The first Apple Watch of 2015 relied entirely on iPhone navigation. A year later, the second generation still got a built-in GPS, but the watch still used data from the iPhone whenever possible. The company explained this by optimizing the energy saving of the Apple Watch.

But with newer models it already works differently. The Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra, and even the Apple Watch SE 2 already use their own built-in GPS all the time, even when the user’s iPhone is nearby. DC Rainmaker drew attention to it at gadget documentation.

“Apple Watch Ultra, Series 8, and SE (2nd generation) use the built-in Apple Watch GPS even when your iPhone is nearby. To preserve battery life, older Apple Watch models use the GPS from your iPhone when available,” explains the device calibration section on the company’s website.

First of all, it is interesting for users who do sports and track activity using only a watch. And it is not surprising that the company took such a step with the autonomy of the Apple Watch Ultra. But it should be a little more difficult for simpler models.

It is also worth noting that the new Apple Watch models, and now the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, received support for dual-band GPS this year, which should improve the accuracy of location determination in cities and improve the accuracy of the final data collected by the device for the user.