I have an apple watch series 5 that I bought brand new about 2 years ago (iirc) Anyway, It’s been sitting in my dresser for at least a year. I dug it out and tried to update it. Long story short, i get an error saying it can’t download the update because I’m not connected to the internet.
Apple tech support wants me to send it in and have it repaired for $330.00
All I want to do is update the software. Is there a hack way to do this?
then connect it to the internet?
Sorry if that sounds dumb but you didn’t really tell us what you already tried in order to fix it.
Yes. It’s connected to the internet. There is some kind of software compatibility problem between ios 15.2 and whatever is on the watch. It’s a known problem that apple hasnt fixed yet.
It’s why I’m looking for a hackaround
You can update through the phone or from the watch itself without the phone.
If all fails, try factory resetting the watch, then updating.
Can’t update through the phone. Says I’m not connected to the internet. Apple tech support has been over all the reset procedures with me. Says I have to send it in.
It’s why I’m looking for a hackaround to fix it vs spending 330.00
tried connecting the watch itself to wifi and updating?
The watch has been reset. It has no idea which AP to connect to, nor does it have a password. It’s only available option is to pair. I can’t pair until/because I’m not connected to the internet. The watch is wifi only. No cellular.
your AP is your home wifi (assuming you have wifi where you are at)
The watch will not connect to wifi without a password. There is no option to do anything on the watch until it is paired. It’s the first step in the watch setup. The watch wont update itself in this state. It must be paired with an iphone. It wont pair with my iphone because it says im not connected to the internet.
ok Now im understanding, I’m not familiar with apple watches.
Try going into your iphone settings >General> and hit “reset network settings”. Then reboot both devices. after that, connect to wifi and verify connection.
Then try to pair again
And if you’re using an adblocker like pihole on your network, disable it.
I’ve done that. I’ve done every single thing in that thread. I’m literally out of options except sending it in, or finding someone who knows of a hack way to update it.
Since there’s no USB connection there likely isn’t a way to do such a thing(without disassembly and extra hardware). it’s all through apple and iphone or if you can connect to wifi.
You can try a different wifi network,
can you post a pic of exactly what the watch says?
If you can’t get it working with your phone, find a friend that has an iphone and pair it to theirs to get updated, then unpair, reset, etc. def cheaper than sending it in.
Maybe your phone is just acting silly. I used to have an iPhone a while back and it would not like my computer but take it to a friends house to do what I needed worked. I just hate how locked down apples devices are so havent owned one since.
With that repair price it would be cheaper buying a new watch. Time for an upgrade?
up to you and your income/expenses. Are you actually gonna use it since this one was sitting for a year worth the cost? or try a few things I suggested and get it repaired for free.
Try factory resetting the watch and try re-pairing with your phone again. When you pair with the phone it will establish the connection using bluetooth. Once connected to the phone via bluetooth it should automatically share the known WiFi network list to the watch. You shouldn’t have to manually connect to a WiFi network. Try both methods in the KB below.
Edit: I’ve always done the WatchOS update from within the Watch app on my phone. I’d focus on getting it paired and initiating the update from there.
If I may derail the topic - maybe next time dont give Apple your money for a smartwatch? I mean this is utter nonesense in a repairability standpoint: either you overpay to repair or get a new one.
You feel like should be able to fix your smartwatch but Apple wont let you.
This isn’t helpful, but why the hell is apple asking for $330 to “repair” a software problem in iOS that they already are aware of?
Could you use an older iPhone (with old iOS) to pair it, then update the watch, then factory reset and re-pair it to the correct phone?
That’s how Apple rolls these days. Its mostly extremely profit driven.
I took it into the apple store, and the guy who was working on it says he’s seen this problem before. He is sending it in for a manual update (somehow) and assuming it’s not a hardware issue, should be fixed when they are done. No charge.
That’s a lot better than the $330.00 to fix a 2 year old watch that can be replaced brand new for 399.00