Apple Watch Series 3 Update Causes Major Headache: 8-Step Process to Fix

The Apple Watch Series 3, one of the oldest Apple Watches available in the market, has shown signs of struggles against the competition. It might be time to consider buying a new one.

Apple Watch Series 3 made its debut in 2017 and was marketed as a smart device with fitness improvements. Back then, it was also advertised for being "more than just a watch," as it can perform basic tasks similar to most smartphone devices. It was sold at $199, categorized as one of Apple's affordable merchandise.

However, The Verge reported that the Apple Watch Series 3 is showing technological problems with its system.

Troubles Updating the Apple Watch Series 3

For most Apple Watches, updating its system is a slow process that could eat up to 50 percent of the battery life. However, with Apple Watch Series 3, the waiting process takes more than just a few hours. Apple Watch Series 3 only has 8 GB of internal storage, and most of it has been taken up by the operating system. Updating the watchOS 7.4 would require you to do following, as Chaim Gartenberg of The Verge experienced:

• Unpair and Wipe Apple Watch to Factory Settings.
• Set Up Apple Watch and restore from back up.
• If an error occurs, you have to start the restoration process again.
• Take around 3 hours to wait for the process to complete.
• Go back to Step 1.
• Load up the System Update.
• If an error occurs, you need to wipe the Apple Watch for the third time.
• Restore from backup.

The issue occurs even if you did not install a lot of apps to the system. In conclusion, the Apple Watch Series 3 seems unable to integrate the new patch update and ultimately forces you to a cycle of wipe and restore while attempting the update.

Apple Support Does Not Recommend It

Even in Apple's Support Page, the post quotes that "If you have Apple Watch Series 3, skip directly to the steps to unpair and update your Apple Watch". Initially, Apple Watch was supposed to be capable of installing the new WatchOS update, even if you don't have enough space available for the update. However, this only works for Apple Watch Series 5 and later devices.

Here's how to unpair and update your Apple Watch:

• Keep your Apple Watch and iPhone close together as you unpair them.
• Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
• Go to the My Watch tab and tap your watch at the top of the screen.
• Tap the info button with the symbol "i" next to the watch that you want to unpair.
• Tap Unpair Apple Watch.
• For GPS + Cellular models, choose to keep your cellular plan.
• Tap again to confirm. You might need to enter your Apple ID password to disable Activation Lock. Before erasing all content and settings on your Apple Watch, your iPhone creates a new backup of your Apple Watch. You can use the backup to restore a new Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Series 3 remains a good smartwatch capable of high performance with its factory settings and system. However, the device seems to have struggles overcoming its technological limits. This might be the warning sign telling you to buy a new Apple Watch.