in importance in the lives of users.

I know it already is in mine.

The Apple Watch Series 3 is now available for preorder, with many (myself included) staying up late Thursday night to place a crack-of-dawn order to avoid missing out on slipping shipping deadlines.

But if you haven't ordered a new Series 3 GPS-only or GPS + Cellular watch yet, and are still weighing the pros and cons, I've got a few things you might not know about Apple's newest smartwatch.

Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular vs GPS-only: What's the difference?

The S3 chip is fast, fast, fast

One of my complaints about the company's original Apple Watch was speed: The thing moved like molasses. It took over a minute to start up, spun forever to launch apps, and Siri was less than responsive.

watchOS updates combined with Apple's S2 chip architecture fixed this somewhat in Series 2, offering a 50% increase in speed over the original model — but even this model took a minute to turn on and had app spinning issues.

watchOS 4 will further improve speed for Series 2 users, but not in the way the Series 3's S3 chip will. Apple's new smartwatches are Roadrunner-fast. The company pegs them at 1.7x faster than the Series 2. And while we haven't had enough hands-on time with Series 3 to put the watches through any serious testing, even in my short experience with the smartwatches, they fly.

Siri on LTE is an instantaneous joy, while scrolling now feels as buttery-smooth as it long has on the iPhone. Opening and using apps during my hands on was similarly speedy, as was heart rate measurement.

Climb mountains or stadiums without your iPhone

While older versions of the Apple Watch have a number of features to help track your health and movement, they've missed out on incorporating an altimeter; the sensor tracks your elevation gains as well as flights of stairs climbed, and has been a mainstay of the iPhone for a few years now. You could get that data on your Apple Watch in a workout — but you'd have to bring your iPhone along for the ride.

As of Series 3, that's no longer true: Both the GPS-only and GPS + Cellular watch models incorporate an altimeter for native elevation tracking. It's a nice addition for the fitness and Fitbit crowd alike, and lets the Apple Watch take another step of independence away from the iPhone.

The Series 3 GPS + Cellular has more storage

All Apple Watch models up to this point have come with 8GB of storage, but the GPS + Cellular Series 3 is set to double that, offering 16GB for all its casing styles — aluminum to ceramic.

Apple's given no overt reason for the change, but it may have to do with extra room for music streaming, or stand-alone apps needing more space. Whatever the case, it's a boon for users who plan on buying the top-tier Series 3 model.

You can't roam internationally

The GPS + Cellular model of Apple's Series 3 watch is fully-featured in most of the ways that matter: There are no limitations on what you can do on the watch over LTE; it all comes down to the apps you're using and your overall battery life. (Which, admittedly, will not be the best if you're solely using the LTE antenna.

But outside of the on-the-watch experience, it's quite restrictive. This is largely due to space restrictions: Unlike the iPhone, there's not enough room in the Apple Watch casing to add all the bands necessary to make the watch compatible around the world; instead, Apple is offering six different Apple Watch makes at launch (3 for each size) that cover 1-6 countries each.

As such, Apple is currently prohibiting Series 3 watches from being able to roam internationally on their own. You'll still be able to use your iPhone's roaming capabilities to use your watch, but you can't leave your iPhone behind in your hotel room and place a call on your watch while in a foreign country.

It's not yet clear how this intersects with the E.U.'s ruling against roaming-limited plans, though because you have to connect your Apple Watch to your iPhone's plan, that may circumvent it.

The Apple Watch Series 3 can't roam, and won't work between countries

What about moving from one country to the other? In theory, if your Apple Watch Series 3 supports the same LTE bands for your new country's iPhone carrier (say, moving from the U.S. to Canada), you should be able to switch plans. But until we do roaming tests with production hardware, we won't be able to confirm.

