Tech How To Speed Up Your Apple Watch Updates Team TechagerOctober 6, 202101.4K views How To Speed Up Your Apple Watch Updates WatchOS 8 shouldn’t take too long to update. The Apple Watch packs a lot into a small package. Despite their utility and speed, certain tasks can be slow on the Apple Watch. Updates are notoriously slow on Apple Watch. You can adjust one setting to speed up your watchOS 8 update. Bluetooth vs wifi on Apple Watch The Apple Watch communicates with its iPhone using two types of connection: Bluetooth and wifi. The watch will most likely attempt to communicate with your iPhone via Bluetooth. Table of Contents Speed Up Your Apple Watch UpdatesHow to disable Bluetooth correctly on your iPhone?FAQsWhat factors affect the speed of Apple Watch updates?How can I improve my Wi-Fi connection for faster updates?Can I download the update directly to my Apple Watch?How do I free up storage on my Apple Watch for faster updates?Can I update my Apple Watch without an iPhone?How do I ensure my iPhone is ready for a smooth Apple Watch update?What should I do if my Apple Watch update is stuck or taking too long? Speed Up Your Apple Watch Updates Bluetooth is less energy-intensive than other Bluetooth connections. Your Apple Watch and iPhone will be within a 30-foot radius of each other, so it’s no surprise that they prefer the low-power option. Information travels slower via Bluetooth than it does over wifi. This is not a problem. You will receive notifications and alerts on your Apple Watch from the iPhone almost immediately. These are small snippets. It’s another matter to transfer large amounts of data between devices. You might want to transfer large amounts of data from one device to another. Do not use Bluetooth. Bluetooth is only available for Apple Watch to communicate with iPhones via Bluetooth. If the connection is not available, the devices switch to wifi. The iPhones will have to disable Bluetooth in order to update via wifi. This can greatly speed up the process. How to disable Bluetooth correctly on your iPhone? How to disable Bluetooth correctly on your iPhone. You may be tempted to disable Bluetooth using the Bluetooth button in Control Center. This will do the trick. However, the button does not permanently disable Bluetooth. Instead, it disables the connection for the next day and allows new Bluetooth connections to be made. To disable Bluetooth completely, go to Settings > Bluetooth and then tap the slider beside Bluetooth. How disabling Bluetooth speeds Apple Watch updates. After Bluetooth is disabled, open the Watch app on your iPhone. Next, go to General > Software update. Your iPhone may yell at your iPhone for not having Bluetooth enabled and request that you enable it to download the update. It is best to ignore it. Tap Cancel to close the pop-up. Wait for the update to start downloading via wifi. To check if it does not, enable Bluetooth again to start the update. Then, disable Bluetooth again and go back to this page to see whether wifi is enabled. This process should work with any luck. Your update will travel faster over WiFi than it did via Bluetooth. My own experience was that my download started at a 45-minute ETA, and then dropped to four minutes. This method can speed up the process of downloading the update to your Apple Watch. The time it takes for the update to be installed is dependent on the model of your Apple Watch. For example, the Series 3 will take longer to update than Series 6 because the Series 6’s processor runs much faster. Your mileage may vary, just like many tech hacks. This Reddit thread is an example. While many people found the tip helpful, others complained that it was useless. You are encouraged to try it. You should update watchOS 8 if you have not done so yet. The file size is huge and it’s worth it. If you are already using this software, wait for the next watchOS upgrade to give it another try. You can also update your Apple Watch directly. This is possible starting with watchOS 6 and later. Make sure your Apple Watch is connected to the internet and then go to Settings > General > Software update on your watch. Although it is not clear if this will be as fast as downloading it via your iPhone and wifi, it is possible to downgrade your watchOS after you have updated it. It’s also difficult to test different methods without having a lot of Apple Watches. Let us know how fast you get this update by commenting below. This article was designed by Do My Homework 123 tech experts. FAQs What factors affect the speed of Apple Watch updates?Update speed depends on factors like the speed of your Wi-Fi connection, iPhone performance, and available storage on both your iPhone and Apple Watch.How can I improve my Wi-Fi connection for faster updates?Ensure your iPhone is connected to a strong and stable Wi-Fi network. Position your iPhone and Apple Watch closer to the Wi-Fi router, or consider using a Wi-Fi extender to boost the signal.Can I download the update directly to my Apple Watch?No, Apple Watch updates are downloaded to your paired iPhone and then transferred to the Apple Watch. Ensure your iPhone has a strong Wi-Fi connection and sufficient storage for the update.How do I free up storage on my Apple Watch for faster updates?Delete unused apps, remove unnecessary music or podcasts, and clear caches to free up storage on your Apple Watch. This can help improve update speed and overall device performance.Can I update my Apple Watch without an iPhone?No, updating an Apple Watch requires a paired iPhone with an active Wi-Fi connection. The update is downloaded to the iPhone and then transferred to the Apple Watch.How do I ensure my iPhone is ready for a smooth Apple Watch update?Make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest iOS version, has sufficient storage, and is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network. Close any unnecessary apps running in the background.What should I do if my Apple Watch update is stuck or taking too long?If the update is stuck, try restarting both your Apple Watch and iPhone. Ensure both devices have sufficient battery and are connected to a strong Wi-Fi network. If the issue persists, contact Apple Support.