Apple Watch Ultra 2. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
It’s not just owners of the new iPhone 15 who get to enjoy bugs. Those who’ve bought a new Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 also get to join in the pity party.
First is a screen flickering issue. I’ve experienced this, and it’s weird. It’s not really a dealbreaker but just weird.
Also: Apple Watch Series 9 vs Ultra 2: Which flagship wearable should you buy?
Judging from Apple’s own support forum, and social media, this seems to be quite a common issue.
According to MacRumors, Apple Authorized Service Providers have been told that a fix for this is on the way in the form of an update. A source has independently confirmed this with ZDNET.
But there are more bugs.
Complications can turn pink for no apparent reason. I’ve seen this a few times. Again, weird, but hardly a dealbreaker.
This should also be fixed by an update soon.
Also: Your new iPhone 15 suffering from screen burn-in? Apple has some good news for you
I’ve also had complications go completely blank. This one was more annoying because it would send me on a wild goose chase thinking that there was something up with the complications, and I’d go fiddling with them.
Another bug I’m seeing occasionally is poor battery life. I’m running an Apple Watch Ultra 2. Sometimes, I’m on track for the 36-hour plus runtime from a single charge. Other times, I’m feeling the pinch at 24 hours, even though nothing is really changing with regard to my usage.
This is bizarre because I never had this issue with the original Apple Watch Ultra. That model gave me a year of really good battery life.
Suffering from Apple Watch 9 or Apple Watch Ultra 2 bugs and looking for a fix?
I’m afraid you’re out of luck.
Disabling the always-on display seems to be a “fix” for the screen flicker (on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Always On or fire up the Watch app on your iPhone and go to Display & Brightness > Always On, but this is more of a bypass than a fix.
Hopefully, an update down the line will smooth things out for the other bugs so that my new Apple Watch works as well as my old one.
