fbpx
Wikipedia

watchOS

watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features.[5] It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS. watchOS exposes an API called WatchKit for developer use.

watchOS
A customized watch face on watchOS 6
DeveloperApple Inc.
Written in
OS family
Working stateCurrent
Source modelClosed, with open-source components
Initial releaseApril 24, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-04-24)
Latest release10.4[1] (March 7, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-03-07)) [±]
Latest preview10.5 RC[2] (May 7, 2024; 6 days ago (2024-05-07)) [±]
Marketing targetSmartwatch
Available in45 languages[3][4]
Update methodOTA (via iPhone 5+ running iOS 8.2+)
Platforms
Kernel typeHybrid (XNU)
Default
user interface
Cocoa Touch (GUI)
LicenseProprietary software except for open-source components
Official websiteapple.com/watchos

The second version, watchOS 2, included support for native third-party apps and other improvements, and was released on September 21, 2015.[6][7][8] The third version, watchOS 3, was released on September 13, 2016, to emphasize better performance and include new watch faces and stock apps. The fourth version, watchOS 4, was released on September 19, 2017. The fifth version, watchOS 5, was released on September 17, 2018,[9] to add more third-party support and new workouts, along with the "Walkie-Talkie" feature.[10] The sixth version, watchOS 6, was released on September 19, 2019.[11] The seventh version, watchOS 7, was released on September 16, 2020, to support handwashing and sleep tracking.[12][13] The eighth version, watchOS 8, was released on September 20, 2021, with updates in health monitoring, visuals, and apps.[14] The ninth version, watchOS 9, was released on September 12, 2022. The tenth version, watchOS 10, was released on September 18, 2023.

Interface overview edit

The home screen, rendered by and also known as "Carousel",[5] consists of circular application icons that can be zoomed in and out with the Digital Crown and launched by touching the display, allowing users to access their favorite apps.

Prior to watchOS 3, "Glances" offered quick access to summaries of the most frequently used native and third-party applications.[15] The Glances view was opened with a swipe-up gesture from the watch face screen. In watchOS 3, Glances were replaced with a redesigned Control Center that mirrors the functionality seen in iOS, providing a more unified experience across Apple devices. The Control Center is accessed with a swipe-up gesture from the watch face screen. Additionally, the friends menu, previously activated with the side button, was repurposed as a dedicated dock for apps, enhancing multitasking and app management.

Prior to watchOS 7, different actions and options appeared depending on whether the user taps or deep-presses, which an Apple Watch detects with its pressure-sensitive (Force Touch) Display.[16] Force Touch was completely removed in watchOS 7, and all actions requiring the feature were moved to specific options in the Settings app or to long-press actions.[17] With the launch of watchOS 7, Force Touch technology was phased out. This feature was replaced by additional options in the Settings app and extended press gestures to accommodate all necessary interactions. This change streamlined the interaction model, making it more consistent with other Apple devices that do not support Force Touch.

As of watchOS 10, the interface has been further refined to enhance user accessibility and interaction. New customization features allow users to personalize their Carousel with greater ease, and improvements in app responsiveness and animation enrich the overall user experience. These updates demonstrate Apple's ongoing commitment to enhancing usability while maintaining the sleek, minimalist design that users appreciate.

Supported health metrics edit

Since its inception, watchOS has supported an increasing number and variety of health metrics for measurement and tracking. These include:

  • heart rate
  • maximal aerobic capacity, otherwise known as VO2 max (added in watchOS 4,[18] enhanced in watchOS 7[19][20][21])
  • electrocardiogram, otherwise known as EKG or ECG (added in watchOS 5.1.2[22])
  • blood oxygen saturation, otherwise known as SpO2 (added in watchOS 7[19])
  • menstrual cycle status (added in watchOS 6[23])
  • sleep duration & respiratory rate tracking (added in watchOS 7[24][25])

HealthKit edit

For several years, Apple has been developing its HealthKit product in an attempt to penetrate the lucrative healthcare and wellness industry, which CB Insights believe holds a huge growth opportunity for Apple.[26] This was confirmed by Jony Ive, Apple's former chief designer, in an interview. He said that health was a crucial element in the Apple Watch since the day of its inception and that the developmental trajectory of the hardware and the watchOS were geared towards health-based capabilities.[27] Ive pointed out that one of the primary apps that shipped with the first watchOS allowed users to track and communicate as well as encourage them to move, exercise, and stand. He said:

Many of us have our phones with us all the time, but they aren't connected to you. Imagine having something this powerful with you at all times, and what opportunities that might present to the user. The opportunity is phenomenal. Particularly when [you] don't understand just where we are today in terms of technology and capability, but where we are headed.[27]

Applications have been developed for watchOS that not only keep users active but also diagnose illnesses. For example, the app called DeepHeart, a deep-learning network that can detect atrial fibrillation, hypertension, sleep apnea, and diabetes.[28] It taps into the HealthKit platform to collect data, particularly those collected by the Apple Watch's heart sensor.[29]

Version history edit

Overview of watchOS versions
Version Initial release date Latest version Release date Device end-of-life
Apple Watch iPhone
watchOS 1 April 24, 2015 1.0.1 May 19, 2015
watchOS 2 September 21, 2015 2.2.2 July 18, 2016
watchOS 3 September 13, 2016 3.2.3 July 19, 2017 5, 5C
watchOS 4 September 19, 2017 4.3.2 July 9, 2018 1st
watchOS 5 September 17, 2018 5.3.9 November 5, 2020 5S, 6
watchOS 6 September 19, 2019 6.3.0 December 14, 2020 Series 1, Series 2
watchOS 7 September 16, 2020 7.6.2 September 13, 2021
watchOS 8 September 20, 2021 8.8.1 June 21, 2023 Series 3 6S, SE (1st), 7
watchOS 9 September 12, 2022 9.6.3 September 21, 2023 8, X
watchOS 10 September 18, 2023 10.5 May 13, 2024
Legend:   Obsolete   Supported   Current   Beta

watchOS 1 edit

The first version of watchOS 1 was 1.0 and was based on iOS 8.2. The second version of watchOS 1 was 1.0.1 and was based on iOS 8.3.

Table of versions: watchOS 1.x – Apple Watch
Watch family:
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

1.0

8.2[30] 12S507 April 24, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-04-24)

Initial release on Apple Watch (1st Generation).

1.0.1[33]

8.3[30] 12S632 May 19, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-05-19)
  • Display support for new Emoji characters.
  • Notification screen UI tweaks.
  • Improved performance:
    • Free floating Circular app icons in home screen.
    • Zoom in with Digital Crown.
    • Siri.
    • Measuring stand activity.
    • Calculating calories for indoor cycling and rowing workouts.
    • Distance and pace during outdoor walk and run.
    • Accessibility.
    • Third-party apps.
    • Wrist Raise (more sensitive to real-life wrist raises).
  • Additional language support:
    • Brazilian Portuguese.
    • Danish.
    • Dutch.
    • Swedish.
    • Russian.
    • Thai.
    • Turkish.
  • Security fixes[34]

watchOS 2 edit

Table of versions: watchOS 2.x – Apple Watch[35]
Watch family:
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

2.0[36]

9.0[30] 13S344 September 21, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-09-21)

New Watch faces

  • Time-lapse face: Hong Kong, London, Mack Lake, New York, Shanghai, Paris
  • Photo & Photo album faces with support for Live Photos
  • New Time Travel function where you can see both past and future events
  • Nightstand Mode
  • 9 new colors for customization
  • New multicolor Modular face
  • 3rd party apps Complications support

Siri

  • Workout and Maps support
  • FaceTime audio calling and email replying support
  • HomeKit support
  • Added support in following countries: Austria, Belgium, Norway

Activity and Workout

  • Workouts done in 3rd-party apps will be included in Activity rings
  • Sharing support from Activity app on iPhone
  • Interactive achievements
  • Weekly Summary
  • Activity notifications can now be muted for a day
  • Workouts can now be automatically saved

Apple Pay and Wallet

  • Discover cards support
  • Reward cards, store credit and debit cards support
  • Passes can now be added from 3rd party apps

Friends

  • You can now add more than 12 friends to your Watch
  • Groups support
  • Multicolor sketches support
  • Animated emoji support

Maps

  • New Transit view in selected cities
  • List of directions can now be shown
  • Station placards support with departure information

Music

  • New Beats 1 Radio support
  • New Quick Play button for Apple Music

Miscellaneous

  • You can now reply to emails right from your Watch using dictation, emoji, or smart replies
  • Support for FaceTime audio calls
  • Support for Wi-Fi calling
  • Activation Lock – No one can activate an Apple Watch without a proper Apple ID and password
  • New system languages: English (India), Finnish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Polish
  • Dictation support extended to include the following languages:
    • Dutch (Belgium)
    • English (Ireland, Philippines, South Africa)
    • French (Belgium)
    • German (Austria)
    • Spanish (Chile, Colombia)
  • Smart replies support extended to include the following languages:
    • Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
    • Danish
    • Dutch
    • English (New Zealand, Singapore)
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Swedish
    • Thai

Developer

  • Native SDK support
  • 3rd-party apps can now access the accelerometer, heart rate sensor, microphone, Taptic Engine, and Digital Crown
  • You can now play videos directly on your Watch
  • You can now run apps without your iPhone with a Wi-Fi connection
  • Complications for watch faces support
  • Support for Workouts from 3rd party apps – Metrics will count toward the Activity rings as well as included in the Activity app on iPhone

2.0.1[36]

9.1 13S428 October 21, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-10-21)
  • New emoji characters
  • Resolved: Software updates stalling
  • Resolved: Battery performance deteriorating
  • Resolved: iPhone calendar events not syncing to Apple Watch
  • Resolved: Location information not updating
  • Resolved: Instability with Live Photo on the Photos watch face
  • Resolved: Heart sensor is on forever when Siri is used to help measure your heart rate

2.1[36]

9.2 13S661 December 8, 2015; 8 years ago (2015-12-08)
  • New system languages: Arabic, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Malay, Portuguese (Portugal), Vietnamese
  • Right-to-left language support
  • In Arabic, switch between Latin and Hindi numerals
  • New Complication for Islamic and Hebrew calendars
  • Siri support extended to include Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)
  • Dictation support extended to include the following languages:
    • Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)
    • English (Malaysia)
    • Czech
    • Greek
    • Hebrew
    • Hungarian
    • Portuguese (Portugal)
    • Vietnamese
  • Resolved: Events not updating in the Calendar complication
  • Resolved: Power Reserve mode not working correctly
  • Resolved: 3rd-party apps not launching
  • Resolved: 3rd-party app icons not displaying correctly
  • Resolved: System instability when changing display language

2.2[36]

9.3 13V144 March 21, 2016; 8 years ago (2016-03-21)
  • You can now pair 2+ Apple Watches to a single iPhone
  • New Nearby function in Maps
  • New system languages: Catalan, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Ukrainian
  • Dictation support extended to include the following languages:
    • Catalan
    • Croatian
    • Slovak
    • Romanian
    • Ukrainian
    • English (Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Indonesia)
  • Siri support extended to include Malay, Finnish, and Hebrew
  • Background heart rate measurements have their frequency increased when you're stationary

2.2.1[36]

9.3.2 13V420 May 16, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-05-16)
  • General performance and stability improvements.

