# The Ultra 4 lost GLONASS, and the Series 12 kept it

Source: https://idevice.com/the-ultra-4-lost-glonass-and-the-series-12-kept-it
Published: 2026-09-11

> Losing GLONASS probably costs Ultra 4 owners little, since the watch still reads four other satellite systems on two frequencies. Nobody has tested it yet, and Apple has not said why it changed.

Apple's technical specifications for the [Apple Watch Ultra 4](https://idevice.com/smart-watches/apple-watch-ultra/roadmap) list GPS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou, and GLONASS is no longer on the list, a change [first spotted by MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/10/apple-watch-ultra-4-glonass/). The Ultra 3 supported all five systems, and the Series 12 announced alongside the Ultra 4 still lists GLONASS. Apple did not mention the change at launch and has not explained it. The same report offers a technical reason: "Consumer devices typically only receive an L1 signal from GLONASS, so it is less useful on devices with dual-frequency support."

Gadgets & Wearables reaches the same place from Apple's own marketing, which calls the Ultra 4 the most accurate on-device GPS in a sports watch based on Apple's testing against other dual-frequency watches. "That would be a pretty strange claim to make if removing GLONASS noticeably hurt positioning." The Mac Observer is more careful: "Apple has not said why GLONASS is absent, whether Ultra 4 can still use it in practice, or whether an update could change the list." Until someone takes the watch outdoors and measures it, the spec sheet is the only evidence either way.

## Sources

- [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/09/10/apple-watch-ultra-4-glonass/) (MacRumors)