Continued Frustrations with IOS

[vicsalt]

Starting to feel this is a pointless smart watch for IOS, 90% of the time its disconnected from my phone and won't reconnect. This is basic stuff. I can honestly say I never ever not once had this issue with my apple watch, Whilst Im not a Apple fan boy, I do own several devices, one thing they get absolutely right is it all works.
If anyone can advise on reconnecting my watch to my phone please do.

And rebooting everything multiple times doesn't work, I don't know if its TAG, Android or Apple I should be pissed with , but it isn't rights, Ive spent £2000 an a smart watch, which is inferiour to a £150 smart watch, I wish Luxury Brand manufactures would create a device that works as it should reliable on both IOS and Android. Not good enough for me, starting to feel I should of got a mechanical watch and kept the apple, maybe common as fuck but works

 

[vicsalt]

in process of factory reset, all the hours I've spent setting it up all down the drain, theres my second issue no options to back up

 

[vicsalt]

Yep 2 hours later all back to normal, hard reset always sorts it, but shouldn't need to. Poor software, poor integration with IOS.

 

[Iñaki]

I have the same issue, made factory reset and nothing.

 

[Feanor]

I'm reading the comments related to the TAG Heuer Connected and it's pretty obvious that the vast majority of Connected owners are iPhone owners.
As far as I have understood from browsing the internet, the closed nature of iOS is creating issues with Wear OS. Apart from limited functionality, I have seen comparison tests where it is shown that battery life of the smartwatch gets a major hit when connected to an iPhone in comparison to an Android.
I am a Sony Xperia user and I have had three different Android Wear - Wear OS devices (amongst them a first generation TAG Heuer Connected) and everything works always as advertised.
So in the end it's a matter of priorities; if you love your iPhone, then you might want to stick to an Apple Watch. If you love your TAG smartwatch, you can switch to an Android flagship like a Samsung Galaxy S9, a Google Pixel or a Sony Xperia XZ(2, Premium, whatever).
Thankfully the difference between a TAG Heuer smartwatch and an Apple Watch is so big that the choice is easy: if you are cool with the techy feeling of the Apple Watch, this is the right choice. If you cannot wear a small smartphone-like device on a strap, then prioritise your TAG.

 

[Feanor]

vicsalt

Starting to feel this is a pointless smart watch for IOS, 90% of the time its disconnected from my phone and won't reconnect. This is basic stuff. I can honestly say I never ever not once had this issue with my apple watch, Whilst Im not a Apple fan boy, I do own several devices, one thing they get absolutely right is it all works.
If anyone can advise on reconnecting my watch to my phone please do.

And rebooting everything multiple times doesn't work, I don't know if its TAG, Android or Apple I should be pissed with , but it isn't rights, Ive spent £2000 an a smart watch, which is inferiour to a £150 smart watch, I wish Luxury Brand manufactures would create a device that works as it should reliable on both IOS and Android. Not good enough for me, starting to feel I should of got a mechanical watch and kept the apple, maybe common as fuck but works

Maybe it is disappointing that you pay big bucks for a luxury smartwatch and it doesn't work as advertised, but I expect that the only workaround is to switch to an Android phone. Apple will never make it easy for third parties to work with their devices, particularly now that they have competing smartwatches of their own to sell, no matter if you go for a €300 or a €3000 solution. I expect that while the smartwatches gain on features, the gap of lack of functionality between Watch OS and Wear OS tethered to iOS will only grow bigger.

 

[vicsalt]

You are 100% correct, however we all buy the TAG, it doesn’t state any compatibility issues with IOS, TAG doesn’t, Car just another watch sold, That’s my disappointment. Yes we all read the The experiences of others, but as there is no issues highlighted by TAG we convince ourselfs everything’s good and buy one. I believe TAG could do more than they are doing in respect of compatibility with IOS, the app is significantly different between the to operating systems to start. IOS users will continue to experience frustration, time and time again. It’s simply disappointing. I have a company mobile, I’m not prepared to carry a 2nd Android mobile around with me just so my Connected watch works correctly. I am certain if TAG advertised “some iOS compatability issues” I wouldn’t have spent the money. However they don’t and we assume it’s a user issue because we want it to all be good, no obstacles to stop us buying.

I hate saying this but I wanted a mechanical TAG for over 35years, I went connected as I was a Apple Watch user and simply wanted to use my luxury priced TAG every day, I need the notifications due to the environment I work in. I couldn’t justify the mechanical option as it would only get used maybe once a week at best. However I’m now slowly starting to regret that decision.

 

[Feanor]

I understand. However I believe that the blame lies with Apple, not with Google or TAG Heuer. There is a distinguishing between limited functionality and bugs. Both Tag Heuer and Google state clearly that with iOS you get less functionality.
On the other hand bugs, like connectivity issues, come and go all the time and companies have no legal obligation to warn users about their eventuality. It is only to the interest of Google and TAG Heuer to resolve these issues, but not to the interest of Apple. So even if the first two companies try to resolve the issues, problems will remain, if Apple doesn't do their part. It is actually widely known that a past Apple iOS update recently (I don't remember which) broke Bluetooth connectivity with Android Wear completely and it took a vocal complaint from Google's side to motivate Apple to fix this.