2.2.2[36]

9.3.3 13V604 July 18, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-07-18)
  • General performance and stability improvements.

watchOS 3 edit

Table of versions: watchOS 3.x – Apple Watch[37]
Watch family:
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

3.0

10.0 14S326 September 13, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-09-13)
  • Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 1 (Dual-Core) and Apple Watch Series 2 (Dual-Core)

Navigation

  • Favorite apps in Dock
  • Apps in Dock updates with up-to-date information on launch
  • Dock can contain up to 10 apps
  • Simple switch to different watch face with a swipe
  • Control Center can be toggled with a swipe up

New Watch faces

  • Minnie Mouse face
  • Activity faces
  • Numerals faces
  • Complications support for Photo, Photo Album, Timelapse, and Motion faces
  • New Complications: Workout, Music, and Messages, etc.
  • Face Gallery in Apple Watch app on iPhone
  • 3rd-party Complications support

Activity

  • Share and compare activity rings
  • Activity progress notifications for a person you have shared your activity progress with
  • Smart replies for above notifications
  • New "Sharing" tab on Activity app on iPhone

Workout

  • Quick start
  • Customizable metrics view
  • Gestures support for pausing, resuming, or marking segments
  • Support for "Other" workouts not listed in built-in workout types
  • Auto-pause in running workouts for inactivity
  • Siri support
  • Route maps with a speed indicator (Outdoor workouts only)

For Wheelchairs

  • Activity rings support for people using a wheelchair
  • Pushes now contribute to the move ring
  • Stand ring and "Time to Stand" notification substituted with Roll ring and "Time to Roll" notification
  • Outdoor Run or Walk pace workouts

Breathe app

  • New app for breathing sessions
  • Visualization and haptics indicate when to inhale or exhale
  • Adjustments for session length and amount of breaths per minute
  • Summary with heart rate
  • "Time to Breathe" notifications
  • Weekly Summary

Communication

  • Full-screen effects for celebrations
  • Tap to quick reply
  • Animations for handwritten messages
  • Send built-in or 3rd party stickers
  • Ability to view secret messages
  • Replies now available in Messages and Mail notifications
  • New and redesigned emojis

Scribble

  • Write directly on Apple Watch and it will automatically convert to text
  • Scroll through predictions with Digital Crown
  • Available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese

Emergency SOS

  • You can now call emergency services by pressing and holding the side button
  • Your SOS contacts will be notified with your location
  • You can also display your Medical ID stored on your Watch
  • Emergency numbers are automatically adjusted per your location

Home

  • New app to control accessories through HomeKit
  • You can now control all your accessories directly from your wrist
  • IP camera support: Watch live video with controls and notifications directly on your Watch

Miscellaneous

  • New Reminders app
  • New Find My Friends app
  • Apple Pay support in 3rd-party apps
  • New controls in the Calendar app: You can now delete events or switch calendars
  • FaceTime audio calls support
  • Search for Settings on Apple Watch app on iPhone
  • New remote camera controls: Flash, Live Photos, HDR, Zoom, Burst, and facing
  • New Siri languages: Spanish (Chile), Cantonese, English (Ireland), English (South Africa)

3.1

10.1 14S471 October 24, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-10-24)
  • Bubbles and fullscreen effects on Messages can now be replayed
  • Reduce Motion of Messages effects
  • Resolved: "Timer complete" notification being delivered twice
  • Resolved: Apple Watch Series 2 not fully charged
  • Resolved: Disappeared Activity rings on watch faces
  • Resolved: Force Touch options not appearing in 3rd-party apps

3.1.1

10.2 14S883 December 12, 2016; 7 years ago (2016-12-12)

Update withdrawn due to reports of Apple Watches no longer working after the update[38]

3.1.3

10.2.1 14S960 January 23, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-01-23)
  • Resolved: Bricking Apple Watches after updating to watchOS 3.1.1
  • Includes fixes from watchOS 3.1.1, including...
    • Resolved: Contact names not appearing in notifications and the Messages app
    • Resolved: Unable to respond notifications
    • Resolved: Stocks Complication not updating on watch faces
    • Resolved: Activity rings not displaying on Activity watch faces
    • Resolved: Dials of Analog watch faces not displaying after changing the temperature unit in the Weather app
    • Resolved: Maps app still launching after navigation has ended
    • Resolved: Month view of Calendars app showing incorrect dates

3.2

10.3 14V249 March 27, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-03-27)
  • Siri now works with 3rd-party apps with features including
    • Start a workout
    • Send messages
    • Make payments
    • Book rides
  • Theater Mode
  • New Scribble languages: French, Spanish, Italian
  • Sync progress for music playlists is now displayed in the Apple Watch app on iPhone

3.2.2

10.3.2 14V485 May 15, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-05-15)
  • Bug fixes.

3.2.3

10.3.3 14V753 July 19, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-07-19)

watchOS 4 edit

Table of versions: watchOS 4.x – Apple Watch[39]
Watch family:

Limited support on the Apple Watch (1st generation). Some features are not supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

4.0

11.0 15R372 September 19, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-09-19)

Initial release on Apple Watch Series 3

Drops support for iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C

New Watch faces

  • Siri face with updates based on time, location, and daily routines
  • Toy Story face with animated Toy Story characters
  • Kaleidoscope face with static images turning into patterns
  • Siri, News, Heart Rate, Now Playing, Messages Complications

Activity

  • Personalized notifications
  • Monthly challenges
  • Full Screen animations for achievements and rings closed
  • Workout metrics included in replies for Activity Sharing notifications

Workout

  • App completely redesigned
  • High Intensity Interval Training workout support
  • Multiple workouts in a single session support
  • Auto sets for Pool Swim workouts
  • Synced music playlist support when starting workouts (Apple Watch 1st gen not supported)
  • Music controls right inside the app
  • Do Not Disturb can be automatically turned on when starting workouts

Heart Rate

  • Graphs for all-day heart rate
  • New measurements including resting rate, walking average, workout average, workout high, recovery, and Breathe sessions
  • High Heart Rate notifications support (Apple Watch 1st gen not supported)
  • New Heart Rate data on iPhone including Heart Rate Variability and VO2 max

Music

  • App completely redesigned
  • Multiple playlists sync support for local playback with Bluetooth headphones
  • Apple Music curated playlists sync support, includes Heavy Rotation, My New Music Mix, and My Favorites Mix

Miscellaneous

  • News app added
  • Flashlight and Safety Light can be toggled through Control Center
  • Recent used apps in Dock
  • App home screen in alphabetical view
  • Gestures support in Mail
  • Dialer pad right inside Phone app
  • Conflicts for Calendar invites can now be displayed
  • New language for Scribble: German
  • New timers: sub-minute and repeating
  • Recent locations and suggestions in Maps
  • Contacts in Smart Reply, includes location

4.0.1

11.0 15R654 October 4, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-10-04) Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular) only
  • Resolved: Apple Watches joining unauthenticated Wi-Fi networks

4.1

11.1 15R846 October 31, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-10-31)
  • Music streaming support on Apple Music or iCloud Music Library (Apple Watch Series 3 only)
  • New Radio app: Beats 1 Live Radio, custom stations, and expert-curated stations (Apple Watch Series 3 only)
  • Find, discover, and play songs, albums, or albums using Siri
  • Fitness data syncing support for more accurate metrics on GymKit-enabled treadmills, ellipticals, stair steppers, and indoor bikes
  • Ability to disconnect from a Wi-Fi network right in Control Center (Apple Watch Series 3 GPS + Cellular model only)
  • Resolved: Heart Rate notifications erroneously delivered to users who have not enabled the feature
  • Resolved: Current Stand Hour indicator not correctly displayed
  • Resolved: Haptics not delivered for silent alarms
  • Resolved: Apple Watch (1st gen) not charging
  • Resolved: Sunrise / Sunset complication not appearing on watch faces
  • Mandarin Chinese now set as default dictation language in China

4.2

11.2 15S102 December 5, 2017; 6 years ago (2017-12-05)
  • Apple Pay Cash support (US only)
  • HomeKit sprinklers and faucet support
  • 3rd-party app Workouts: distance, average Speed, number of runs, elevation descended for downhill snow sports (Apple Watch Series 3 only)
  • Resolved: Crash when asking Siri about weather
  • Resolved: Scrolling disabled in the Heart Rate app
  • Resolved: Simultaneous timers and alarms not being independently dismissed

4.2.2

11.2 15S542 January 23, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-01-23)
  • This update includes improvements and bug fixes.

4.2.3

11.2 15S600b February 19, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-02-19)
  • Fixes an issue where using certain character sequences could cause apps to crash.

4.3

11.3 15T212 March 29, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-03-29)
  • HomePod volume and playback control support
  • Regaining control of music on iPhone
  • Multiple orientation support on Nightstand mode
  • Activity rings progress and new songs to Apple Music mixes are now shown on the Siri watch face
  • Resolved: Activity achievements incorrectly awarded
  • Resolved: Siri music commands not working for some audio

4.3.1

11.4 15T567 May 29, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-05-29)
  • Fixes an issue which caused Apple Watch to sometimes remain at the Apple Logo during startup for some users.

4.3.2

11.4.1 15U70 July 9, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-07-09) Final release supported on Apple Watch (1st generation)
  • This update includes improvements and bug fixes.

watchOS 5 edit

watchOS 5 was first shown to the public at the 2018 San Jose WWDC developer conference held on June 4, 2018 by Apple. It had an instant watch-to-watch Walkie-Talkie mode.[40] With this release, Apple dropped support for the first generation Apple Watch. watchOS 5 was the first version of watchOS to bring 64-bit support.

Table of versions: watchOS 5.x – Apple Watch[41]

Some features are not supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2.

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
5.0 12.0 16R364 September 17, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-09-17)

Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 4

Drops support for the Apple Watch (1st generation)

  • Workout
    • Compete with Friends notifications
    • Auto detect workout and notification to turn off workout when done
    • New workouts: Yoga and Hiking
    • Pace Alerts and Cadence
  • Podcasts
    • New app for watchOS
    • Download episodes of podcasts for listening
    • Stream your favorite podcasts on the go (Series 3 and later only)
  • Walkie-Talkie
    • A new watchOS app that allows you to do FaceTime Audio calls similar to talking on a walkie-talkie
  • Siri
    • Watchface adds 3rd-party access to Siri
    • Raise to Speak. No longer need to say "Hey Siri" to activate (Series 3 and later only)
    • Integrate with shortcuts like "I am on my way home" and Siri will start playing your favorite playlist on the way home
  • Notifications
    • Grouped notifications
    • More actions you can do with Notifications
    • Can view webpages from iMessages
  • Do Not Disturb
    • Can schedule Do Not Disturb events when leaving a location or just for a specific time period
  • Student ID Cards
5.0.1 12.0 16R381/16R382 September 27, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-09-27) Improvements and bug fixes
5.1 12.1 16R591 October 30, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-10-30) Update withdrawn due to reports of Apple Watches no longer working after the update[42]
5.1.1 12.1 16R600 November 5, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-11-05)

Improvements and bug fixes

  • Addresses a problem in the WatchOS 5.1 update leading to non-functional Apple Watches.
  • Improvements to Series 4 automatic fall detection.
  • Resolves a problem with completing setup of Walkie-Talkie.
  • Resolves a problem with sending and receiving invitations for Walkie-Talkie.
  • Resolves missing earned Activity awards.
5.1.2 12.1.1 16S46 December 6, 2018; 5 years ago (2018-12-06)
  • New ECG app for Apple Watch Series 4 (US and US territories only)
  • Irregular rhythm notification (US and US territories only)
  • AFiB notification
  • Other improvements and bug fixes
5.1.3 12.1.3 16S535 January 22, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-01-22) This update includes improvements and bug fixes.
5.2 12.2 16T225 March 27, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-03-27)
  • ECG app extended to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK
  • Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above
  • 2nd gen AirPods support
  • Real-time text support for phone calls
5.2.1 12.3 16U113 May 13, 2019; 5 years ago (2019-05-13)
  • ECG app extended to Croatia, Czech, Iceland, Poland, and Slovakia
  • Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above
  • New Pride watch face
  • Other bug fixes
5.3 12.4 16U569 July 22, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-07-22)
  • ECG app extended to Canada and Singapore
  • Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above
  • Resolved: Security fix for Walkie-Talkie app that could enable the owner's iPhone to be eavesdropped[43]
5.3.1 12.4.1 16U600 August 26, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-08-26)
  • Re-patches a security vulnerability that was accidentally unpatched in the previous update
Post-watchOS 6 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 12.x iPhone (to support iPhone 5S and iPhone 6/6 Plus)
5.3.2 12.4.2 16U611 September 26, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-09-26) Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only
  • Security update for Series 1 and Series 2 watches[44]
5.3.3 12.4.3 16U620 October 29, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-10-29) Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only[citation needed]
  • Important security updates
5.3.4 12.4.4 16U627[45] December 10, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-12-10)
  • Security update for Series 1, 2, 3, and 4 watches[46]
5.3.5 12.4.5 16U652[47] February 18, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-02-18)
  • Update for Series 1, 2, 3, and 4 watches with heart rhythm notification bug fix[48]

No published security notes.[49]

5.3.6 12.4.6 16U662 March 24, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-03-24)
  • Important security updates

No published security notes.[49]

5.3.7 12.4.7 16U674 May 18, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-05-18)
  • Improvements and bug fixes

Security notes

5.3.8 12.4.8 16U680 July 15, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-07-15)
  • Improvements and bug fixes

No published security notes.[49]

5.3.9 12.4.9 16U693 November 5, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-11-05) Final version to support iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
  • Improvements and bug fixes

Security notes

watchOS 6 edit

Apple announced a new version of watchOS that would contain features, such as the App Store, a calculator with tip tools, an audiobooks app, noise level monitoring, and Apple's Voice Memos app, at WWDC 2019 held on 3 June 2019.[50][51][52] It also enables special games that can only be played on the Watch interface. With this release, Apple dropped support for iPhone 5, 6 and 6 Plus. However, watchOS 6 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. watchOS 6.3 is the final release supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.