You can't put in your own SIM card or separate carrier

Only 10 countries are offering the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular at launch, with 17 carriers (6 more carriers will add service later in 2017). If you don't have an Apple Watch being sold in your country, you're currently out of luck for purchasing one — and while we've noted above that you can theoretically buy an Apple Watch that has the same bands as your carrier, we don't recommend it

But what about switching carriers on a compatible network? Can you pop in a SIM card? The answer is yes, you can switch carriers at will — but not through a physical SIM card. Instead, this works similarly to Apple's embedded Apple SIM on the iPad. You can add or cancel service from any available carrier in your region at any time, but it's all done through the Watch app — no plastic card necessary.

Yes, you can buy Apple's GPS + Cellular Apple Watch and use it without LTE

It's worth noting, however, that whatever carrier you choose must also be the carrier linked to your iPhone — you can't use your Apple Watch on T-Mobile with your iPhone on AT&T, for example. This is because carriers aren't actually offering Apple Watch data plans; instead, they're only offering "add-on" options that connect your Apple Watch Series 3 to your existing iPhone plan. (And yes, the add-on pricing is overpriced: $5-$10/month just to share your iPhone's data.)

Lame? Yeah. But as with Apple and carrier plans of the past, I expect to see this evolve and change over the years.

It's not Qi-compatible (but it does support AirPower)

While you may have seen the Apple Watch Series 3 make a cameo on Apple's upcoming AirPower charging mat, the Series 3 doesn't support the Qi standard — the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X are Apple's only devices that do. Instead, it will be able to use Apple's AirPower mat due to some as-of-yet undisclosed technology in addition to its existing magnetic charging interface.

No, you still can't use it with Android

The GPS + Cellular model may have an LTE antenna, but that doesn't mean you can use it as a stand-alone device: You still need an iPhone to set up your Apple Watch, and it requires being connected to that iPhone's cellular plan to function. Sorry, Android (and BlackBerry) fans: If you want to use an Apple Watch, you need an iPhone.

Can you use an Apple Watch with your Android phone?

Other cool things?

Other neat things about Series 3 you want to highlight? Let us know below.

There's a lot to like about Apple's Series 3 upgrade to the Apple Watch even if you don't go for the optional cellular mode. From the faster S3 chip to the barometric altimeter, if you're rocking a Series 0 or Series 1 Apple Watch, you may want to think about upgrading. And if you're looking to go independent and untether from your iPhone entirely, the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular is definitely for you.

Apple Watch Series 3 hits store shelves on September 22, but you can pre-order starting September 15 at 3:01am ET/2:01am CT/12:01am PT.

If you're in Canada, there are a few things you need to know.

The best place to buy Apple Watch Apple.ca

The best place to get an Apple Watch as soon as possible is Apple.ca, which has the various models and bands in one easy place.

While the Apple Store will have the Watch when it goes on sale September 22, if you want to guarantee the model you want and have it delivered to you on the 22nd, you want to get it from Apple.ca.

See at Apple Canada

Apple Watch Series 3 pricing

Compared to the Series 2, Apple Watch has actually dropped in price in Canada for Series 3. That's great news, and makes the GPS + Cellular model a little more affordable.

• 38mm: $519
• 42mm: $559

• 38mm: $429
• 42mm: $469

These options are for the aluminum casing and Sport bands, and go up significantly if you want the stainless steel or (gulp!) ceramic options, or various watch straps in more premium materials.

See at Apple Canada

What about Apple Watch GPS + Cellular on Canadian carriers?

At launch, there's only one carrier, Bell, offering cellular service with the Apple Watch Series 3. The way it works is pretty simple: $5 per month on top of your existing share plan. (Note: You have to already have a share plan.)

Bell utilizes a service called NumberShare to, well, share your number with your Apple Watch. Here's what you need to know:

• There's a $10 connection fee to activate your Apple Watch Series 3, but you can probably get it waived if you ask
• All users get three months of service for free (a $15 savings!)
• Overage charges are $0.07 (or 7c) per MB. That's a lot, so don't go over!
• The service activates on the watch itself, much like iPad Pro eSIM
• Your Apple Watch will have the same phone number as your iPhone

There's lots more to learn over at Bell, which has put together a useful FAQ on using Apple Watch Series 3 with your Bell phone service.

