Mardybum13
Level 1 (8 points)
Apple Watch

Q: Why has the friends favourites wheel been removed in ios3 update? How to I initiate a message unless someone has previously  sent me a message?

So, I was excited by the new OS3 update for the Apple Watch and I've now downloaded it and installed. Only to find one of the features I used a lot appears to have gone forever. The friends wheel of 12 favourite contacts has gone completel, the problem with this is that I used this a lot to initiate messages quickly when I'm stuck in a meeting.

 

The workaround to this problem seems to be to be to open up messages and find a message from the person you want to contact, but what happens if they haven't sent you a message? How would I feasibly send them a text or digital touch? The only contacts app is part of the phone app and this only lets me call.

 

Maybe this isn't something many people used but I did and I'm upset its gone. It didn't need to be linked to a button but you could have kept this as an app that I could add to my dock. Now I feel I've lost functionality by updating to the latest update.

Apple Watch, watchOS 3

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 1:56 AM

by Jonathan UK,Solvedanswer
Jonathan UK Jonathan UK
Level 8 (39,983 points)
Apple Watch
A:

Mardybum13 wrote:

 

.. but what happens if they haven't sent you a message? How would I feasibly send them a text or digital touch? The only contacts app is part of the phone app and this only lets me call. ..

 

To send a new message using Messages from your Apple Watch:

 

  • Use Siri: for example "Hey Siri, tell Bob I’ll be there in 30 minutes" and then lower your wrist to send (no button tap / press is required).

 

  • Open Messages > firmly press the list of conversations > tap New Message > tap Add Contact, then either:
    • Tap a contact in the list of recent conversations that appears;
    • Or tap "+" to choose from your full contacts list;
    • Or tap the Microphone button to search for someone in your contacts or to dictate a phone number.

 

More information:

https://help.apple.com/watch/#/apd92a90f882

Posted on Sep 17, 2016 4:28 AM

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Mardybum13

Q: Why has the friends favourites wheel been removed in ios3 update? How to I initiate a message unless someone has previously  ... more

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  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 17, 2016 1:58 AM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 1:58 AM in response to Mardybum13

    Hi

     

    If you would like Apple to consider restoring Friends to watchOS, you can submit the form here, choosing "feature request" as the feedback type:

     

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

  • by Jonathan UK,Solvedanswer

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 17, 2016 4:28 AM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 4:28 AM in response to Mardybum13

    Mardybum13 wrote:

     

    .. but what happens if they haven't sent you a message? How would I feasibly send them a text or digital touch? The only contacts app is part of the phone app and this only lets me call. ..

     

    To send a new message using Messages from your Apple Watch:

     

    • Use Siri: for example "Hey Siri, tell Bob I’ll be there in 30 minutes" and then lower your wrist to send (no button tap / press is required).

     

    • Open Messages > firmly press the list of conversations > tap New Message > tap Add Contact, then either:
      • Tap a contact in the list of recent conversations that appears;
      • Or tap "+" to choose from your full contacts list;
      • Or tap the Microphone button to search for someone in your contacts or to dictate a phone number.

     

    More information:

    https://help.apple.com/watch/#/apd92a90f882

  • by Mardybum13,

    Mardybum13 Mardybum13 Sep 17, 2016 2:08 AM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 2:08 AM in response to Mardybum13

    Thank you! The Siri one wouldn't help me in a meeting but the other would, it's still not as easy though.

     

    I have submitted a feature request. I completely understand why they would take it away from being opened by the button but  still think they should have kept it as an independent app. Who knows asking for it back might get the feature reinstated in some capacity, or maybe I'm just the only one who liked using it!

     

    Thank you so much for your help and advice.

  • by Mardybum13,

    Mardybum13 Mardybum13 Sep 17, 2016 2:10 AM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (8 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 2:10 AM in response to Jonathan UK

    Thank you, especially for your swift response. I sent my reply to the main discussion not directly to you. I'm new to the discussions forum so still learning.

  • by Jonathan UK,Helpful

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 17, 2016 4:29 AM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 4:29 AM in response to Mardybum13

    No problem - you are most welcome!

     

    Some other users are also keen to see Friends reinstated. Fingers crossed!