Table of versions: watchOS 6.x – Apple Watch[53]

Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2.

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
6.0 13.0 17R575 September 19, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-09-19)

Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 5

Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2

Drops support for iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

  • Cycle Tracking
    • New Cycle Tracking app for tracking menstrual cycle and fertility metrics
    • Notifications predicting a person's next menstrual cycle and fertile window.
  • Noise (Series 4 or later only)
    • New Noise app for detecting decibel levels in your surroundings.
    • Notifications can be pushed when it detects that the noise in your surrounding is too high.
  • Voice Memos
    • New Voice Memos app for recording and listening to voice memos directly on Apple Watch
    • Synced across all your devices as well.
  • Audiobooks
    • Now you can sync up to 5 hours of audiobooks to your Apple Watch
    • Stream them when your Watch is connected via Wi-Fi or cellular
  • App store
    • New built-in App Store where you can find and download apps for your Watch.
    • Supports Sign in with Apple
  • Activity Trends
    • Activity Trends in Activity app which includes all three activity rings, stand minutes, walking distance, walking pace, running pace, and VO2 max.
    • These are compared with data averaged over the last 90 days to the wearer's performance over the last year.
    • Tips are given if a single trend is going down.
  • Workout
    • New elevation metrics for Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, and Hiking workouts (Series 2 or later only)
    • Stopwatch app can now be viewed on your watch face during workouts
    • GymKit support for True and Woodway
  • Siri
    • Now you can identify songs directly on your Watch—with the ability to add identified songs to your Apple Music library
    • New Siri Web Search—shows up to 5 online results with the ability to view optimized Web content.
    • Siri integration into the redesigned Find People app
  • Watch Faces
    • New Faces
        • Numerals Mono and Numerals Duo (Available in Arabic, Arabic Indic, Roman numerals, and Devanagari)
        • Meridian—black or white dial which fills the screen and includes 4 complications (Series 4 or later only)
        • Gradient—Design dynamically changes as time passes. Available in full screen or circular with 5 complications (Series 4 or later only)
        • California—Supports multiple numeral styles in Roman, Arabic, and Devanagari in fullscreen or circular (Series 4 or later only)
        • Solar Dial—Depicts the Sun's path in circular form across a 24-hour dial (Series 4 or later only)
        • Modular Compact—With many complications and the option to choose between analog or digital time (Series 4 or later only)
    • Tap to speak on all watch faces, supports up to 30 languages
    • Receive and customize time-keeping chimes (An alert on the hour, every half hour or every 15 minutes, either with haptics or customizable chimes)
    • Now you can reorder your Watch faces directly on your Watch
    • New complications
      • Audiobooks
      • Calculator
      • Cellular connectivity
      • Cycle Tracking
      • Noise
      • Wind
      • Rain
      • Voice memos
    • New monochrome complications for Infograph and Infograph Modular faces
  • Miscellaneous
    • New Calculator app with the ability to calculate tips and split checks
    • Support for custom stations in the Podcasts app
    • Smart Guidance and spoken navigation in Maps
    • Redesigned Now Playing app with Apple TV Remote controls
    • Personalized music picks in the For You tab
    • Support for automatic software updates
    • Redesigned Walkie-Talkie app
    • Redesigned Find People app which allows you to add friends, set notifications, and change settings directly on your Watch
    • Redesigned Reminders app with shared lists, subtasks, and the ability to add new reminders
    • More settings for Accessibility, Workout, and Health
6.0.1 13.1 17R604/17R605 September 30, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-09-30) Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2

Improvements and bug fixes

  • Resolves an issue where the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch faces do not speak time.
  • Addresses an issue where the calendar complication may not display events.
  • Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data.
6.1 13.2 17S84 October 29, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-10-29) First version of watchOS 6.x to support Apple Watch Series 1 and 2
  • Support for AirPods Pro
  • Other improvements and bug fixes
  • Brings watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2
6.1.1 13.3 17S449 December 10, 2019; 4 years ago (2019-12-10)
  • Important security updates
6.1.2 13.3.1 17S796 January 28, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-01-28)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

6.1.3 17S811 February 18, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-02-18)
  • Heart rhythm notification bug fix

No published security notes.[49]

6.2 13.4 17T529 March 24, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-03-24)
  • Brings ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications to Chile, Turkey, and New Zealand
  • Brings in-app purchases to Apple Watch apps
  • Fixes music playback issues when switching from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth

Security notes

6.2.1 13.4.1 17T530 April 8, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-04-08)
  • Fixes an issue that prevented FaceTime audio calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or Macs running OS X El Captain 10.11.6 and earlier from working

No published security notes.[49]

6.2.5 13.5 17T608 May 18, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-05-18)
  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Saudi Arabia
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Saudi Arabia

Security notes

6.2.6 13.5.1 17T620 June 1, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-06-01)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

6.2.8 13.6 17U63 July 15, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-07-15)
  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa
  • Digital car keys support for Apple Watch Series 5

Security notes

13.6.1 August 12, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-08-12)
13.7 September 1, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-01)
Post-watchOS 7 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 13.x iPhone (for users who deferred updating to iOS 14)
6.2.9 13.7 17U203 November 5, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-11-05) Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only
  • Improvements and bug fixes

Security notes

6.3 17U208 December 14, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-14) Final version to support the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2
  • Improvements and bug fixes

Security notes

watchOS 7 edit

Apple announced watchOS 7 at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020. With watchOS 7, Apple dropped support for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. However, watchOS 7 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 3.

Table of versions: watchOS 7.x – Apple Watch[54]

Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 3.

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
7.0 iOS 14.0 18R382 September 16, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-16)

Initial Release on Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6

Drops support for the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2

  • Watch Faces
    • Updated Faces
      • Chronograph Pro gains a tachymeter (Series 4 or later only)
      • X-Large adds support for one large complication
      • Photos face provides colour filters for pictures and more customization options
      • Updated colours for many watch faces
    • Complications
      • Apps may now include more than one complication
      • New and/or updated Sleep, Shortcuts, Camera Remote, Moon Phase and World Clock complications
    • Watch Face Sharing
      • Ability to share custom Watch Faces through Mail, Messages, or posting a link
  • Sleep Tracking
    • Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to measure sleep
    • See logged sleep, manage schedules and set alarms in the new Sleep app
    • New alarm sounds and haptics
    • Wind Down mode
    • Sleep Mode automatically enables Do Not Disturb and disables Raise to Wake
    • Reminders to charge your Apple Watch in the evening if below 30% charge
    • Notifications on iPhone when Apple Watch is finished charging
    • Wake up screen displays after your alarm, showing the weather and your battery level
  • Activity
    • Workouts
      • New Dance, Functional Strength Training, Core Training and Cooldown workouts
    • Mobility Metrics
      • Support for low-range cardio fitness, walking speed, stair-descent speed, stair-ascent speed, six-minute walk distance, double support time, step length, and asymmetry metrics in the Health app on iPhone, tracked by Apple Watch
    • Exercise and Stand goals can now be modified in addition to the Move goal
    • Activity app renamed Fitness app on iPhone
  • Maps
    • Cycling Directions
      • Cycling specific directions in Maps in supported areas
      • Choose routes based on intensity and duration
      • Alerts about upcoming stairs and dismount locations
  • Handwashing (Series 4 or later only)
    • Automatic handwashing detection with a 20-second timer
    • Handwashing reminder when arriving home
  • Siri
    • Translation support for 10 languages
    • Support for Announce Messages with Siri
    • New Siri UI
  • New Apps
    • New Shortcuts app, and ability to choose visible shortcuts on Apple Watch from iPhone
    • New Memoji app with support for editing and creating new Memoji (Series 4 or later only)
  • Dictation
    • Dictation is processed on-device (Series 4 or later only)
  • Privacy
    • Microphone icon appears onscreen when in use
  • Headphones
    • Ability to set a decibel volume limit for headphones
    • Reminders to reduce volume if above World Health Organization's limits
  • Family Setup (Cellular Series 4 or later only, in supported countries)
    • Pair Apple Watches for family members that do not have their own iPhone, aimed at children and seniors
    • Activity metrics are more accurate for children, and Apple Watch now measures move minutes rather than active calories
    • Apple Cash Family allows children to receive money using Apple Cash
    • Enhanced parental controls, including approved contacts and apps, and Schooltime
  • Schooltime
    • Displays a standard yellow watch face and turns on Do Not Disturb to limit distractions
    • Can be manually enabled through the Control Centre, or scheduled and remotely enabled for child watches using Family Setup

Security notes

7.0.1 iOS 14.0.1 18R395 September 24, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-24)
  • Fixes an issue where some payment cards in Wallet were disabled for some users

No published security notes.[49]

7.0.2 18R402 October 12, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-10-12)
  • Fixes an issue where the battery drained too quickly
  • Fixes an issue that blocked access to the ECG app

No published security notes.[49]

7.0.3 18R410 October 19, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-10-19)
  • Fixes an issue that causes unexpected restarts with Series 3 watches

No published security notes.[49]

7.1 iOS 14.2 18R590 November 5, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-11-05)
  • Headphone audio level notifications
  • Adds ECG and irregular heart rhythm notifications support in South Korea and Russia
  • Fixed: Unlocking Mac with Apple Watch fails
  • Fixed: Always-on display failure on Apple Watch Series 6

Security notes

7.2 18S564 December 14, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-14)
  • Adds support for Apple Fitness+ (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, and US only)
  • Cardio fitness notifications
  • AFiB notifications now available at heart rates above 100 BPM
  • Adds ECG support in Taiwan
  • Adds braille displays with VoiceOver support
  • Family Setup now available in Bahrain, Canada, Norway, and Spain

Security notes

7.3 18S801 January 26, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-26)
  • New Unity watch face
  • New Time to Walk podcasts in Apple Fitness+
  • Add ECG support in Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, and Thailand (Series 4 or later)
  • Add Irregular heart rhythm notifications in Japan, Mayotte, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand
  • Fix an unresponsive issue when zoom is enabled in the Control Center and Notification Center

Security notes

7.3.1 18S811 February 15, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-02-15)
  • Fix for a charging issue when in Power Reserve mode (Series 5 and SE only)

No published security notes.[49]

7.3.2 18S821 March 8, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-03-08)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

7.3.3 18S830 March 26, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-03-26)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

7.4 iOS 14.5 18T195 April 26, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-04-26)
  • Unlock iPhone with Face ID using Apple Watch when wearing a face mask
  • Set the Bluetooth device type in Settings
  • Airplay audio and video content of Apple Fitness+ workouts
  • Add ECG support on in Australia and Vietnam (Series 4 or later)
  • Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Australia and Vietnam

Security notes

7.4.1 iOS 14.5.1 18T201 May 3, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-05-03)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

7.5 iOS 14.6 18T567 May 24, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-05-24)
  • Subscription content in Podcasts app
  • Apple Card with a Family Sharing
  • Add ECG support in Malaysia and Peru (Series 4 or later)
  • Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Malaysia and Peru

Security notes

7.6 iOS 14.7 18U63 July 19, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-07-19)
  • Add ECG support for multiple countries (Series 4 or later)
  • Add irregular heart rhythm notifications for multiple countries

Security notes

7.6.1 iOS 14.7.1 18U70 July 29, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-07-29)
  • Important security updates

Security notes

7.6.2 iOS 14.8 18U80 September 13, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-09-13)

Security notes

watchOS 8 edit

Apple announced watchOS 8 at the 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7, 2021. Apple Watch models supporting watchOS 7 can also support watchOS 8. However, like watchOS 7, watchOS 8 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 3. It is also the last version of watchOS to be supported on Apple Watch models with 32-bit processors.