See at Bell Canada

TELUS has also committed to offering Apple Watch Series 3 service later this year, but it's not available at launch.

Where else can you buy the Apple Watch Series 3?

At launch, it's Apple or Bell, but you'll soon be able to get it from Best Buy and many other retailers. We'll update this page when we know more!

What colors are available?

The Apple Watch Series 3 is available in gold, silver, or space gray aluminum, or silver or space black stainless steel.

When does it go on sale?

Apple Watch Series 3 goes up for pre-order at 12:00am PT / 3am ET on September 15 and will be available to purchase a week later, on September 22.

Has the Series 1 been given a discount, too?

Yes, it has! You can pick up a Series 1 Apple Watch for as low as $329 CAD. It's currently available, so you don't have to wait until pre-order time if you plan on picking one up.

It launches on September 22 alongside the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus and here's how you can make sure you get yours first.

When can I order it?

Pre-orders begin on September 15, 2017, at 8.01 a.m local time ahead of a September 22 launch.

How do I order one?

The best way to make sure you get one at launch is to get your pre-order in at the Apple Store. The link below will take you where you need to go.

See at Apple

How much is it?

• Series 3 with GPS only will cost £329 for 38mm and £359 for 42mm with aluminium casing and a choice of sport bands.
• Series 3 with GPS and cellular will cost £399 for 38mm and £429 for 42mm with aluminium casing and a choice of sport bands.
• Series 3 with GPS and cellular will cost £599 for 38mm and £649 for 42mm with Stainless Steel casing and sport band.
• Series 3 with GPS and cellular will cost £699 for 38mm and £749 for 42mm with Stainless Steel casing and Milanese Loop.
• Series 3 with GPS and cellular will cost £749 for 38mm and £799 for 42mm with Space Black Stainless Steel casing and Space Black Milanese Loop.

Series 3 doesn't just come in these forms, though, as usual, there's a new Nike+ model in town with its own unique attributes. Here's how the prices break down for those.

• Series 3 Nike+ with GPS only will cost £329 for 38mm and £359 for 42mm with aluminum casing and Nike sport band.
• Series 3 Nike+ with GPS and cellular will cost £399 for 38mm and £429 for 42mm with aluminum casing and Nike sport band.

The exclusive Edition and Hermes variants of the Apple Watch return for Series 3. Prices start at £1,199 for the Hermes watches, while a Series 3 Edition starts at £1,299 in black or white ceramic.

It's important to also remember if you're going for a cellular Watch, you'll only be able to get data from EE at launch.

Check out our Apple Watch Series 3 preview for everything you need to know!

More: Complete UK pricing for all Apple's September event announcements

The new Series 3 Apple Watch will bring a much-requested feature when it launches on the 22nd: Cellular and LTE connectivity. That means that, yes, you'll be able to make phone calls, send messages and emails, get directions, use third-party apps, and give Siri commands.

LTE is fully-functional on your Apple Watch when your iPhone isn't present unless you specifically disable it, so pretty much anything you can do on your Apple Watch with your iPhone connected, you'll be able to do when only connected via Cellular. In fact, you'll be able to do a little bit more: The Series 3 GPS + Cellular model will even let you stream any song from Apple Music's 40,000,000 song catalog starting in October.

But with no discernible casing size change nor battery bump, how will the Series 3's battery life fare? Apple, as always, has done some preliminary pre-release tests, which we have right here.

Apple's pre-release testing

According to the company's battery tests, both Series 3 watches (GPS-only as well as GPS + Cellular) continue to average 18 hours of battery life, with specifics highlighted below:

While Apple doesn't note which watch configuration it used for these tests (38mm or 42mm), it did peg the Cellular watch at 18 hours' with 4 hours of LTE and 14 hours of iPhone connectivity — about what the average person might use in a given day.

