Hi everyone,
For about a year (since OS26), the Maps app on my Apple Watch Series 8 (stainless steel, watchOS 26.6, coupled with iPhone 17 up to date) has been unusable: it opens, starts drawing the map, then closes. Compass does the same a few seconds later. Every other app works fine, including third-party GPS and navigation apps.
What the diagnostics show:
The watch's analytics contain a JetsamEvent report (bug_type 298). Maps (NanoMaps) is not crashing: it's being killed by the system for "highwater", meaning it exceeds its per-app memory limit (~126 MB). It gets relaunched and killed three times in about a minute. It was by far the largest process on the watch.
My hypothesis:
I have 586 places saved in Apple Maps (favorites, saved places and guides), synced through iCloud. Maps and Compass are the only two watch apps that load this data (Compass shows Maps guides as waypoints). So I believe the library is "too large for the Watch's" memory budget.
What I've already tried:
- Full software restore at an Apple Store (set up as new): no change, because the data comes back via iCloud.
- Deleting/reinstalling Maps on iPhone and turning off iCloud sync for Maps: my places restore themselves.
- A report to Apple, with no response so far.
Since watchOS 27 dropped the Series 8, a software fix is unlikely, so I'm looking for a workaround:
1. Has anyone with a large Maps library seen this on Series 8 / SE 2 / Ultra 1?
2. Does anyone know roughly how many saved places the Watch can handle?
3. Is there a way to stop the Watch from loading saved places/guides, or to reliably bulk-delete them without iCloud restoring them?
4. Could it be a database corruption (I've managed my favorite on apple map for a long time), if yes what can I do?
The watch itself is in perfect condition, and cycling navigation was the main reason I bought it. The problem appeared on WatchOS 26 and now I have no hope for it to work again. Any help is appreciated, and I can share the log if useful.
