Hi my watch seems to utilise wifi only when bluetooth is turned off on my iPhone 6 despite being out off Bluetooth range
Apple Watch, watchOS 1.0.1
Do you need to have Bluetooth turned off on your iPhone for the Apple Watch to use Wifi?
No, but if a BT connection is available to your iPhone the Watch will use it.
Thank you for your answer John but when my iPhone 6 with both BT and Wifi turned on is out of BT range with my Apple watch but still within wifi range there is no connection. Maybe this has something to do with the fact I have a wifi repeatng setup within my house?
when my iPhone 6 with both BT and Wifi turned on is out of BT range with my Apple watch but still within wifi range there is no connection.
If you mean that there is no BT connection to your Watch, that is correct. BT will only be reliable within 20 feet or so, at best, and that is directly between the Watch and its iPhone.
I'm not sure what your concern is.
Yes but if there is no BT connection yet the phone and Apple Watch are both within wifi range should not the connection be made through wifi?
Unfortunately it doesn't quite work that way. The Watch needs a direct BT connection with its iPhone for most of its functions. Wi-Fi is used by the Remote app to control an AppleTV, to play iTunes music on a Mac, and may be used for other purposes now or in the future.
“If your Apple Watch and iPhone are on the same network but aren’t connected by Bluetooth, you can also do the following on Apple Watch without iPhone:
Excerpt From: Apple Inc. “Apple Watch User Guide.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/4HEW6.l
Thanks John but I am obviously not explaining myself well.
1/ The iPhone is in the kitchen with BT on and within the wifi network. The watch is 3x rooms away out of BT range but within the Wifi network.---- I receive the disconnected message.
2/ Same locations but the BT is turned off on the iPhone. The Watch is again 3x rooms away in the same location as above. ------- I receive the green connected message etc and can ping my iPhone.
The only difference between 1 and 2 is the Bluetooth on the phone is turned off in 2.
Thanks, I understand now.
To more completely answer your initial question "do you need to have Bluetooth turned off on your iPhone for the Apple Watch to use Wifi" is "no": BT is simply preferable since it demands less power from the Watch's battery. Presumably, as long as BT is available, the Watch's Wi-Fi radio is powered down.
That doesn't explain the reason you are unable to connect under scenario #1. That does not appear to be normal behavior and I am unable to duplicate the results. If I create the conditions you describe, I do not receive the disconnected message. In other words BT on or off makes no difference, as long as both are connected to the same wireless network. The Apple "extended wireless network" I used for your scenario results in the creation of one large wireless network which does not affect that.
If the Watch and its iPhone are separated by distance exceeding BT range, yet both remain within range of the same wireless network, it will work as in the Support Document you referenced. The "repeating Wi-Fi setup" should not be a factor... as long as you are certain that both devices are connected to the same wireless network. That is essential.
A simple initial troubleshooting involves powering down the Watch, its iPhone, and your router, then powering them back up again.
Determine the IP address of the Watch and compare it to the iPhone. They must both be on the same subnet. Let me know what you determine.
Do you need to have Bluetooth turned off on your iPhone for the Apple Watch to use Wifi?