Table of versions: watchOS 8.x – Apple Watch[56]

Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 3.

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
8.0 15.0 19R343

19R346

September 20, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-09-20) Initial release on Apple Watch Series 7. Build 13R346 is pre-installed only on Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS + Cellular).
  • Watch Faces
    • New Portrait photo and World Time watch face (Series 4 and later)
  • Home
    • View the status and accessory controls at the top
    • Accessories and scenes displayed changes depending on the time of day and usage
    • View all HomeKit camera feeds together
    • New Favorites section
  • Wallet
    • Added support for home, hotel, and office keys
    • Added support for car keys (Series 6 and later)
    • Added support for Remote keyless car features
  • Workout
    • New tai chi and pilates workouts
    • Automatic workout detection for outdoor cycling
    • Outdoor cycling workout tracking improvements
    • Hiking workout tracking improvements (aged 13 and below)
    • Voice feedback during workout
  • Fitness+
    • New guided meditations sessions
    • New pilates workouts
    • New picture-in-picture support
    • New search filters
  • Mindfulness
    • Breathe session improvements
    • New reflect session
  • Sleep
    • Monitor respiratory rate when sleeping
    • View respiratory rate data recorded in Health app
  • Messages
    • Use the Scribble, dictation, and emoji methods simultaneously
    • Use Digital Crown to scroll when editing dictated text
    • Enter hashtag to search for GIF images
  • Photos
    • New Photos app
    • Share photos
  • Find My
    • New Find Items app
    • New Find Devices app
  • Weather
    • Support for precipitation and severe weather notifications alerts
    • New precipitation graph
  • Miscellaneous
    • Focus function added
    • Sync Focus state with iOS, iPadOS or macOS
    • New Contacts app
    • New Tips app
    • Redesigned Music app
    • Share songs, albums, and playlists
    • Run simultaneous timers at the same time
    • Cycle Tracking improvements
    • New Memoji stickers and outfits
    • Measure headphone audio level in Control Center
    • Transit card support in Wallet for Family Setup users in multiple countries
    • Google account support in Calendar and Mail for Family Setup users
    • New AssistiveTouch gestures supported
    • Add ECG support in Lithuania (Series 4 or later)
    • Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Lithuania

Security notes

8.0.1 15.0.2 19R354 October 11, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-10-11)
  • Software update progress bar fix (Series 3 only)
  • Fix a bug with Accessibility settings (Series 3 only)

No published security notes.[49]

8.1 15.1 19R570 October 25, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-10-25)
  • Fall detection improvements and new settings (Series 4 and later)
  • Support COVID-19 vaccination cards in Apple Wallet
  • Fitness+ SharePlay support
  • Improve Always-On time accuracy (Series 5 and later)

Security notes

8.1.1 19R580 November 18, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-11-18) Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS + Cellular) only
  • Charging issue fix

No published security notes.[49]

8.3 15.2 19S55 December 13, 2021; 2 years ago (2021-12-13)
  • Enable ECG for China (Series 4 or later)
  • Compass no longer shows altitude (Series 3-5) latitude and longitude in mainland China[57]
  • New Apple Music Voice plan option
  • New App Privacy Report
  • Fix for notifications not being muted during Mindfulness sessions

Security notes

8.4 15.3 19S546 January 26, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-01-26)
  • Important security updates
  • Charging fix for select chargers

Security notes

8.4.1 19S550 February 1, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02-01) Apple Watch Series 4 or later only
  • Bug fixes

No published security notes.[49]

8.4.2 15.3.1 19S553 February 10, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-02-10)
  • Important security updates
  • Bug fixes

No published security notes.[49]

8.5 15.4 19T242 March 14, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-14)
  • Authenticate Apple TV purchases and subscriptions
  • Support for EU COVID-19 vaccination cards in Apple Wallet
  • Afib tracking improvements for irregular rhythm notifications in multiple countries
  • New audio description in Fitness+

Security notes

8.5.1 15.4.1 19T252 March 31, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-31)
  • Important security updates
  • Bug fixes

No published security notes.[49]

8.6 15.5 19T572 May 16, 2022; 23 months ago (2022-05-16)
  • Add ECG support in Mexico (Series 4 or later)
  • Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Mexico

Security notes

8.7 15.6 19U66 July 20, 2022; 21 months ago (2022-07-20)
  • Important security updates
  • Bug fixes

Security notes

8.7.1 15.6.1 19U67 August 17, 2022; 20 months ago (2022-08-17) Apple Watch Series 3 only
  • Restart issue fix

No published security notes.[49]

Post-watchOS 9 update for Series 3 and/or watches paired with an iOS 15.x iPhone (to support iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, SE (1st gen), 7 and 7 Plus)
8.8.1 15.7.7 19U512 June 21, 2023; 10 months ago (2023-06-21) Final version to support the Apple Watch Series 3, iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, SE (1st gen), 7, and 7 Plus

Security notes

watchOS 9 edit

Apple announced watchOS 9 at the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6, 2022. With this release, Apple dropped support for Apple Watch Series 3, making it the first version of watchOS to run exclusively on Apple Watch models with 64-bit processors.

Table of versions: watchOS 9.x – Apple Watch[58]
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
9.0 16.0 20R361 September 12, 2022; 20 months ago (2022-09-12) Initial release on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd gen) and Apple Watch Ultra

Drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3, iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, SE (1st gen), 7 and 7 Plus

  • Watch Faces
    • New Astronomy, Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Nike watch faces
    • Complication improvements
    • Portrait photo watch face improvements
    • Change watch face depending on Focus
  • Workout
    • Access workout view during a workout
    • New heart rate zone, elevation view, and running power graphs
    • Additional running metrics (SE, Series 6 and later)
    • New custom and Multisport workout option
    • New workout alerts
    • Pool Swim workout improvements
    • New swimming metrics
  • Fitness+
    • New trainer guidance and personal fitness metrics displayed
  • Compass
    • New Compass app (SE, Series 5 and later)
    • New compass waypoints, and backtrack GPS function (SE, Series 6 and later)
  • Sleep
    • Sleep tracking improvements
    • New comparisons chart
  • Medications
    • Add and schedule medications
    • View medication schedule
    • Medication reminders
    • New watch complication
  • AFib History
    • New weekly summary notifications
    • AFib tracking improvements
    • Export data as a PDF
  • Family Setup
    • New Podcasts app
    • New support for Yahoo and Outlook emails
  • Accessibility
    • New AssistiveTouch actions
    • Ability to pair a Bluetooth keyboard
    • Airplay Apple Watch to iPhone
  • Miscellaneous
    • New Low Power Mode
    • International roaming support (SE, Series 5 and later)
    • New keyboard languages (Series 7 and later)
    • New Communication safety setting in Screen Time
    • New cycle deviation notifications alerts
    • New cardio recovery metrics
    • Reminders, Calendar, and Podcast app improvements
    • Minor Dock enhancements
    • New notification banner design when in use

Security notes

9.0.1 20R8380 September 22, 2022; 19 months ago (2022-09-22) Apple Watch Ultra only
  • Fixes an issue with audio on phone calls on the Apple Watch Ultra

No published security notes.[49]

9.0.2 20R8383 October 10, 2022; 19 months ago (2022-10-10)
  • Fixes an issue causing interruptions with Spotify
  • Fixes an issue with snooze alarm notifications continuing after deleting the alarm
  • Fixes syncing of Wallet and Fitness data for newly-paired watch
  • Fixes an issue with audio interruptions on Series 8 and Ultra

No published security notes.[49]

9.1 16.1 20S75 October 24, 2022; 18 months ago (2022-10-24)
  • Option to extend battery life during select workouts by reducing heart rate and GPS reading frequency (Series 8, SE 2nd generation, and Ultra)
  • Download music while on battery via Wi-Fi or cellular
  • Add support for Matter
  • Fixes incorrect voice feedback of average pace for the Outdoor Run workout
  • Fixes an issue where the chance of rain probability shown in Weather app may be different from iPhone
  • Fixes an issue with the hourly weather complication showing AM for PM hours
  • Fixes an issue with time duration getting stuck during Strength Training Workout
  • Fixes an issue where VoiceOver fails to announce the app name when multiple notifications are received

Security notes

9.2 16.2 20S361 December 13, 2022; 17 months ago (2022-12-13) Security notes
9.3 16.3 20S648 January 23, 2023; 15 months ago (2023-01-23) Security notes
9.3.1 16.3.1 20S664 February 13, 2023; 15 months ago (2023-02-13)
9.4 16.4 20T253 March 27, 2023; 13 months ago (2023-03-27)
  • Wake-up alarms are no longer silenced with cover to mute gesture to avoid accidental cancellations during sleep
  • Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates and cycle deviation alerts now supported in Moldova and Ukraine
  • AFib History now available in Colombia, Malaysia, Moldova, Thailand, and Ukraine

Security notes

9.5 16.5 20T562 May 18, 2023; 11 months ago (2023-05-18)
  • Add Pride Celebration watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture

Security notes

9.5.1 20T570 May 30, 2023; 11 months ago (2023-05-30)
9.5.2 20T571 June 21, 2023; 10 months ago (2023-06-21)

Security notes

9.6 16.6 20U73 July 24, 2023; 9 months ago (2023-07-24)
9.6.1 20U80 August 15, 2023; 8 months ago (2023-08-15)
9.6.2 16.6.1 20U90 September 7, 2023; 8 months ago (2023-09-07) Security notes
Post-watchOS 10 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 16.x iPhone (to support phones that iOS 17 does not support like iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X)
9.6.3 20U502 September 21, 2023; 7 months ago (2023-09-21) Final version to support iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X

Security notes

watchOS 10 edit

Apple announced watchOS 10 at the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2023. With this release, Apple dropped support for iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X. All Apple Watch models supporting watchOS 9 also support watchOS 10.[59]

Table of versions: watchOS 10.x – Apple Watch[60]
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
10.0 17.0 21R356 September 18, 2023; 7 months ago (2023-09-18) Initial release on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2