 

[Good Times]

I think it depends on your expectations of the functionality. Agree they should say it's more limited with iOS, but in my instance, all I want from my Connected 45 is notifications, and I enjoy the ability to change faces. I don't use any other apps. So for me, there is zero compatibility issues as it pairs with my iPhone and gives me 100% of the notifications. I can answer a call with my earbuds in and my phone in another room. I can change the bands quickly and easily, and it looks a million dollars next to any other smart watch.

For me it's all good. For others I can empathise, but it certainly has its place for Apple users.

 

[kwilcox]

Concur completely. I use my CM41 the same exact way. Sure I wish spotify and google maps worked like they do with android but apple just won't ever permit 3rd party apps to talk to each other on their platform. The biggest thing I like: atomic time accuracy. I've been crazy about this all my life and my CM41 is quite literally the most accurate watch I've ever owned. Everything else is a bonus. Interestingly, I also don't have the same disconnect frequency for some reason. I've had maybe 5 since I bought this watch, all easily resolved. There is no other smartwatch like my CM41. Its a real head turner and an ambassador for the brand IMO. I've never had more compliments from the technical people I deal with. I think they have a whole new impression of Tag Heuer now.

Edited: Mar 26, 2018

 

[Daniyal Syed]

I’m starting to feel that this smartwatch is almost useless for iOS. It disconnects from my phone 90% of the time and refuses to reconnect. This seems like a basic functionality that should just work. I never had this issue with my Apple Watch. While I’m not an Apple fanboy, I do own several Apple devices, and one thing they consistently get right is that everything works seamlessly together.

If anyone has advice on how to reconnect my watch to my phone, please share.

Rebooting both devices multiple times hasn’t helped. I’m not sure if the problem lies with TAG, Android, or Apple, but it’s unacceptable. I’ve spent 7400 AED on a smartwatch that’s proving to be inferior to a 500 AED one. Luxury brands should ensure their devices work reliably on both iOS and Android. This is not good enough for me; I’m starting to think I should have stuck with my Apple Watch, which, although common, actually works.

 

[Feanor]

D Daniyal Syed

I’m starting to feel that this smartwatch is almost useless for iOS. It disconnects from my phone 90% of the time and refuses to reconnect. This seems like a basic functionality that should just work. I never had this issue with my Apple Watch. While I’m not an Apple fanboy, I do own several Apple devices, and one thing they consistently get right is that everything works seamlessly together.

If anyone has advice on how to reconnect my watch to my phone, please share.

Rebooting both devices multiple times hasn’t helped. I’m not sure if the problem lies with TAG, Android, or Apple, but it’s unacceptable. I’ve spent 7400 AED on a smartwatch that’s proving to be inferior to a 500 AED one. Luxury brands should ensure their devices work reliably on both iOS and Android. This is not good enough for me; I’m starting to think I should have stuck with my Apple Watch, which, although common, actually works.

A few months ago the DoJ of the US sued Apple for wilfully damaging compatibility in the industry. The EU made similar motions against Apple. Compatibility between iOS and a Wear OS watch like the TAG Heuer Connected is a prime example for this.
For me there is a clear ranking of who's to blame for compatibility issues between iOS and the Connected:
1. Apple, who have gone completely overboard with limiting compatibility to other brands. I mean, they have been keeping even written communication (the iMessage vs everyone else story) as a locked standard within their ecosystem. It's almost equivalent to keeping the possibility to make a phonecall locked in your own brand, come on! Apple has created a nice ecosystem for themselves but one has the right to expect some basic compatibility with other equipment. Apple really needs to be forced to open up.
2. Google, who have given up trying to convince Apple to play nice, and they start prioritising their own Pixel ecosystem and their tight collaboration with Samsung, giving up on small players like TAG Heuer. Then again, Google are forced to this, simply because the market rewarded Apple for such uncompetitive behaviour and left no choice to Google to keep on trying to create more open solutions. As a result you get a nice Pixel Watch that works great with Android phones, but has given up compatibility with iOS. They have stopped to actively try to make Wear OS properly compatible with iOS, as Apple will not allow it. This leaves players like TAG Heuer in an uncomfortable situation.
3. TAG Heuer who have been left with no choice. They could try to create their own OS for their smartwatch but such an OS would face the same limitations with Apple and it would simply be inferior to Wear OS, so I see no point there. Maybe for some, TAG Heuer should be more explicit about what specific issues of compatibility one can expect with iOS, but this is almost of no practical use, as features in software can be added and taken away constantly without prior notice by the gatekeepers, in this case Apple and Google. TAG Heuer may be a luxury brand, but it's still business, they have no reason to shoot themselves on the foot by detailing issues with iOS that may come and go and over which they have no control.