Apple Watch Series 3 LTE use not ideal for marathon runners, offers 3 hours of streaming m...
If you want to stream music while tracking an extended outdoor workout, you'll probably want to bring your iPhone in tow with your new Apple Watch Series 3, as the latest watchOS 4.1 update offers just three hours of uptime while streaming music and using GPS.
New Apple Watch battery test data published to Apple's website after the release of watchOS 4.1 on Tuesday gives more insight into how streaming music over LTE, a capability enabled by the latest software, affects battery life.
Specifically, Apple advertises that athletes engaging in an outdoor workout while streaming audio over LTE and using GPS can expect up to 3 hours of usage before the battery will run out.
An extra hour can be eked out of the Series 3 if users load music directly onto the watch and don't stream it over LTE. And disabling LTE entirely -- which would disable notifications, alerts and Siri support -- helps push the battery life with just GPS, heart rate and onboard audio to 5 hours.
Even half-marathon runners will probably want to at least bring their iPhone along with their Apple Watch. Consider that the average running time for both men and women is over 2 hours, cutting it close to the advertised 3-hour limit.
The time limit will also be a problem for triathletes, as triathlon finish times are also usually longer than 4 hours.
Of course, runners have already brought phones with them on extended workouts for years. And those who want to have a watch-only tracked workout could do so without music, or alerts, if battery life is a concern.
And if you're a really, really serious marathon runner, streaming music isn't even a consideration: U.S. Track & Field rules specifically ban the use of headphones by runners competing in championships for awards, medals or prize money.
The one-two punch of LTE and GPS prove to be a serious drain on the Apple Watch's battery. Eliminating GPS for an indoor workout, with just onboard music and pulse tracking, boosts the uptime to 10 hours.
Similarly, streaming a playlist over LTE without GPS or fitness tracking offers 7 hours of uptime. That time is reduced to just 5 hours if the user listens to live radio.
Apple did not indicate whether using live radio instead of a playlist with GPS and LTE resulted in even less than 3 hours of use.
If a user plays music from Apple Watch storage without streaming or using GPS, the rated battery life is 10 hours.
Apple's streaming tests used the Apple Music service over LTE, and also accessed live Beats 1 broadcasts. The tests were conducted in October ahead of the release of watchOS 4.1.
Overall, the Apple Watch is rated with up to 18 hours of uptime for the average user by Apple, though actual user accounts vary wildly. Some who do not exercise with the Apple Watch and restrict it to limited use can get multiple days out of the device before needing to charge.
New Apple Watch battery test data published to Apple's website after the release of watchOS 4.1 on Tuesday gives more insight into how streaming music over LTE, a capability enabled by the latest software, affects battery life.
Specifically, Apple advertises that athletes engaging in an outdoor workout while streaming audio over LTE and using GPS can expect up to 3 hours of usage before the battery will run out.
An extra hour can be eked out of the Series 3 if users load music directly onto the watch and don't stream it over LTE. And disabling LTE entirely -- which would disable notifications, alerts and Siri support -- helps push the battery life with just GPS, heart rate and onboard audio to 5 hours.
3 hours may not be enough for common extended workouts
Considering that the average marathon finishing time for men in the U.S. is 4 hours and 20 minutes, while the median time for women is 4 hours and 45 minutes, marathon runners may find other, more fitness-specific wearables are better suited for such extended workouts. Or they could just bring their iPhone in tow.Even half-marathon runners will probably want to at least bring their iPhone along with their Apple Watch. Consider that the average running time for both men and women is over 2 hours, cutting it close to the advertised 3-hour limit.
The time limit will also be a problem for triathletes, as triathlon finish times are also usually longer than 4 hours.
Of course, runners have already brought phones with them on extended workouts for years. And those who want to have a watch-only tracked workout could do so without music, or alerts, if battery life is a concern.
And if you're a really, really serious marathon runner, streaming music isn't even a consideration: U.S. Track & Field rules specifically ban the use of headphones by runners competing in championships for awards, medals or prize money.
LTE and GPS are the big battery drains
Still, as Apple positions the Apple Watch Series 3 as a connected, fitness-focused wearable, knowing its limitations for serious athletes will affect potential use cases.The one-two punch of LTE and GPS prove to be a serious drain on the Apple Watch's battery. Eliminating GPS for an indoor workout, with just onboard music and pulse tracking, boosts the uptime to 10 hours.
Similarly, streaming a playlist over LTE without GPS or fitness tracking offers 7 hours of uptime. That time is reduced to just 5 hours if the user listens to live radio.
Apple did not indicate whether using live radio instead of a playlist with GPS and LTE resulted in even less than 3 hours of use.
If a user plays music from Apple Watch storage without streaming or using GPS, the rated battery life is 10 hours.
Apple's streaming tests used the Apple Music service over LTE, and also accessed live Beats 1 broadcasts. The tests were conducted in October ahead of the release of watchOS 4.1.
Overall, the Apple Watch is rated with up to 18 hours of uptime for the average user by Apple, though actual user accounts vary wildly. Some who do not exercise with the Apple Watch and restrict it to limited use can get multiple days out of the device before needing to charge.
Comments
Probably a safe bet at some point, but I don't see Apple itself selling one (too bulky/ugly). I suspect we may get an official (Made for Watch?) "smart band" accessory platform that would enable third parties to go wild — battery bands, basic but targeted health functions, and advanced health functions (the kind of stuff that requires FDA approval — but separately from the watch itself).
I originally bought my Series one for the Heart Rate Monitor. I.e. to keep my HR at 125 for max fat burning (180-age=HR) But, b/c of the battery draw I stopped using it on my longer runs....plus I could tell, after awhile, my level of exertion w/o needing to look at the watch.
I also, keep a watch charger at work and am thinking of getting one for my car. It sure charges fast.
Best Regards
“Following yesterday's release of watchOS 4.1, which enables Apple Music and Beats 1 streaming over LTE on cellular-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 models, Apple has outlined how much impact the functionality has on battery life.”
“While all Apple Watch Series 3 models are rated for up to 10 hours of battery life when playing music from the watch's built-in storage, Apple says the device gets up to seven hours of battery life when streaming Apple Music with LTE”
As for LTE, running in a place with bad reception would also severely diminish thee allotted time (could be 5 instead of 7)
putting bothbtogether, LTE streaming ou a trail outside tehe city could easily get no more than 3h
Yeah, I was trying to skip most of it and missed the bit I was interested in. Typical
Five hours doesn’t sound too bad though.
As to the size/ bulk, I have no doubt there would be customers for the expanded capability. I see runners wearing all sorts of bulky devices, including their iPhones. Seems like maybe the iPhone SE might be the simplest solution.
Apple should re-enable the ability to play the music on the Watch directly from the iPhone, something that uses very little battery power by comparison.
Im part of a running community of some 200 people and Garmin is by far the weapon of choice. I don’t know a single runner who uses Apple Watch to do so.
Its an an interesting idea to use Apple Watch but it’s really a smart watch with tracking features more than it is a running watch.
Its standalone gps accuracy is not as good either, if you believe dcrainmaker.
Serious marathon runners do not wear headphones, and headphones are prohibited for professional runners. Some marathons also prohibit them for all participants. Moreover, it is unlikely that runners who are training for competition will be relying on an Apple Watch as their fitness device.
It's a non-issue for 99.99% of Apple Watch owners.