Drops support for the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X

  • New Watch Faces: Snoopy, Palette, Nike Globe, and Solar Analog
  • Optimized Charge Limit is now available on Apple Watch SE, Series 6, Series 7, and Series 8.
  • Fixed: Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm) estimates maximum battery capacity more accurately.
10.0.1 17.0.1 21R360 September 21, 2023; 7 months ago (2023-09-21)
  • Bug Fixes
10.0.2 17.0.2 21R371 September 26, 2023; 7 months ago (2023-09-26) Ultra 2 and Series 9 only
  • Bug fixes that are specific to the Ultra 2 and Series 9
10.1 17.1 21S67 October 25, 2023; 6 months ago (2023-10-25)
  • Double Tap gesture (select models)
  • NameDrop (select models)
  • Bug fixes
10.1.1 17.1.1 21S71 November 7, 2023; 6 months ago (2023-11-07)
  • Battery Drain Fixes
10.2 17.2 21S364[61] December 11, 2023; 5 months ago (2023-12-11)
10.3 17.3 21S644 January 22, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-01-22)
10.3.1 17.3.1 21S651 February 8, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-02-08)
10.4 17.4 21T216 March 7, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-03-07)
10.5 17.5 21T575 May 13, 2024; 0 days ago (2024-05-13)

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hall, Zac (March 7, 2024). "Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14.4, watchOS 10.4, and more". 9to5Mac. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Clover, Juli (May 7, 2024). "Apple Seeds Release Candidate Version of watchOS 10.5 to Developers". MacRumors. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  3. ^ "How to change the language on an Apple Watch, and make it differ from the language on your paired iPhone". Business Insider. October 8, 2019. from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2020. Your Apple Watch is designed to "mirror" the language used on your iPhone, so by default it'll use whichever language is set on that device, but you can make the two devices differ.
  4. ^ . Apple. Archived from the original on January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Apple Watch runs 'most' of iOS 8.2, may use A5-equivalent processor". AppleInsider. April 23, 2015. from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  6. ^ "Apple announces watchOS 2 with third-party Apple Watch apps, new Timepieces, video playback, much more". 9to5Mac. June 8, 2015. from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  7. ^ "watchOS 2 final version released for Apple Watch users". September 21, 2015. from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "Apple's watch OS 2 is now live following bug delay". CNET. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  9. ^ Juli Clover (September 17, 2018). "Apple Launches watchOS 5 With Walkie-Talkie, Apple Podcasts, Siri Shortcuts, New Watch Faces, Raise to Speak and More". MacRumors. from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "watchOS 5 adds powerful activity and communications features to Apple Watch". Apple Newsroom (Press release). from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Juli Clover (September 19, 2019). "Apple Releases watchOS 6 With Dedicated App Store, New Watch Faces, Noise Monitoring App and More". MacRumors. from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. ^ "watchOS 7 adds significant personalization, health, and fitness features to Apple Watch" (Press release). Apple Inc. June 22, 2020. from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Orellana, Vanessa Hand (July 21, 2020). "10 new tricks WatchOS 7 will soon bring to your Apple Watch". CNET. from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  14. ^ Summerbell, D. . WavBand Tech. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "How To Use and Organize Apple Watch Glances". iPhoneTricks. April 27, 2015. from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  16. ^ "Apple Watch – Technology". Apple. from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  17. ^ "Apple Ending Support for Force Touch on Apple Watch With watchOS 7". iPhone in Canada Blog. June 24, 2020. from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  18. ^ Ng, Gary (June 8, 2017). "Apple Watch Calculates VO2 Max in watchOS 4 Beta". iPhone in Canada. from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Bonifacic, Igor (September 15, 2020). "Apple adds blood oxygen monitoring to the Watch Series 6". Engadget. from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  20. ^ Hand Orellana, Vanessa (September 8, 2020). "WatchOS 7: Apple Watch will soon be able to measure your fitness level as you age". CNET. from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  21. ^ Comstock, Jonah (September 15, 2020). "Apple adds SpO2 & V02 Max to Apple Watch Series 6, and launches three new studies". mobiHealthNews. from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  22. ^ Hand Orellana, Vanessa (July 23, 2019). "Apple Watch ECG vs. hospital EKG: Not the results I was expecting". CNET. from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  23. ^ Mitroff, Sarah (September 19, 2019). "Apple WatchOS 6: How to track your menstrual cycle and fertility". CNET. from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  24. ^ Stein, Scott (August 14, 2020). "Apple WatchOS 7 sleep tracking: What it can and can't do". CNET. from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "watchOS 7 adds significant personalization, health, and fitness features to Apple Watch". Apple. Inc. June 22, 2020. from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "Apple Is Going After The Health Care Industry, Starting With Personal Health Data". CB Insights Research. September 20, 2017. from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  27. ^ a b Phelan, David. "Apple Watch Secrets Revealed By Jony Ive, Health A Big Focus". Forbes. from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  28. ^ "Apple Watch's heart rate sensor can detect diabetes, Cardiogram study finds". Macworld. from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  29. ^ Ballinger, Brandon; Hsieh, Johnson; Singh, Avesh; Sohoni, Nimit; Wang, Jack; Tison, Geoffrey H.; Marcus, Gregory M.; Sanchez, Jose M.; Maguire, Carol; Olgin, Jeffrey E.; Pletcher, Mark J. (2018). "DeepHeart: Semi-Supervised Sequence Learning for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction". Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Vol. 32. pp. 2079–2080. arXiv:1802.02511. doi:10.1609/aaai.v32i1.11891. S2CID 3610017. from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  30. ^ a b c . Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  31. ^ "Apple Watch Timekeeping". from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  32. ^ "Apple Watch Built-in Apps". from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  33. ^ "watchOS 1.01 information". Apple Inc. from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  34. ^ "About the security content of watch OS 1.0.1 – Apple Support". Apple. from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  35. ^ "Download watchOS 2.0 – 2.2.2 Information". support.apple.com. from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  36. ^ a b c d e f "watchOS 2.x information". Apple Inc. from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  37. ^ "Download watchOS 3.0 – 3.2.3 Information". support.apple.com. from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  38. ^ "Apple has temporarily pulled the watchOS 3.1.1 update due to reports of it bricking devices". 9to5Mac. December 14, 2016. from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  39. ^ "About watchOS 4 Updates". Apple Support. from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  40. ^ Alfred Ng; Shara Tibken (September 12, 2018). "Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $399, packs larger displays and EKG sensor". CNET. from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  41. ^ "About watchOS 5 Updates". Apple Support. from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  42. ^ Kelion, Leo (October 31, 2018). "Apple Watch owners asked to return devices for repair after update glitch". BBC News. from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  43. ^ Clover, Juli (July 22, 2019). "Apple's Walkie-Talkie Apple Watch App Works Again Following iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3 Release". MacRumors. from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  44. ^ "About the security content of watchOS 5.3.2". Apple Inc. from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  45. ^ "watchOS 5.3.4 (16U627) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. December 10, 2019. from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  46. ^ "About the security content of watchOS 5.3.4". Apple Inc. from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  47. ^ "watchOS 5.3.5 (16U652) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. February 18, 2020. from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  48. ^ Clover, Juli (February 18, 2020). "Apple Releases watchOS 6.1.3 Update With Heart Rhythm Notification Bug Fix". MacRumors. from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  49. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Apple security updates". Apple Support. from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  50. ^ Heather Kelly (June 3, 2019). "Everything Apple announced at WWDC, from Apple sign-in to dark mode". CNN. from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  51. ^ "watchOS 6 advances health and fitness capabilities for Apple Watch" (Press release). Apple Inc. from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  52. ^ "watchOS 6". Apple Inc. from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  53. ^ "About watchOS 6 Updates". Apple Support. from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  54. ^ "About watchOS 7 Updates". Apple Support. September 14, 2021. from the original on September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  55. ^ Marczak, Bill; Scott-Railton, John; Razzak, Bahr Abdul; Al-Jizawi, Noura; Anstis, Siena; Berdan, Kristin; Deibert, Ron (September 13, 2021). "FORCEDENTRY: NSO Group iMessage Zero-Click Exploit Captured in the Wild". Citizen Lab. from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  56. ^ "About watchOS 8 Updates". Apple Support. from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  57. ^ Shen, Xinmei (December 15, 2021). "Apple blocks mainland Chinese users from seeing some geographic information on its Compass app". South China Morning Post. from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  58. ^ "About watchOS 9 Updates". Apple Support. from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  59. ^ "watchOS 10 Preview". Apple. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  60. ^ "About watchOS 10 Updates". Apple Support.
  61. ^ "watchOS 10.2 (21S364) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.

External links edit

  • watchOS – official site
  • Apple security content – for details about watchOS security updates
  • About watchOS 9 Updates – Apple's official watchOS 9 release notes

