Apple Watch Series 2 running slower on OS 4.0

Hi

The following steps may help, having resolved a similar performance issue for another user:

If you have not yet done so, update your iPhone to the latest software:

• Update the iOS on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support

Restart both your iPhone and your Apple Watch, turning both off together, then restarting your iPhone first:

• Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
• Restart your Apple Watch - Apple Support
• If the issue persists, next close all open apps on your iPhone and then restart both devices again.

Unpair and re-pair your Apple Watch:

• The Watch app on your iPhone takes a backup of your watch automatically when unpairing via the app.
• Initially choose to Restore from Backup during set up (most data and settings will be restored, with some exceptions, such as Apple Pay cards, passcode).
• If the issue persists, consider instead unpairing and setting it up as a new watch.
• Unpair your Apple Watch and iPhone - Apple Support
• Set up your Apple Watch - Apple Support

I know I’m a bit late to this thread but I found a solution that has worked for me. My watch has been horribly slow since watchOS4, especially when using the Workout App. I was playing with the settings today and stumbled across ”Detect Gym Equipment“ being on. I never venture into a gym so turned it off and what do you know, the watch is responsive again!

From the watch... Settings > General > Workout > Detect Gym Equipment > turn off

Hope it helps.

IEEEEEANR wrote:

It’s funny how we all have this problem and yet Apple will not respond to the 5 pages of concerns that are posted. No mention of “we are working the issue” or any kind of resolve. Long time customer and am starting to second guess my decision for for products I love.

You are not talking to Apple here - this is a user-based technical support community.

If you would like to send feedback to Apple (you should not typically expect to receive a reply), then you can do so here:

• Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple
• "We read all feedback carefully, but we are unable to respond to each submission individually"

If you would prefer to discuss the matter with Apple, then contact options include:

• Contact - Official Apple Support
• Apple Support (@AppleSupport) | Twitter
• Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

Same issues. I've lost a number of Runkeeper workouts because of it. On WatchOS3 it was NEVER an issue streaming music via Bluetooth and running Runkeeper. With WatchOS4 the same activity makes the watch unbearably slow.

i'm having the same problem with my apple watch 2. I'm totally with you that Apple is intentionally making older devices slower to force people to upgrade. same thing happened to my iPhone 6 after i upgraded it to iOS 11. lesson learnt is that don't upgrade it.

Same issues even after doing everything you recommended. Siri is so slow now. Zero issues before. Can you guys look at optimizing better on 1-2 gens old devices. We love your products but this forced obselence is borderline unethical. My iPad mini 2 was great on iOS 10. Now on 11 is virtually unusable.

Yes, both my and my wife's Series 2 watches, just a few months old when upgraded to watchOS 4, now seem like they are a few years old—glacially slow launching apps, changing faces, etc. The Siri feature is unusable. I've been using Apple products for more than 30 years and while this is a familiar problem with their products, this is the most egregious example I have seen in several years. I was hoping for improvement with the point updates, but we've had two of them now without any restoration of performance. I'm a very disappointed customer at this point.

I have the same issue. The Nike app is so abysmally slow that it barely starts and the voice guided features and such lag and don’t work. I totally wiped my iphone7 and series 2 Apple Watch and reinstalled everything: no change.

This is completely unacceptable and I wonder if they have clocked down the old watches similar to the phones. WatchOS 4 has totally ruined this for me. My ecosystem is all Apple, Macs, Apple TV. Now I’ll be replacing this watch with a Garmin and seriously considering moving away from the ecosystem in general.

My watch is running like garbage after the update. Never had a problem before. Now just going through any saved playlist to the phone is so awfully slow. Clicking anything takes a long time if it works at all.

Same issues here with series 2.

Siri asks to hold on after asking her something and then asks if I summoned her! I ask her the same commands and she sometimes gets it and sometimes does not, FAIL!!!

Workouts, when I tap the icon the screen becomes un responsive then it takes 10 seconds to be able to choose an exercise.

Timer: My most used item, when I set a new timer with Siri it can take a good 10 seconds to start, not good when you need precision. When I open the timer the screen is unresponsive for 5 to 10 seconds just like when I use the workout app.

When I pull up my wrist to look at my watch, it can take 5 seconds for the screen to tun on.

My biggest worry when buying the watch was exactly this, just like older iPhones that get and updated version of the iOS. I paid a lot of money for a watch that worked fine for less than a year!

I tried all the tricks, unpair, reset, restart, updates... they do not work always the same issues.

I followed all of the directions including wiping my Apple Watch Series 2 and my iPhone. This is a new watch and since WatchOS 4 it is really slow. Is Apple throtttling these along with the older iPhones?

So, I just updated and did all the hoopla-the watch is still sooooo slow. I just wanted to add my 2 cents. When I try to start the Nike Run Club (which I got the Nike version of the watch), it takes forever. Long enough that for a while I thought the app was frozen and so I just exited the app and ran without it. I've learned I just have to wait 15-20 seconds. That's a long time when you're all stretched out, listening to music, and ready to run.

I like so many others bought this watch earlier this year so I haven't had it very long. It legitimately is discouraging me to ever want to buy a new apple watch. If they are so quickly replaced and dysfunctional after so little time, it does not come close to justifying the cost. I'm already forking out $1k for a phone. I'm glad to say that technology hasn't over run my life enough to warrant another $500 so regularly. So again, my 2 cents, I'm very much discouraged from buying another Apple Watch because of my experience with this one. It is my sincere hope that Apple provides an update that fixes the speed issue. And I do see that completely changing my opinion to buy Apple Watches in the future--'cuz let's be honest, they are very cool and useful pieces of tech (when they work).

It’s even worse on series 1. After launching the workout app it takes a good 10-15 seconds before I can actually start a workout. I don’t know if this is on purpose to make me want to upgrade or not, but it’s really put a bad taste in my mouth about the watch. I’m honestly considering ditching it if they expect me to buy a new watch ever other year.

I have the original watch and confirm launching the fitness app is horribly unresponsive. 20 secs or so to launch. In many cases, as you scroll through the apps, they freeze up and make the watch nothing more than a time piece. This is far from what a smart watch is for. I am moving away from this product in the future. For health tracking, there are many options out there to choose from which makes this a little easier.

I have been an apple consumer for the past 18 years, imac, macbook pro, ipad, apple watch, tv... years ago you feel the quality of their products and how the company take care proudly of the reability of what they build. Unfortunatelly about a couple of years ago they have changed their policy for a new greedy policy focused in just the profit and earnings.

I did not mind to pay more for their products because the design, presentation, software and hardare really made the difference but they have gone too far With their update policy making the devices practically unuseable.

I loved my iphone 6, but after to download the ios 11 took about three or four minutes to boot up, it turned off with a 25% of remaining load of the battery and was terrible slow.

My ipad air 2 happened the same thing and my watch 2 after to download the ios 4 is so slow to hate using it. At this point I decided to stop buying apple products ans strating changing my whole tech enviroment with another brand.

I feel scammed by apple and absolutelly dissapointed. Apple is not anymore what they used to be and they deserve to be treated as they treat to us, loyal clients for years, slowing down on purpose our well paid devices in secret. Shame on you apple!!!!!!!