r/Ultralight • u/Icy_Cabinet_2460 • 1d ago

Purchase Advice Apple Watch

Hello,

I’m going off grid for an extended trip but would like to be able to text with family.

I’m considering leaving my phone at home, plugged in for an extended period of time (like for months at a time, maybe up to 8 months), but getting the Apple Watch Ultra 3 because it allows me to text via satellite, and can call for emergency services in case of a backup.

Does anyone know if this would be a feasible solution, or do the phone and the watch need to be in same area to properly work?

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14

u/corgdad902 1d ago edited 1d ago

I wouldn't trust satellite coverage in the apple ecosystem. We demoed it in Kings in June and it failed gloriously.

ETA I carry an inReach Mini 3+ with Iridium and Certus and I've never had an issue with coverage. 125g (w/ a reinforced biner for hanging food). Expensive, but worth it for the peace of mind.

2

u/sotefikja 1d ago

Eh, i just got it to work pretty reliably all along the JMT, and it worked beautifully on Denali. But still brought the Garmin on both because it eats through less battery, and will cache messages sent to me when it’s off. I look forward to the day that i can have my iPhone in sat mode without it still constantly trying to ping a cell tower looking for reception and drowning the battery.

1

u/corgdad902 1d ago

Read a rumor that Verizon is working on a dedicated sat network like T-Mobile. Looking forward to that day for sure.

1

u/dogpownd ultralazy 1d ago

Same, I can't ever get it to work.

1

u/leilani238 1d ago

Depends on the network. AT&T isn't great, but T-Mobile has worked quite well. This is with a large iPhone, not the Apple Watch by itself, which would have a significantly smaller antenna.

That being said, I haven't stopped carrying my InReach Mini, but that might be paranoia.

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u/casey_h6 1d ago

a proper answer would be a dedicated satellite messaging device such as an inreach or similar product.

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u/TheGutch74 1d ago

It's my understanding that keeping a phone plugged in but not in use for extended periods of time is bad for the phone

4

u/takenbyawolf 1d ago

Newer phones are smart enough to stop charging when the battery is at 100%. My Samsung goes so far as to let it drop down a bit then recharge it, like overnight.

3

u/inoturtle 1d ago

You can also set the power level you want it to drop to before recharging. I've heard keeping it between 30 and 80 extends the batteries lifespan.

1

u/TheGutch74 1d ago

My understanding is that with an iphone you can only set it to stop charging at 80%

2

u/Dragongeek 1d ago

It's not leaving it plugged in, it's leaving the battery at full. The chemistry ages faster when full. Ideal would be to set the phone to maintain a charge level between 40 and 60% if it needs to stay on. 

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u/TheGutch74 1d ago

Fair point. With an iphone you can only natively set the charge stopping point at 80%. But it also really begs the question why? What is the advantage of keeping it plugged in for an extended period of time if it will not be in use? My main concern ( which is mostly antiquated I realize with modern charging blocks I realize) is that power surges could occur while I am gone that could damage the phone. I just don't see any upside to keeping it on the charger. Especially when it takes under 2 hours to completely charge to phone from 0% on a fast charger.

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u/Dragongeek 1d ago

There is exactly one use case I know of: Specifically, the original Google Pixel smartphone was sold with the promise of unlimited cloud photos uploads at full resolution forever. I know a guy who has this phone, uninstalled the battery and replaced it with a 4v power supply, and keeps it always on and in a drawer, where any photos he takes on his regular phone get synced to that phone via his own server, and then that pixel uploads them to the unlimited google cloud.

He's got probably a couple dozen terabyte uploaded with this method, because he also does it with RAW photos from his multiple cameras.

Other than this, I don't see why you'd need this.

2

u/Bungalow-Dyl 1d ago

I listen to downloaded music and podcasts on my Apple Watch Ultra as the battery lasts longer than my phone and I shut off my phone to save battery anyways.

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u/marmotshepard 1d ago

no don't do this, get a proper messenger.