watchos, operating, system, apple, watch, developed, apple, based, operating, system, used, iphone, many, similar, features, released, april, 2015, along, with, apple, watch, only, device, that, runs, exposes, called, watchkit, developer, customized, watch, fa. watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch developed by Apple Inc It is based on iOS the operating system used by the iPhone and has many similar features 5 It was released on April 24 2015 along with the Apple Watch the only device that runs watchOS watchOS exposes an API called WatchKit for developer use watchOSA customized watch face on watchOS 6DeveloperApple Inc Written inC C Objective C Swift assembly languageOS familyUnix like iOSWorking stateCurrentSource modelClosed with open source componentsInitial releaseApril 24 2015 9 years ago 2015 04 24 Latest release10 4 1 March 7 2024 2 months ago 2024 03 07 Latest preview10 5 RC 2 May 7 2024 6 days ago 2024 05 07 Marketing targetSmartwatchAvailable in45 languages 3 4 Update methodOTA via iPhone 5 running iOS 8 2 PlatformsARMv8 A watchOS 5 and later ARMv7 A watchOS 1 watchOS 8 8 1 Kernel typeHybrid XNU Defaultuser interfaceCocoa Touch GUI LicenseProprietary software except for open source componentsOfficial websiteapple com watchos The second version watchOS 2 included support for native third party apps and other improvements and was released on September 21 2015 6 7 8 The third version watchOS 3 was released on September 13 2016 to emphasize better performance and include new watch faces and stock apps The fourth version watchOS 4 was released on September 19 2017 The fifth version watchOS 5 was released on September 17 2018 9 to add more third party support and new workouts along with the Walkie Talkie feature 10 The sixth version watchOS 6 was released on September 19 2019 11 The seventh version watchOS 7 was released on September 16 2020 to support handwashing and sleep tracking 12 13 The eighth version watchOS 8 was released on September 20 2021 with updates in health monitoring visuals and apps 14 The ninth version watchOS 9 was released on September 12 2022 The tenth version watchOS 10 was released on September 18 2023 Contents 1 Interface overview 2 Supported health metrics 3 HealthKit 4 Version history 4 1 watchOS 1 4 2 watchOS 2 4 3 watchOS 3 4 4 watchOS 4 4 5 watchOS 5 4 6 watchOS 6 4 7 watchOS 7 4 8 watchOS 8 4 9 watchOS 9 4 10 watchOS 10 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksInterface overview editThe home screen rendered by and also known as Carousel 5 consists of circular application icons that can be zoomed in and out with the Digital Crown and launched by touching the display allowing users to access their favorite apps Prior to watchOS 3 Glances offered quick access to summaries of the most frequently used native and third party applications 15 The Glances view was opened with a swipe up gesture from the watch face screen In watchOS 3 Glances were replaced with a redesigned Control Center that mirrors the functionality seen in iOS providing a more unified experience across Apple devices The Control Center is accessed with a swipe up gesture from the watch face screen Additionally the friends menu previously activated with the side button was repurposed as a dedicated dock for apps enhancing multitasking and app management Prior to watchOS 7 different actions and options appeared depending on whether the user taps or deep presses which an Apple Watch detects with its pressure sensitive Force Touch Display 16 Force Touch was completely removed in watchOS 7 and all actions requiring the feature were moved to specific options in the Settings app or to long press actions 17 With the launch of watchOS 7 Force Touch technology was phased out This feature was replaced by additional options in the Settings app and extended press gestures to accommodate all necessary interactions This change streamlined the interaction model making it more consistent with other Apple devices that do not support Force Touch As of watchOS 10 the interface has been further refined to enhance user accessibility and interaction New customization features allow users to personalize their Carousel with greater ease and improvements in app responsiveness and animation enrich the overall user experience These updates demonstrate Apple s ongoing commitment to enhancing usability while maintaining the sleek minimalist design that users appreciate Supported health metrics editSince its inception watchOS has supported an increasing number and variety of health metrics for measurement and tracking These include heart rate maximal aerobic capacity otherwise known as VO2 max added in watchOS 4 18 enhanced in watchOS 7 19 20 21 electrocardiogram otherwise known as EKG or ECG added in watchOS 5 1 2 22 blood oxygen saturation otherwise known as SpO2 added in watchOS 7 19 menstrual cycle status added in watchOS 6 23 sleep duration amp respiratory rate tracking added in watchOS 7 24 25 HealthKit editMain article HealthKitFor several years Apple has been developing its HealthKit product in an attempt to penetrate the lucrative healthcare and wellness industry which CB Insights believe holds a huge growth opportunity for Apple 26 This was confirmed by Jony Ive Apple s former chief designer in an interview He said that health was a crucial element in the Apple Watch since the day of its inception and that the developmental trajectory of the hardware and the watchOS were geared towards health based capabilities 27 Ive pointed out that one of the primary apps that shipped with the first watchOS allowed users to track and communicate as well as encourage them to move exercise and stand He said Many of us have our phones with us all the time but they aren t connected to you Imagine having something this powerful with you at all times and what opportunities that might present to the user The opportunity is phenomenal Particularly when you don t understand just where we are today in terms of technology and capability but where we are headed 27 Applications have been developed for watchOS that not only keep users active but also diagnose illnesses For example the app called DeepHeart a deep learning network that can detect atrial fibrillation hypertension sleep apnea and diabetes 28 It taps into the HealthKit platform to collect data particularly those collected by the Apple Watch s heart sensor 29 Version history editOverview of watchOS versions Version Initial release date Latest version Release date Device end of life Apple Watch iPhone watchOS 1 April 24 2015 1 0 1 May 19 2015 watchOS 2 September 21 2015 2 2 2 July 18 2016 watchOS 3 September 13 2016 3 2 3 July 19 2017 5 5C watchOS 4 September 19 2017 4 3 2 July 9 2018 1st watchOS 5 September 17 2018 5 3 9 November 5 2020 5S 6 watchOS 6 September 19 2019 6 3 0 December 14 2020 Series 1 Series 2 watchOS 7 September 16 2020 7 6 2 September 13 2021 watchOS 8 September 20 2021 8 8 1 June 21 2023 Series 3 6S SE 1st 7 watchOS 9 September 12 2022 9 6 3 September 21 2023 8 X watchOS 10 September 18 2023 10 5 May 13 2024 Legend Obsolete Supported Current Beta watchOS 1 edit The first version of watchOS 1 was 1 0 and was based on iOS 8 2 The second version of watchOS 1 was 1 0 1 and was based on iOS 8 3 Table of versions watchOS 1 x Apple Watch Watch family 1st watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 1 0 8 2 30 12S507 April 24 2015 9 years ago 2015 04 24 Initial release on Apple Watch 1st Generation UI Free floating Circular app icons in home screen Zoom in with Digital Crown 9 watch faces 31 Chronograph Color Modular Utility Mickey Mouse Simple Motion Solar Astronomy 20 stock apps 32 Activity Alarm Calendar Camera Remote Mail Maps Messages Music Passbook Phone Photos Remote Settings Siri Stocks Stopwatch Timer Weather Workout World Clock 1 0 1 33 8 3 30 12S632 May 19 2015 8 years ago 2015 05 19 Display support for new Emoji characters Notification screen UI tweaks Improved performance Free floating Circular app icons in home screen Zoom in with Digital Crown Siri Measuring stand activity Calculating calories for indoor cycling and rowing workouts Distance and pace during outdoor walk and run Accessibility Third party apps Wrist Raise more sensitive to real life wrist raises Additional language support Brazilian Portuguese Danish Dutch Swedish Russian Thai Turkish Security fixes 34 watchOS 2 edit Table of versions watchOS 2 x Apple Watch 35 Watch family 1st watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 2 0 36 9 0 30 13S344 September 21 2015 8 years ago 2015 09 21 New Watch faces Time lapse face Hong Kong London Mack Lake New York Shanghai Paris Photo amp Photo album faces with support for Live Photos New Time Travel function where you can see both past and future events Nightstand Mode 9 new colors for customization New multicolor Modular face 3rd party apps Complications support Siri Workout and Maps support FaceTime audio calling and email replying support HomeKit support Added support in following countries Austria Belgium Norway Activity and Workout Workouts done in 3rd party apps will be included in Activity rings Sharing support from Activity app on iPhone Interactive achievements Weekly Summary Activity notifications can now be muted for a day Workouts can now be automatically saved Apple Pay and Wallet Discover cards support Reward cards store credit and debit cards support Passes can now be added from 3rd party apps Friends You can now add more than 12 friends to your Watch Groups support Multicolor sketches support Animated emoji support Maps New Transit view in selected cities List of directions can now be shown Station placards support with departure information Music New Beats 1 Radio support New Quick Play button for Apple Music Miscellaneous You can now reply to emails right from your Watch using dictation emoji or smart replies Support for FaceTime audio calls Support for Wi Fi calling Activation Lock No one can activate an Apple Watch without a proper Apple ID and password New system languages English India Finnish Indonesian Norwegian Polish Dictation support extended to include the following languages Dutch Belgium English Ireland Philippines South Africa French Belgium German Austria Spanish Chile Colombia Smart replies support extended to include the following languages Traditional Chinese Hong Kong Taiwan Danish Dutch English New Zealand Singapore Japanese Korean Swedish Thai Developer Native SDK support 3rd party apps can now access the accelerometer heart rate sensor microphone Taptic Engine and Digital Crown You can now play videos directly on your Watch You can now run apps without your iPhone with a Wi Fi connection Complications for watch faces support Support for Workouts from 3rd party apps Metrics will count toward the Activity rings as well as included in the Activity app on iPhone 2 0 1 36 9 1 13S428 October 21 2015 8 years ago 2015 10 21 New emoji characters Resolved Software updates stalling Resolved Battery performance deteriorating Resolved iPhone calendar events not syncing to Apple Watch Resolved Location information not updating Resolved Instability with Live Photo on the Photos watch face Resolved Heart sensor is on forever when Siri is used to help measure your heart rate 2 1 36 9 2 13S661 December 8 2015 8 years ago 2015 12 08 New system languages Arabic Czech Greek Hebrew Hungarian Malay Portuguese Portugal Vietnamese Right to left language support In Arabic switch between Latin and Hindi numerals New Complication for Islamic and Hebrew calendars Siri support extended to include Arabic Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Dictation support extended to include the following languages Arabic Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates English Malaysia Czech Greek Hebrew Hungarian Portuguese Portugal Vietnamese Resolved Events not updating in the Calendar complication Resolved Power Reserve mode not working correctly Resolved 3rd party apps not launching Resolved 3rd party app icons not displaying correctly Resolved System instability when changing display language 2 2 36 9 3 13V144 March 21 2016 8 years ago 2016 03 21 You can now pair 2 Apple Watches to a single iPhone New Nearby function in Maps New system languages Catalan Croatian Slovak Romanian Ukrainian Dictation support extended to include the following languages Catalan Croatian Slovak Romanian Ukrainian English Saudi Arabia UAE and Indonesia Siri support extended to include Malay Finnish and Hebrew Background heart rate measurements have their frequency increased when you re stationary 2 2 1 36 9 3 2 13V420 May 16 2016 7 years ago 2016 05 16 General performance and stability improvements 2 2 2 36 9 3 3 13V604 July 18 2016 7 years ago 2016 07 18 General performance and stability improvements watchOS 3 edit Table of versions watchOS 3 x Apple Watch 37 Watch family 1st Series 1 Series 2 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 3 0 10 0 14S326 September 13 2016 7 years ago 2016 09 13 Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 1 Dual Core and Apple Watch Series 2 Dual Core Navigation Favorite apps in Dock Apps in Dock updates with up to date information on launch Dock can contain up to 10 apps Simple switch to different watch face with a swipe Control Center can be toggled with a swipe up New Watch faces Minnie Mouse face Activity faces Numerals faces Complications support for Photo Photo Album Timelapse and Motion faces New Complications Workout Music and Messages etc Face Gallery in Apple Watch app on iPhone 3rd party Complications support Activity Share and compare activity rings Activity progress notifications for a person you have shared your activity progress with Smart replies for above notifications New Sharing tab on Activity app on iPhone Workout Quick start Customizable metrics view Gestures support for pausing resuming or marking segments Support for Other workouts not listed in built in workout types Auto pause in running workouts for inactivity Siri support Route maps with a speed indicator Outdoor workouts only For Wheelchairs Activity rings support for people using a wheelchair Pushes now contribute to the move ring Stand ring and Time to Stand notification substituted with Roll ring and Time to Roll notification Outdoor Run or Walk pace workouts Breathe app New app for breathing sessions Visualization and haptics indicate when to inhale or exhale Adjustments for session length and amount of breaths per minute Summary with heart rate Time to Breathe notifications Weekly Summary Communication Full screen effects for celebrations Tap to quick reply Animations for handwritten messages Send built in or 3rd party stickers Ability to view secret messages Replies now available in Messages and Mail notifications New and redesigned emojis Scribble Write directly on Apple Watch and it will automatically