Specific battery tests, however, are far less forgiving. Here's how the Series 3 fared in Apple's single-task tests:

• Talk: 3 hours connected to iPhone, 1 hour w/ Cellular
• Audio: 10 hours w/ Bluetooth (Apple Music streaming not tested)
• Workout: 10 hours w/ iPhone, 5 hours using just GPS, 4 hours using GPS + Cellular

Herein lies the downside of a GPS + Cellular-enabled watch: In choosing to pursue connectivity over battery life, Apple still doesn't quite have the battery numbers to make long-distance runners (like ultra-marathoners) happy if they're using GPS, let alone GPS + Cellular.

Tests we plan to run

We'll be doing extensive battery testing for our Series 3 review to try and confirm and expound on these numbers, so stay tuned. So far, our list includes:

• Series 3 GPS + Cellular 38mm vs 42mm
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular with Cellular disabled vs GPS-only
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular messaging-only
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular workouts with continuous heart rate monitoring disabled
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular vs Series 2
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular vs Series 1
• Series 3 GPS + Cellular vs comparable fitness tracker

If you have battery tests you'd like us to run, drop it below and we'll work it in when we review the watches.

Apple will soon launch the Apple Watch Series 3, which offers some improvements over previous Apple Watches and, for the first time in the product's history, cellular networking. Naturally, the major U.S. cellular carriers are eager to get in on the action, and all of them will have plans in place for the Apple Watch Series 3 when it launches on September 22.

It should be noted that carriers are only offering Apple Watch cellular service as an add-on to your existing service plan that you use with your iPhone. So far, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T have announced that they will be offering cellular service for the Apple Watch Series 3 for an additional $10 per month on top of your current service plan. Sprint has yet to offer any details.

Despite offering the same monthly price, there are details for each carrier that help differentiate them from each other. Here's what you need to know about how each carrier is approaching the Apple Watch Series 3.

With Verizon, you'll need to pony up another $10 per month on your existing service plan to use the Apple Watch Series 3 on the company's network. However, the carrier will be offing the first three months of Apple Watch service for free, and will apparently waive activation fee and upgrade fees. Based on Verizon's past history with wearables, you'll probably need to pay full price for your Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular networking, which starts at $399 for the 38mm aluminum model.

Like Verizon, the Apple Watch Series 3 on T-Mobile will run you an additional $10 per month, with the first three months of service available for free with Apple's help. Additionally, T-Mobile is the only major U.S. carrier that has announced an installment plan for the Apple Watch. While you can pay the $399 up front price for the aluminum 38mm watch ($429 for the 42mm model), you can also pay the watch off in monthly installments starting at $16.67 ($17.92 for 42mm) with no down payment.

Once again you'll need to add $10 per month to your existing plan. AT&T will also offer three months of free service through a $30 bill credit applied over three payments, as well as a $25 activation fee credit. You'll need an eligible service plan for your iPhone to take advantage of these credits, which means having a plan that costs a minimum of $50 per month. You'll also be paying the full up front price for your Apple Watch Series 3, starting at $399 for the 38mm cellular model.

Sprint…hasn't announced anything with regards to the Apple Watch Series 3, except that it will carry the wearable. It's likely that we'll see similar pricing for adding the watch to your service plan.

Questions?

If you have any questions about how your carrier is handling the Apple Watch Series 3, be sure to let us know in the comments.

On looks alone, the only thing differentiating this year's Apple Watch upgrade from its predecessors is a tiny red dot on the Digital Crown. Why red? Why add it to the Crown? While I got no official answer from the folks at Apple Park, I love the look. It further highlights Apple's bestselling smartwatch on the wrist as not only a fashion choice, but an outright statement. We are the smartwatch industry. We are here. And we are crushing the competition. (And, somehow, making a red dot work with all our bands, case colors, and outfits.)

Forget Fitbit, Misfit, Android Wear, Samsung. It's been three years since the Apple Watch's release, and no one has built a watch that does a fraction of what Apple is attempting to do in the Series 3 — and in a 38mm form factor.

