Apple is acknowledging its newest smartwatch has problems with cellular connectivity, raising questions about the device’s most significant feature days before it goes on sale in stores Friday, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The problem connecting to cellular networks occurs when the Apple Watch Series 3—the first watch from Apple to feature an LTE chip for cellular service—joins “unauthenticated Wi-Fi wireless networks without connectivity,” Apple says in a statement sent to the publication.
The company is “investigating a fix for a future software release.”
Apple issued the statement after reviewers from The Wall Street Journal and the Verge encountered problems at times making calls, connecting with the Siri virtual assistant and maintaining a cellular-network connection. The Journal says it ran into issues across multiple wireless carriers.
The new Apple Watch with LTE retails for $399, and has been available for preorder online since Sept. 15. The promise it can operate independently of an iPhone or Wi-Fi has raised sales expectations.