convert to text Scroll through predictions with Digital Crown Available in English Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese Emergency SOS You can now call emergency services by pressing and holding the side button Your SOS contacts will be notified with your location You can also display your Medical ID stored on your Watch Emergency numbers are automatically adjusted per your location Home New app to control accessories through HomeKit You can now control all your accessories directly from your wrist IP camera support Watch live video with controls and notifications directly on your Watch Miscellaneous New Reminders app New Find My Friends app Apple Pay support in 3rd party apps New controls in the Calendar app You can now delete events or switch calendars FaceTime audio calls support Search for Settings on Apple Watch app on iPhone New remote camera controls Flash Live Photos HDR Zoom Burst and facing New Siri languages Spanish Chile Cantonese English Ireland English South Africa 3 1 10 1 14S471 October 24 2016 7 years ago 2016 10 24 Bubbles and fullscreen effects on Messages can now be replayed Reduce Motion of Messages effects Resolved Timer complete notification being delivered twice Resolved Apple Watch Series 2 not fully charged Resolved Disappeared Activity rings on watch faces Resolved Force Touch options not appearing in 3rd party apps 3 1 1 10 2 14S883 December 12 2016 7 years ago 2016 12 12 Update withdrawn due to reports of Apple Watches no longer working after the update 38 3 1 3 10 2 1 14S960 January 23 2017 7 years ago 2017 01 23 Resolved Bricking Apple Watches after updating to watchOS 3 1 1 Includes fixes from watchOS 3 1 1 including Resolved Contact names not appearing in notifications and the Messages app Resolved Unable to respond notifications Resolved Stocks Complication not updating on watch faces Resolved Activity rings not displaying on Activity watch faces Resolved Dials of Analog watch faces not displaying after changing the temperature unit in the Weather app Resolved Maps app still launching after navigation has ended Resolved Month view of Calendars app showing incorrect dates 3 2 10 3 14V249 March 27 2017 7 years ago 2017 03 27 Siri now works with 3rd party apps with features including Start a workout Send messages Make payments Book rides Theater Mode New Scribble languages French Spanish Italian Sync progress for music playlists is now displayed in the Apple Watch app on iPhone 3 2 2 10 3 2 14V485 May 15 2017 6 years ago 2017 05 15 Bug fixes 3 2 3 10 3 3 14V753 July 19 2017 6 years ago 2017 07 19 Bug fixes Final version to support iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C watchOS 4 edit Table of versions watchOS 4 x Apple Watch 39 Watch family 1st Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Limited support on the Apple Watch 1st generation Some features are not supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 4 0 11 0 15R372 September 19 2017 6 years ago 2017 09 19 Initial release on Apple Watch Series 3Drops support for iPhone 5 and iPhone 5CNew Watch faces Siri face with updates based on time location and daily routines Toy Story face with animated Toy Story characters Kaleidoscope face with static images turning into patterns Siri News Heart Rate Now Playing Messages Complications Activity Personalized notifications Monthly challenges Full Screen animations for achievements and rings closed Workout metrics included in replies for Activity Sharing notifications Workout App completely redesigned High Intensity Interval Training workout support Multiple workouts in a single session support Auto sets for Pool Swim workouts Synced music playlist support when starting workouts Apple Watch 1st gen not supported Music controls right inside the app Do Not Disturb can be automatically turned on when starting workouts Heart Rate Graphs for all day heart rate New measurements including resting rate walking average workout average workout high recovery and Breathe sessions High Heart Rate notifications support Apple Watch 1st gen not supported New Heart Rate data on iPhone including Heart Rate Variability and VO2 max Music App completely redesigned Multiple playlists sync support for local playback with Bluetooth headphones Apple Music curated playlists sync support includes Heavy Rotation My New Music Mix and My Favorites Mix Miscellaneous News app added Flashlight and Safety Light can be toggled through Control Center Recent used apps in Dock App home screen in alphabetical view Gestures support in Mail Dialer pad right inside Phone app Conflicts for Calendar invites can now be displayed New language for Scribble German New timers sub minute and repeating Recent locations and suggestions in Maps Contacts in Smart Reply includes location 4 0 1 11 0 15R654 October 4 2017 6 years ago 2017 10 04 Apple Watch Series 3 GPS Cellular only Resolved Apple Watches joining unauthenticated Wi Fi networks 4 1 11 1 15R846 October 31 2017 6 years ago 2017 10 31 Music streaming support on Apple Music or iCloud Music Library Apple Watch Series 3 only New Radio app Beats 1 Live Radio custom stations and expert curated stations Apple Watch Series 3 only Find discover and play songs albums or albums using Siri Fitness data syncing support for more accurate metrics on GymKit enabled treadmills ellipticals stair steppers and indoor bikes Ability to disconnect from a Wi Fi network right in Control Center Apple Watch Series 3 GPS Cellular model only Resolved Heart Rate notifications erroneously delivered to users who have not enabled the feature Resolved Current Stand Hour indicator not correctly displayed Resolved Haptics not delivered for silent alarms Resolved Apple Watch 1st gen not charging Resolved Sunrise Sunset complication not appearing on watch faces Mandarin Chinese now set as default dictation language in China 4 2 11 2 15S102 December 5 2017 6 years ago 2017 12 05 Apple Pay Cash support US only HomeKit sprinklers and faucet support 3rd party app Workouts distance average Speed number of runs elevation descended for downhill snow sports Apple Watch Series 3 only Resolved Crash when asking Siri about weather Resolved Scrolling disabled in the Heart Rate app Resolved Simultaneous timers and alarms not being independently dismissed 4 2 2 11 2 15S542 January 23 2018 6 years ago 2018 01 23 This update includes improvements and bug fixes 4 2 3 11 2 15S600b February 19 2018 6 years ago 2018 02 19 Fixes an issue where using certain character sequences could cause apps to crash 4 3 11 3 15T212 March 29 2018 6 years ago 2018 03 29 HomePod volume and playback control support Regaining control of music on iPhone Multiple orientation support on Nightstand mode Activity rings progress and new songs to Apple Music mixes are now shown on the Siri watch face Resolved Activity achievements incorrectly awarded Resolved Siri music commands not working for some audio 4 3 1 11 4 15T567 May 29 2018 5 years ago 2018 05 29 Fixes an issue which caused Apple Watch to sometimes remain at the Apple Logo during startup for some users 4 3 2 11 4 1 15U70 July 9 2018 5 years ago 2018 07 09 Final release supported on Apple Watch 1st generation This update includes improvements and bug fixes watchOS 5 edit watchOS 5 was first shown to the public at the 2018 San Jose WWDC developer conference held on June 4 2018 by Apple It had an instant watch to watch Walkie Talkie mode 40 With this release Apple dropped support for the first generation Apple Watch watchOS 5 was the first version of watchOS to bring 64 bit support Table of versions watchOS 5 x Apple Watch 41 Watch family Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Some features are not supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 5 0 12 0 16R364 September 17 2018 5 years ago 2018 09 17 Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 4Drops support for the Apple Watch 1st generation Workout Compete with Friends notifications Auto detect workout and notification to turn off workout when done New workouts Yoga and Hiking Pace Alerts and Cadence Podcasts New app for watchOS Download episodes of podcasts for listening Stream your favorite podcasts on the go Series 3 and later only Walkie Talkie A new watchOS app that allows you to do FaceTime Audio calls similar to talking on a walkie talkie Siri Watchface adds 3rd party access to Siri Raise to Speak No longer need to say Hey Siri to activate Series 3 and later only Integrate with shortcuts like I am on my way home and Siri will start playing your favorite playlist on the way home Notifications Grouped notifications More actions you can do with Notifications Can view webpages from iMessages Do Not Disturb Can schedule Do Not Disturb events when leaving a location or just for a specific time period Student ID Cards 5 0 1 12 0 16R381 16R382 September 27 2018 5 years ago 2018 09 27 Improvements and bug fixes 5 1 12 1 16R591 October 30 2018 5 years ago 2018 10 30 Update withdrawn due to reports of Apple Watches no longer working after the update 42 5 1 1 12 1 16R600 November 5 2018 5 years ago 2018 11 05 Improvements and bug fixes Addresses a problem in the WatchOS 5 1 update leading to non functional Apple Watches Improvements to Series 4 automatic fall detection Resolves a problem with completing setup of Walkie Talkie Resolves a problem with sending and receiving invitations for Walkie Talkie Resolves missing earned Activity awards 5 1 2 12 1 1 16S46 December 6 2018 5 years ago 2018 12 06 New ECG app for Apple Watch Series 4 US and US territories only Irregular rhythm notification US and US territories only AFiB notification Other improvements and bug fixes 5 1 3 12 1 3 16S535 January 22 2019 5 years ago 2019 01 22 This update includes improvements and bug fixes 5 2 12 2 16T225 March 27 2019 5 years ago 2019 03 27 ECG app extended to Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hong Kong Hungary Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal Romania Spain Sweden Switzerland and the UK Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above 2nd gen AirPods support Real time text support for phone calls 5 2 1 12 3 16U113 May 13 2019 5 years ago 2019 05 13 ECG app extended to Croatia Czech Iceland Poland and Slovakia Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above New Pride watch face Other bug fixes 5 3 12 4 16U569 July 22 2019 4 years ago 2019 07 22 ECG app extended to Canada and Singapore Irregular rhythm notification extended to countries listed above Resolved Security fix for Walkie Talkie app that could enable the owner s iPhone to be eavesdropped 43 5 3 1 12 4 1 16U600 August 26 2019 4 years ago 2019 08 26 Re patches a security vulnerability that was accidentally unpatched in the previous update Post watchOS 6 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 12 x iPhone to support iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 6 Plus 5 3 2 12 4 2 16U611 September 26 2019 4 years ago 2019 09 26 Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only Security update for Series 1 and Series 2 watches 44 5 3 3 12 4 3 16U620 October 29 2019 4 years ago 2019 10 29 Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only citation needed Important security updates 5 3 4 12 4 4 16U627 45 December 10 2019 4 years ago 2019 12 10 Security update for Series 1 2 3 and 4 watches 46 5 3 5 12 4 5 16U652 47 February 18 2020 4 years ago 2020 02 18 Update for Series 1 2 3 and 4 watches with heart rhythm notification bug fix 48 No published security notes 49 5 3 6 12 4 6 16U662 March 24 2020 4 years ago 2020 03 24 Important security updates No published security notes 49 5 3 7 12 4 7 16U674 May 18 2020 3 years ago 2020 05 18 Improvements and bug fixes Security notes 5 3 8 12 4 8 16U680 July 15 2020 3 years ago 2020 07 15 Improvements and bug fixes No published security notes 49 5 3 9 12 4 9 16U693 November 5 2020 3 years ago 2020 11 05 Final version to support iPhone 5S iPhone 6 iPhone 6 Plus Improvements and bug fixes Security notes watchOS 6 edit Apple announced a new version of watchOS that would contain features such as the App Store a calculator with tip tools an audiobooks app noise level monitoring and Apple s Voice Memos app at WWDC 2019 held on 3 June 2019 50 51 52 It also enables special games that can only be played on the Watch interface With this release Apple dropped support for iPhone 5 6 and 6 Plus However watchOS 6 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 watchOS 6 3 is the final release supported on the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 Table of versions watchOS 6 x Apple Watch 53 Watch family Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 6 0 13 0 17R575 September 19 2019 4 years ago 2019 09 19 Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 5Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2Drops support for iPhone 5s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Cycle Tracking New Cycle Tracking app for tracking menstrual cycle and fertility metrics Notifications predicting a person s next menstrual cycle and fertile window Noise Series 4 or later only New Noise app for detecting decibel levels in your surroundings Notifications can be pushed when it detects that the noise in your surrounding is too high Voice Memos New Voice Memos app for recording and listening to voice memos directly on Apple Watch Synced across all your devices as well Audiobooks Now you can sync up to 5 hours of audiobooks to your Apple Watch Stream them when your Watch is connected via Wi Fi or cellular App store New built in App Store where you can find and download apps for your Watch Supports Sign in with Apple Activity Trends Activity Trends in Activity app which includes all three activity rings stand minutes walking distance walking pace running pace and VO2 max These are compared with data averaged over the last 90 days to the wearer s performance over the last year Tips are given if a single trend is going down Workout New elevation metrics for Outdoor Run Outdoor Walk Outdoor Cycle and Hiking workouts Series 2 or later only Stopwatch app can now be viewed on your watch face during workouts GymKit support for True and Woodway Siri Now you can identify songs directly on your Watch with the ability to add identified songs to your Apple Music library New Siri Web Search shows up to 5 online results with the ability to view optimized Web content Siri integration into the redesigned Find People app Watch Faces New Faces Numerals Mono and Numerals Duo Available in Arabic Arabic Indic Roman numerals and Devanagari Meridian black or white dial which fills the screen and includes 4 complications Series 4 or later only Gradient Design dynamically changes as time passes Available in full screen or circular with 5 complications Series 4 or later only California Supports multiple numeral styles in Roman Arabic