• Tips - Turn off calls on your watch ☎️
• Trivia - Test your Apple Watch knowledge 🧠
• Deep Dive - My biggest Apple Watch complaints. ⌚
• Health Challenge Update - Join our February 2026 Challenge! 🏆

• ☎️ Turn off call notifications on your watch.
• 🗺️ Navigate using Maps from your wrist.
• 🆕 Download new apps on your Apple Watch.

The different Apple Watch models each have their own advantages. If battery life is your top priority, which model should you spring for?

🔋 Series 11
🔋🔋 Ultra 3
🔋🔋🔋SE 3

Did you get it right? Scroll down to find out!

Will I ever stop using my Apple Watch? Probably not. Are there things I would beg on my hands and knees for Tim Cook to fix? YES! Let me tell you about all the things I don’t like about my watch, including solutions to the problems that can be solved.

The Noise App Is My Worst Enemy in Life

The native Noise app on your Apple Watch exists to help protect your hearing health by warning you if you are in a loud environment. Great concept… meh execution. It notifies me of loud noises in obvious scenarios, like when I’m at a concert or near barking dogs. It also alerts me when I wear my watch while taking a shower, sometimes while washing my hands, and even when the AC is blasting in the car. Not only does it send useless alerts, it is also a huge battery drainer because it is ALWAYS LISTENING. Luckily, it’s easy to turn off, and unless you actually use this feature, I recommend you do just that.

Notifications Only Go to Watch or Phone, Never Both

By design, you will only get notifications on either your iPhone or your Apple Watch, not both. Apple’s logic is that people don’t want to be disturbed on both devices, especially when they usually have both nearby. The way this works is that if your iPhone is unlocked, you’ll get your notification—for example, an incoming call—on your phone.

If your iPhone is locked, you will get the call on your watch. Calls can be transferred, and you can view your text and call log from either device. But it is annoying and can seem inconsistent and confusing if you don’t understand how and why this happens. Personally, I wish we could just decide if we want notifications on one device or the other, or both. Maybe one day, Apple will give us the autonomy we deserve.

Siri is Either Annoying Me or Ignoring Me

Siri has made my life a lot easier. I use it every single day, but it can be really frustrating to use on my phone. If you have “Listen for Siri/Hey Siri” toggled on, not only is it draining your battery, but Siri might think you are talking to it when you are not. My husband is a teacher, and this has happened to him during class, making the children giggle. “Raise to Speak” is even more inconsistent in my experience. When I want it to activate, it doesn’t, and when I’m talking passionately with my hands, it interrupts! I have turned both of these features off. Even so, Raise to Speak will still accidentally activate on occasion. Siri is great for setting alarms or timers, but I want to pull my hair out when I ask a factual question and my watch tells me to look at the results on my iPhone.

Stand Reminders That Can’t Tell When I Am Standing

Science shows that standing up for a minute every hour has tremendous health benefits, which is why your Apple Watch will remind you to stand up every hour if you haven’t already done it. But sometimes, you have been standing and even walking, and your watch will still remind you to stand up. It is especially annoying when it happens WHILE you are standing. While it’s super annoying, it is explainable.

Your watch can only recognize that you are standing by using its accelerometer and gyroscope to detect the arm-swinging motion that’s typical of walking. That’s why if you are moving your arms a lot while sitting, it’ll count as standing, and if you stand still it might think you’re sitting. You can turn Stand Notifications off if it drives you crazy, or put up with the occasional mistake and make sure to swing your arms while you walk if you’re trying to get that Stand Ring closed.

Did I miss your Apple Watch pet peeve? Email OntheWatch@iphonelife.com and let me know!

🔋🔋 Ultra 3

When it comes to battery life, the Ultra line is unbeatable. You can get up to 42 hours of typical use on a single charge!

The first iPhone Life Health Challenge of 2026 is almost over! The January Challenge is now closed, but you can already join the February Challenge!

The monthly iPhone Life Challenge is a great way to come together as a community and motivate each other to reach our health goals by staying active. We’ll be doing a weekly accountability post for subscribers in our Insider Facebook group. Join to share struggles, trade tips, and support one another on our journeys.

To join the challenge, download the free Challenges app on your iPhone and enter the code MC4Y when prompted. Need help? This article explains the steps and tells you more about the app.

Are you enjoying the challenge? Do you have any suggestions for how we can make it even better? Email OnTheWatch@iPhoneLife.com and let me know.

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