This inquiry concerns how cellular data is managed on the Apple Watch with WatchOS 11.
All the following scenarios assume that the Apple Watch is activated with a cellular plan and cellular functionality is enabled.
Up to WatchOS 10(Including 8 and 9), if a specific app’s cellular data toggle was turned off in the Apple Watch’s cellular settings (Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data Usage), the app could still update its data using the iPhone’s cellular data instead of the Watch’s cellular data. In other words:
When the app’s cellular data is enabled on the Watch:
Apple Watch → (uses Watch’s cellular data to receive data) → App data updates on the Watch.
When the app’s cellular data is disabled on the Watch:
Apple Watch → (fails to receive data using Apple Watch’s cellular data) → (attempts to use iPhone’s cellular data to receive data) → App data updates on the Watch.
However, starting with WatchOS 11:
When an app’s cellular data is turned off on the Watch, it fails to receive data outright without attempting to use the iPhone’s cellular data as a fallback.
This effectively means that cellular data usage for the Apple Watch and the iPhone can no longer be managed separately when the Watch is on a cellular plan.
This behavior is causing significant issues for the app I’ve developed, as this separation of data management was critical for its functionality. It has led to major disruptions in sales.
Is this a bug in WatchOS 11, or is this an intentional change?
If it is intentional, I strongly believe users should be given an option to manage this behavior.
Please provide a response as this issue is extremely critical.
Topic:
Community
SubTopic:
Apple Developers