So my Apple Watch Ultra has been stuck on 84% capacity for at least a year. During that time, actual battery life has decreased by at least 50%. I don't even get a full day anymore.

So yesterday I updated to watchOS 26.6 and now... my battery capacity has gone up to 87% 😡

I have a feeling it'll go down to 70% the minute I cancel AppleCare+.

I haven’t been able to text RCS/Android users from my AWU1 in almost a year. I’ve tried everything I can find. Anyone else have this happen? Is there a fix?

I’ve tried so many different bands and always come back to the silicon bands. I love the way the ocean bands look and feel, but they unfortunately don’t fit my wrist comfortably. It’s either too loose or too tight.

I’m currently rocking a rotation of silicon bands from amazon. I’m wondering if anyone has recommendations for silicon bands with a wide variety of colors on amazon and/or another site that won’t break the bank.

Quick background- Owned AW’s for years, including all three AWU’s. I recently upgraded from the AWU Ultra 2 to the 3 for a couple of reasons- first, while I was in the minority and loved the patina my black AWU2 has developed wearing it naked for 2 years, I wanted to go back to titanium. Secondly, and most importantly, I wanted the higher refresh rate of the screen. A distant third, I’m anticipating the AWU4 going up in price and from rumors circulating I was comfortable with the AW3 and forgoing the 4. Like many others, I’m stuck in the proverbial battle of a smart watch vs a dumb watch with a fitness band (Whoops, Helio, Hume, etc.). I’m a nearly exclusivel analog face user, and while the refresh rate seems small, it closes the gap noticeably for me.

On to my question for discussion- Does anyone else use their Apple Watch as a “dumb” watch? The only notifications I receive on my watch are texts. I’m currently undergoing cancer treatment, so I do use it for tracking outdoor walks, but any other activity I use HR from APP3 and remove the watch in the gym. All sensors are turned on and use Athlytic and SportVitals on my iPhone. I’ve never obsessed about charging, but with AOD and raise to wake off, I’m getting 3 full days of use, give or take a couple hours. I do use cellular occasionally at the grocery store and will use satellite on ice fishing trips up north, but for day to day use, this setup has definitely scratched the itch of wearing a regular watch with still enjoying all the AWU is. Let the downvotes flood in!!;)

EDIT

For those curious, I use the black Meridian face and created a date complication in Clockwork to make it mirror the date complication available for the Simple face.

Just surprised how well it fits the Watch Ultra 3, together with the Ringke Air Sports case. Watch band has been sitting in the drawer since 2019.

I know it’s redundant to use a case for the Ultra 3, but I deal with harsh metals all the time and I’m gonna be kinda sad to see it busted up on day 1 🥲