Shop Apple Watch

LTExcellence

This year, the company is stepping up its game and adding LTE. Not by halving the battery life (which reportedly is staying the same), nor bulging the watch up or out (the sapphire crystal backing protrudes just 0.2mm more). By being Apple: working silicon to the bone. Making the Watch's OLED display the LTE and Wi-Fi antenna. And miniaturizing an already tiny SIM card. Oh, and the S3 chip makes my otherwise competent Series 2 feel like it's running through molasses.

What's the difference between Apple Watch Series 0, Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3?

If I sound bullish on this iteration of Apple's smartwatch after only a short time with it, that's because I am. I came into this event with high expectations for the company and a low tolerance for compromise. I didn't want to see an LTE watch that only made phone calls, or destroyed battery life, or required the 42mm watch to function. If Apple was going to do this, they needed to do it right.

And, quite frankly, they have. They're innovating in this space in the areas that matter, like health monitoring and smart connectivity. Those who expected the LTE version of this watch to be crippled in some way — myself included — were wrong: The Series 3 offers full connectivity for Maps, Messages, phone calls, third-party apps, Music (coming in October), and Siri.

I've never used Siri the way I did with the Series 3 earlier on Tuesday. The pause is gone. You ask a query, and Siri responds immediately. No lag, no spinning, no "I'll tap you when I'm ready." The assistant, even without all the features it had on the iPhone, was always the best way to interact on the Apple Watch — when it worked. Now it does, and it works reliably. I threw a half-dozen queries, app requests, and dictations toward Siri in the hands on area and it answered flawlessly. It might be the best Siri experience I've ever had. This alone is a game-changer for how I use Apple Watch, and I suspect I'm not alone.

Maps is equally compelling: wander or run about your city and don't worry about bringing your pocket computer for emergencies. As is Messaging and phone calls: the features allow you to be connected when you need to, but disconnected (with the tap of a button) when you don't.

The Series 3 may not go far enough for some people in this arena. It still requires an iPhone to pair, which means those dreaming of an Apple Watch on Android or a phone-less world have to keep on dreaming. And you'll undoubtably have to pay an additional fee for data use, which won't be a thrill for those on a budget. Still, it's one of the most impressive feats I've seen from the folks at Apple, and I look forward to testing it more thoroughly upon its release.

The form factor

A word on Apple's form factor here, because it's something I've been stewing on this week. When the Apple Watch was first released in 2015, I compared the 38mm and 42mm cases to a variety of Android manufacturers, lamenting at the time that only Apple made a watch that didn't look like a black hole on my wrist.

Yes, big watches were (and are) in style these days, but the style requires a loose, almost bangle-like fit around your wrist to look correct. With smartwatches and heart monitors, this sort of fit is nigh-impossible: Wear it loose, and you get no heart rate measurements; wear it tight, and it looks like you have a sun dial strapped to your wrist.

I know there are complaints about the rectangular form factor, and I feel it. There's a beauty to oval watches, and I hope Apple can do something with the style in the future. But the company went that way in the first place in order to have watches that fit all kinds of people — not just those with 40mm+ wrists.

Since I wrote that piece in 2015, there is not a single manufacturer who has managed to make a working watch with the same features under 40mm. I highlight this to point out just how incredible it is that Apple is not only shipping an advanced smartwatch at 38mm — it now packs a full-featured LTE antenna inside that form factor, too. Small, stylish watches are hard. Small stylish watches with fitness tracking and a full mobile OS are harder. Small stylish watches with fitness tracking, a full mobile OS, and LTE? Those are impossible, according to the rest of the industry. And Apple just proved them wrong.

LTE Apple Watch Battery Tests: Will cellular destroy the Series 3 battery?

Just saying: There's a reason the company is now the best-selling watchmaker on the planet, and it's not because they're making square watches. They're making small ones.

Healthy lifestyles

The other side of the Series 3 is centered around software-side improvements, largely to the Heart Rate app. These features will be coming to all Series models with a watchOS 4 update, so it's less of an exclusive feature than an early sneak peek, but still a welcome one.

