Off Topic: iwatch 8 won't call when wet

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1840 Posts XTreme Poster

Curious, my excuse for getting an iwatch was "water safety." The other day while drifting slowly home I tried to make a call to tell friends I would be late. I took the watch off of water lock, but as I pressed the call button to a contact the watch would immediately display "call failed." There was no indication that it was even searching for a network etc.

Wondering if others have had this?

Thanks,
Eric

doogie · Since 16 Oct 2013 12 Posts White Salmon, WA

You have a cell plan for the watch, correct?

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1840 Posts XTreme Poster

shred_da_gorge · Thu Jun 01, 23 7:21 pm

I have the same question on the Ultra, which I have two use cases for (this being one), but still doesn't come close to my Garmin Fenix 6 (for my needs). Waiting for price to drop (even with Apple discount through a friend).

Nak · Thu Jun 01, 23 10:28 pm

Is it possible that water droplets are giving spurious commands from the display after you turn off water lock? My Galaxy watch has that issue. I have to get it, and my hand, dry before I take off water lock. I can make an emergency call with the lock on, but it only takes three presses of the button, which can happen accidentally. I wish I could set the emergency call to 10 button pushes so that it couldn't happen accidentally. (I've turned off the feature.) Perhaps the Iwatch has a better setup for dialing with the display locked?

shred_da_gorge · Fri Jun 02, 23 8:17 am

Yup... the touchscreen/droplet issue is the main reason I switched to the Fenix.

Sella · Fri Jun 02, 23 8:29 am

Tried the watch but it was getting banged around and was just not very user friendly. Switched to an otterbox waterproof case with strap for my iphone and it's been working great for years. Fits perfect in my ProMotion vest front zippered pocket. I can swap the phone out of the case in about 10 seconds.

SV->HR · Since 18 Sep 2018 8 Posts Hood River Kook

I kite with an Apple Watch 7, tried and failed multiple times to answer a call while riding. The other day I was able to yell out "Hey Siri, text "_____" and it worked like a charm. Something to try. Love the watch for tracking my sessions with Strava.

Nak · Fri Jun 02, 23 6:51 pm

Nak · Fri Jun 02, 23 6:59 pm

shred_da_gorge · Fri Jun 02, 23 7:56 pm

I use Fenix 6X for sleep tracking (apnea), running, cycling, and kite tracking, and the battery generally lasts over a week. Garmin Pay worked great when I was working abroad; in the US not so much. My 5X altitude was ridiculous - I once climbed over 700' SUPping in Padre - but the 6X seems more accurate. I've been in the Garmin ecosystem for over a decade, and it openly integrates with many other platforms (Rouvy, intervals.icu, Zwift, etc.), so it's excellent for my use cases. (I can also develop ConnectIQ apps for free, and helped create Garmin's first kiting app).

What's missing (for me) is emergency phone calling and a-fib detection, but I'm still on the fence about Apple's price and closed ecosystem.

Personally I dislike touchscreens in general (yes, I'm odd).

Nak · Fri Jun 02, 23 9:13 pm

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1840 Posts XTreme Poster

Well, embarrassed to say i figured it out. While taking watch off of water lock I think the droplets on screen glitched it out to turn off cell service....

I think I am good now.