  • by Jo Puck,

    Jo Puck Jo Puck Sep 17, 2016 2:27 AM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 2:27 AM in response to Mardybum13

    Couldn't agree more! So frustrating! The swipe up gesture is now for minimum functionality and the home button seems less than useful! Quick call options are great addition but not at the expense of quick messaging  

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 17, 2016 2:29 AM in response to Jo Puck
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 17, 2016 2:29 AM in response to Jo Puck

    Be sure to submit feedback via the link in my earlier reply.

  • by lcamp,

    lcamp lcamp Sep 21, 2016 12:26 PM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 21, 2016 12:26 PM in response to Mardybum13

    So now what took 2 clicks or pushes takes over 5 to create a message on my AppleWatch.  I loved that feature and now it's gone.  Apple you made a very simple message solution, difficult.  It takes at least 4 more clicks or pushes (after you figure out where the message app is on your watch).  How very unApple!

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 21, 2016 12:27 PM in response to lcamp
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 21, 2016 12:27 PM in response to lcamp

    lcamp wrote:

     

    ..  I loved that feature and now it's gone.  Apple you made a very simple message solution, difficult.  ..

     

    This is a user-based community.

     

    To let Apple know your thoughts, submit feedback here:

     

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

  • by Bergerboy7777,

    Bergerboy7777 Bergerboy7777 Sep 22, 2016 12:32 PM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 22, 2016 12:32 PM in response to Mardybum13

    So glad you have posted this I think the majority of the features on iOS 3 are a step back the whole pitch of the upgrade. Was to make everything more accessable well it doesn't as mentioned in this thread the Friends wheel was a fundamental function of the Apple Watch I send countless messages during meetings using this, the Siri function is pointless in the middle of a meeting , hey mr director can we stop the meeting while I talk to my watch, don't think that will do down well.

     

    I Also use Strava quite a lot and loved the finger drag up function this. Also has been decommissione, I learnt from an early age if it's not broke don't mend it.

    apple please think hard about re-adding some of the old functionality

  • by feistyginger,

    feistyginger feistyginger Sep 25, 2016 8:44 PM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 25, 2016 8:44 PM in response to Jonathan UK

    First of all the response to say "hey Siri" contact Bob is a horrible option.  No one wants to see any of us walking around talking to our wrist!  Where we need to be the most efficient is in a business setting, so announcing your needs to your watch makes you a huge *******.  Maybe not in big apple headquarters but everywhere else, get a clue.  Sorry but this loss of functionality has really frustrated me.

     

    The purpose of favorites is to have a list of people you contact most often so you can quickly communicate and they just eliminated this completely. 

    The post was helpful since the new way to send a message is hugely NOT intuitive, however I still have to now scroll for a contact, ridiculous, how could they miss something so simple?  The only thing you can do with favorites now is call.  By the way, look at your response, there are now 4 steps to what used to be 2.  Silly people.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Sep 26, 2016 1:28 AM in response to feistyginger
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 26, 2016 1:28 AM in response to feistyginger

    Bergerboy7777 wrote:

     

    .. apple please think hard about re-adding some of the old functionality

     

    feistyginger wrote:

     

    .. Maybe not in big apple headquarters but everywhere else, get a clue.  Sorry but this loss of functionality has really frustrated me. ..  Silly people.

     

    To reiterate, this is a user-based community.

     

    To let Apple know your thoughts, you can submit feedback here:

     

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

  • by tgpine,

    tgpine tgpine Oct 12, 2016 1:42 PM in response to Mardybum13
    Level 1 (29 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 1:42 PM in response to Mardybum13

    You did not answer the question Jonathan.  I agree with Mardybum13 friends favorites was a tool I used a great deal.  None of the choices you provided are anywhere as easy as friends favorites.  Is there an app that can replace it? I did submit my comments to apple.  thanks for the link. 

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Oct 12, 2016 1:45 PM in response to tgpine
    Level 8 (39,983 points)
    Apple Watch
    Oct 12, 2016 1:45 PM in response to tgpine

    There is no direct replacement for Friends.

     

    No-one here can tell you why the feature was removed - this is a user-based community.

     

    When placing calls or sending new messages, contacts can instead be selected or phone numbers dictated via the Phone and Messages apps and by using Siri:

     

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