The Heart Rate app will track your resting heart rate over time, as it has in the past, but now it will track and display your average workout heart rate, recovery time, and more. Apple has also built in an alert that warns users if their heart rate goes over a certain BPM when the watch believes the user is at rest — 120 by default, but supposedly user customizable. The interface on the watch is easily readable, with a Health app interface that allows even easier legibility. I appreciate also that it divides your heart rate averages by workout types — after all, not all workouts are made equal.

There's also a lot to be said about Apple's continuing commitment to health discovery, the incredible video the company displayed during the keynote on its Apple Watch users, and the upcoming Apple Heart Study with Stanford this fall, but I'll save it for a piece outside of this hands on.

The rest

There are a few other features worth mentioning on the Series 3: I didn't get a chance to test the speaker, but I was always happy with the Series 2 for phone calls. (On a related note, Apple's phone call demo on stage was one of the better ways to explain why you'd want to take a call on your watch that I've ever seen.)

Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular vs GPS-only: What's the difference?

The watch itself felt identical on my wrist to the Series 2, with the exception of the Nylon Sport Loop band: It's nylon, but feels almost like terrycloth. It also provides a super-tight fit on the wrist without cutting off circulation or making your skin uncomfortable — runners like my dad are going to love this band.

Really, my hands on experience with the Series 3 comes down to this: I was skeptical and quite frankly concerned about Apple pushing LTE to the watch before it was ready. After today, my fears aren't completely assuaged — I'll wait for our battery life tests when I review it — but I have faith in the company's direction here. They're continuing to set benchmarks in the smartwatch industry, especially for the smaller-wristed, and the Series 3 looks to be the next big step.

Chances are pretty good that we'll see the Apple Watch Series 3 debut next week, and that means it's time to start thinking about whether you want to upgrade — or, if you've never bought an Apple Watch before, whether you want to jump on-board the watch train.

If a new Apple Watch interests you, it might be worth preparing your iPhone to take advantage of that technology — and whether you end up with a wearable or not, these steps double as pretty good fall cleaning tips for your device.

Make sure your iPhone can work with your Apple Watch

The Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 both work with phone models newer than the iPhone 4s; if you own an iPhone 5 or later, you'll be able to access all of your watch's features. But we don't know if the same will be true of the Series 3: With rumored LTE support, it may be the first Apple Watch which doesn't even need a phone to function.

Update your iPhone to iOS 11 when it arrives

The new Apple Watch models will ship with watchOS 4, Apple's latest smartwatch software, and one that requires iOS 11 to sync and interact with your iPhone. If you want everything to go smoothly with your Apple Watch, pay attention to the iOS 11 release dates — and install it when you can.

How download a software update to your iPhone

Find your Apple Watch apps

All Apple Watch apps are iPhone apps, too, so you can download the ones you want for your Series 3 without having to wait for it to actually show up.

• Ten Apple Watch apps that you should download right now!
• Best third-party Apple Watch complications

Give fitness apps access to the Health app

One of the Apple Watch's best features is its fitness tracking. While you could do all of your workouts directly from the Workouts app, there are plenty of great third-party fitness apps that might be more applicable to your specific sport. But before you can use your Apple Watch with these apps, you'll need to check and see if they support the company's smartwatch and the Health app repository.

Best health and fitness apps for Apple Watch

Make a plan for possible LTE data

Assuming the Series 3 Apple Watch does in fact have LTE data, you'll probably want to figure out how you'd use it (and how much money you'd be willing to spend to get said access). We'll have charts up as soon as we know more about the Series 3, but for now, it's worth making a personal tally over how much money you'd be willing to part with per month.

Find some workout buddies

My personal favorite part of watchOS is battling my friends for daily Activity Sharing challenges — there's nothing like being able to send a quick "Nailed it!" to your friend after they finish a hard workout. As such, to fully take advantage of the Apple Watch, you should make sure that you have at least a few friends in your digital corner; what you say to those friends after is up to you.

Other suggestions?

How do you prepare for a new Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments!