Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

GPS signal acquisition time 36 min or longer on watch

My series 3 cellular watch takes 36 mins or more to acquire a gps signal. I’ve tried all the standard tricks like turning location services on and off and movement on and off. I’ve tried pairing and unpairing the watch. I’ve tried resetting the watch and reinstalling the watch. I’ve tried updating the software on the watch and the phone. Is there anything else I can do? Or should I buy a new watch?

Apple Watch

Posted on Mar 11, 2021 2:11 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 13, 2021 5:36 PM

Hi, Halothanelogic. Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. We can definitely understand the need to have your GPS function connect faster and will be glad to look into this with you further.


To start, is this issue limited to using the Health and related apps? In other words, if you open up the Maps application and try to use your Apple Watch for directions, does that seem to work properly?


With your Apple Watch being a cellular model as well, you may need to reach out to your carrier to confirm everything is working properly on their end.


You've done some really great troubleshooting so far. From what you've explained, it seems to either potentially be a carrier issue, or potentially a physical issue with the Watch. If the Apple Watch itself needs repair, you can reach out here to get started on that: Apple Watch Service and Repair


Thanks for reaching out, and let us know if you need any further assistance.


Cheers!

Similar questions

2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 13, 2021 5:36 PM in response to Halothanelogic

Hi, Halothanelogic. Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. We can definitely understand the need to have your GPS function connect faster and will be glad to look into this with you further.


To start, is this issue limited to using the Health and related apps? In other words, if you open up the Maps application and try to use your Apple Watch for directions, does that seem to work properly?


With your Apple Watch being a cellular model as well, you may need to reach out to your carrier to confirm everything is working properly on their end.


You've done some really great troubleshooting so far. From what you've explained, it seems to either potentially be a carrier issue, or potentially a physical issue with the Watch. If the Apple Watch itself needs repair, you can reach out here to get started on that: Apple Watch Service and Repair


Thanks for reaching out, and let us know if you need any further assistance.


Cheers!

Mar 13, 2021 5:58 PM in response to Eric--F

Hi Eric,


Thanks for the reply and the tips. I actually never activated the cellular component of the watch, so I will have to rule that part out. I haven't used the maps feature on the watch other than when following directions from my phone. When I opened it up just now, it found my location quickly. Maybe I just need to get it repaired, I'll check out that link.


David

GPS signal acquisition time 36 min or longer on watch

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.