The watchOS 7 update creates rebooting issue for the Series 3 Apple Watch
Apple did release watchOS 7.0.1 last week, and while it was made to fix some bugs, it was not a cure for those affected Series 3 units. And since Apple Watch users cannot downgrade back to watchOS 6, Apple will need to find a cure to disseminate and do it quickly. The Series 3 model was launched in September 2017 and is the oldest Series compatible with watchOS 7. Could that be part of the problem? It is quite possible that the older hardware just doesn’t have what it takes to run some of the more taxing watchOS 7 features. In case you’re wondering, watchOS 7 added the native sleep monitoring feature, Family Setup (which allows a family member without an iPhone to set up and use an Apple Watch), new watch faces, and more.
According to one user, disabling the Heart Rate Monitor on the watch ended the rebooting issue. To do this, on your iPhone open the Watch app and tap the tab on the lower left of the screen that says My Watch. Tap on Privacy > turn off Heart Rate. Just remember that the Heart Rate Monitor is the product’s most well-known life-saving feature.
If you own a Series 3 Apple Watch and haven’t installed watchOS 7 yet, you might want to hold off until a fix is pushed out by Apple. We will pass along the information when such an update is released. And looking ahead to next year, Apple will probably decide to cut the Series 3 from the list of devices eligible to receive watchOS 8. So if the latter features a big-time new feature, Series 3 owners might consider upgrading to fresher hardware.