and Devanagari in fullscreen or circular Series 4 or later only Solar Dial Depicts the Sun s path in circular form across a 24 hour dial Series 4 or later only Modular Compact With many complications and the option to choose between analog or digital time Series 4 or later only Tap to speak on all watch faces supports up to 30 languages Receive and customize time keeping chimes An alert on the hour every half hour or every 15 minutes either with haptics or customizable chimes Now you can reorder your Watch faces directly on your Watch New complications Audiobooks Calculator Cellular connectivity Cycle Tracking Noise Wind Rain Voice memos New monochrome complications for Infograph and Infograph Modular faces Miscellaneous New Calculator app with the ability to calculate tips and split checks Support for custom stations in the Podcasts app Smart Guidance and spoken navigation in Maps Redesigned Now Playing app with Apple TV Remote controls Personalized music picks in the For You tab Support for automatic software updates Redesigned Walkie Talkie app Redesigned Find People app which allows you to add friends set notifications and change settings directly on your Watch Redesigned Reminders app with shared lists subtasks and the ability to add new reminders More settings for Accessibility Workout and Health 6 0 1 13 1 17R604 17R605 September 30 2019 4 years ago 2019 09 30 Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 Improvements and bug fixes Resolves an issue where the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch faces do not speak time Addresses an issue where the calendar complication may not display events Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data 6 1 13 2 17S84 October 29 2019 4 years ago 2019 10 29 First version of watchOS 6 x to support Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 Support for AirPods Pro Other improvements and bug fixes Brings watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 6 1 1 13 3 17S449 December 10 2019 4 years ago 2019 12 10 Important security updates 6 1 2 13 3 1 17S796 January 28 2020 4 years ago 2020 01 28 Important security updates Security notes 6 1 3 17S811 February 18 2020 4 years ago 2020 02 18 Heart rhythm notification bug fix No published security notes 49 6 2 13 4 17T529 March 24 2020 4 years ago 2020 03 24 Brings ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications to Chile Turkey and New Zealand Brings in app purchases to Apple Watch apps Fixes music playback issues when switching from Wi Fi to Bluetooth Security notes 6 2 1 13 4 1 17T530 April 8 2020 4 years ago 2020 04 08 Fixes an issue that prevented FaceTime audio calls with devices running iOS 9 3 6 and earlier or Macs running OS X El Captain 10 11 6 and earlier from working No published security notes 49 6 2 5 13 5 17T608 May 18 2020 3 years ago 2020 05 18 ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Saudi Arabia Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Saudi Arabia Security notes 6 2 6 13 5 1 17T620 June 1 2020 3 years ago 2020 06 01 Important security updates Security notes 6 2 8 13 6 17U63 July 15 2020 3 years ago 2020 07 15 ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Bahrain Brazil and South Africa Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Bahrain Brazil and South Africa Digital car keys support for Apple Watch Series 5 Security notes 13 6 1 August 12 2020 3 years ago 2020 08 12 13 7 September 1 2020 3 years ago 2020 09 01 Post watchOS 7 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 13 x iPhone for users who deferred updating to iOS 14 6 2 9 13 7 17U203 November 5 2020 3 years ago 2020 11 05 Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 only Improvements and bug fixes Security notes 6 3 17U208 December 14 2020 3 years ago 2020 12 14 Final version to support the Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 Improvements and bug fixes Security notes watchOS 7 edit Apple announced watchOS 7 at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22 2020 With watchOS 7 Apple dropped support for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 However watchOS 7 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 3 Table of versions watchOS 7 x Apple Watch 54 Watch family Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 SE Series 6 Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 3 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 7 0 iOS 14 0 18R382 September 16 2020 3 years ago 2020 09 16 Initial Release on Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6Drops support for the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2 Watch Faces Updated Faces Chronograph Pro gains a tachymeter Series 4 or later only X Large adds support for one large complication Photos face provides colour filters for pictures and more customization options Updated colours for many watch faces Complications Apps may now include more than one complication New and or updated Sleep Shortcuts Camera Remote Moon Phase and World Clock complications Watch Face Sharing Ability to share custom Watch Faces through Mail Messages or posting a link Sleep Tracking Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to measure sleep See logged sleep manage schedules and set alarms in the new Sleep app New alarm sounds and haptics Wind Down mode Sleep Mode automatically enables Do Not Disturb and disables Raise to Wake Reminders to charge your Apple Watch in the evening if below 30 charge Notifications on iPhone when Apple Watch is finished charging Wake up screen displays after your alarm showing the weather and your battery level Activity Workouts New Dance Functional Strength Training Core Training and Cooldown workouts Mobility Metrics Support for low range cardio fitness walking speed stair descent speed stair ascent speed six minute walk distance double support time step length and asymmetry metrics in the Health app on iPhone tracked by Apple Watch Exercise and Stand goals can now be modified in addition to the Move goal Activity app renamed Fitness app on iPhone Maps Cycling Directions Cycling specific directions in Maps in supported areas Choose routes based on intensity and duration Alerts about upcoming stairs and dismount locations Handwashing Series 4 or later only Automatic handwashing detection with a 20 second timer Handwashing reminder when arriving home Siri Translation support for 10 languages Support for Announce Messages with Siri New Siri UI New Apps New Shortcuts app and ability to choose visible shortcuts on Apple Watch from iPhone New Memoji app with support for editing and creating new Memoji Series 4 or later only Dictation Dictation is processed on device Series 4 or later only Privacy Microphone icon appears onscreen when in use Headphones Ability to set a decibel volume limit for headphones Reminders to reduce volume if above World Health Organization s limits Family Setup Cellular Series 4 or later only in supported countries Pair Apple Watches for family members that do not have their own iPhone aimed at children and seniors Activity metrics are more accurate for children and Apple Watch now measures move minutes rather than active calories Apple Cash Family allows children to receive money using Apple Cash Enhanced parental controls including approved contacts and apps and Schooltime Schooltime Displays a standard yellow watch face and turns on Do Not Disturb to limit distractions Can be manually enabled through the Control Centre or scheduled and remotely enabled for child watches using Family Setup Security notes 7 0 1 iOS 14 0 1 18R395 September 24 2020 3 years ago 2020 09 24 Fixes an issue where some payment cards in Wallet were disabled for some users No published security notes 49 7 0 2 18R402 October 12 2020 3 years ago 2020 10 12 Fixes an issue where the battery drained too quickly Fixes an issue that blocked access to the ECG app No published security notes 49 7 0 3 18R410 October 19 2020 3 years ago 2020 10 19 Fixes an issue that causes unexpected restarts with Series 3 watches No published security notes 49 7 1 iOS 14 2 18R590 November 5 2020 3 years ago 2020 11 05 Headphone audio level notifications Adds ECG and irregular heart rhythm notifications support in South Korea and Russia Fixed Unlocking Mac with Apple Watch fails Fixed Always on display failure on Apple Watch Series 6 Security notes 7 2 18S564 December 14 2020 3 years ago 2020 12 14 Adds support for Apple Fitness Australia Canada Ireland New Zealand UK and US only Cardio fitness notifications AFiB notifications now available at heart rates above 100 BPM Adds ECG support in Taiwan Adds braille displays with VoiceOver support Family Setup now available in Bahrain Canada Norway and Spain Security notes 7 3 18S801 January 26 2021 3 years ago 2021 01 26 New Unity watch face New Time to Walk podcasts in Apple Fitness Add ECG support in Japan Mayotte Philippines and Thailand Series 4 or later Add Irregular heart rhythm notifications in Japan Mayotte Philippines Taiwan and Thailand Fix an unresponsive issue when zoom is enabled in the Control Center and Notification Center Security notes 7 3 1 18S811 February 15 2021 3 years ago 2021 02 15 Fix for a charging issue when in Power Reserve mode Series 5 and SE only No published security notes 49 7 3 2 18S821 March 8 2021 3 years ago 2021 03 08 Important security updates Security notes 7 3 3 18S830 March 26 2021 3 years ago 2021 03 26 Important security updates Security notes 7 4 iOS 14 5 18T195 April 26 2021 3 years ago 2021 04 26 Unlock iPhone with Face ID using Apple Watch when wearing a face mask Set the Bluetooth device type in Settings Airplay audio and video content of Apple Fitness workouts Add ECG support on in Australia and Vietnam Series 4 or later Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Australia and Vietnam Security notes 7 4 1 iOS 14 5 1 18T201 May 3 2021 3 years ago 2021 05 03 Important security updates Security notes 7 5 iOS 14 6 18T567 May 24 2021 2 years ago 2021 05 24 Subscription content in Podcasts app Apple Card with a Family Sharing Add ECG support in Malaysia and Peru Series 4 or later Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Malaysia and Peru Security notes 7 6 iOS 14 7 18U63 July 19 2021 2 years ago 2021 07 19 Add ECG support for multiple countries Series 4 or later Add irregular heart rhythm notifications for multiple countries Security notes 7 6 1 iOS 14 7 1 18U70 July 29 2021 2 years ago 2021 07 29 Important security updates Security notes 7 6 2 iOS 14 8 18U80 September 13 2021 2 years ago 2021 09 13 This release fixes FORCEDENTRY CVE 2021 30860 an integer overflow bug that allows a malicious PDF to perform remote code execution 55 Security notes watchOS 8 edit Apple announced watchOS 8 at the 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7 2021 Apple Watch models supporting watchOS 7 can also support watchOS 8 However like watchOS 7 watchOS 8 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 3 It is also the last version of watchOS to be supported on Apple Watch models with 32 bit processors Table of versions watchOS 8 x Apple Watch 56 Watch family Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 SE Series 6 Series 7 Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 3 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 8 0 15 0 19R343 19R346 September 20 2021 2 years ago 2021 09 20 Initial release on Apple Watch Series 7 Build 13R346 is pre installed only on Apple Watch Series 7 GPS Cellular Watch Faces New Portrait photo and World Time watch face Series 4 and later Home View the status and accessory controls at the top Accessories and scenes displayed changes depending on the time of day and usage View all HomeKit camera feeds together New Favorites section Wallet Added support for home hotel and office keys Added support for car keys Series 6 and later Added support for Remote keyless car features Workout New tai chi and pilates workouts Automatic workout detection for outdoor cycling Outdoor cycling workout tracking improvements Hiking workout tracking improvements aged 13 and below Voice feedback during workout Fitness New guided meditations sessions New pilates workouts New picture in picture support New search filters Mindfulness Breathe session improvements New reflect session Sleep Monitor respiratory rate when sleeping View respiratory rate data recorded in Health app Messages Use the Scribble dictation and emoji methods simultaneously Use Digital Crown to scroll when editing dictated text Enter hashtag to search for GIF images Photos New Photos app Share photos Find My New Find Items app New Find Devices app Weather Support for precipitation and severe weather notifications alerts New precipitation graph Miscellaneous Focus function added Sync Focus state with iOS iPadOS or macOS New Contacts app New Tips app Redesigned Music app Share songs albums and playlists Run simultaneous timers at the same time Cycle Tracking improvements New Memoji stickers and outfits Measure headphone audio level in Control Center Transit card support in Wallet for Family Setup users in multiple countries Google account support in Calendar and Mail for Family Setup users New AssistiveTouch gestures supported Add ECG support in Lithuania Series 4 or later Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Lithuania Security notes 8 0 1 15 0 2 19R354 October 11 2021 2 years ago 2021 10 11 Software update progress bar fix Series 3 only Fix a bug with Accessibility settings Series 3 only No published security notes 49 8 1 15 1 19R570 October 25 2021 2 years ago 2021 10 25 Fall detection improvements and new settings Series 4 and later Support COVID 19 vaccination cards in Apple Wallet Fitness SharePlay support Improve Always On time accuracy Series 5 and later Security notes 8 1 1 19R580 November 18 2021 2 years ago 2021 11 18 Apple Watch Series 7 GPS Cellular only Charging issue fix No published security notes 49 8 3 15 2 19S55 December 13 2021 2 years ago 2021 12 13 Enable ECG for China Series 4 or later Compass no longer shows altitude Series 3 5 latitude and longitude in mainland China 57 New Apple Music Voice plan option New App Privacy Report Fix for notifications not being muted during Mindfulness sessions Security notes 8 4 15 3 19S546 January 26 2022 2 years ago 2022 01 26 Important security updates Charging fix for select chargers Security notes 8 4 1 19S550 February 1 2022 2 years ago 2022 02 01 Apple Watch Series 4 or later only Bug fixes No published security notes 49 8 4 2 15 3 1 19S553 February 10 2022 2 years ago 2022 02 10 Important security updates Bug fixes No published security notes 49 8 5 15 4 19T242 March 14 2022 2 years ago 2022 03 14 Authenticate Apple TV purchases and subscriptions Support for EU COVID 19 vaccination cards in Apple Wallet Afib tracking improvements for irregular rhythm notifications in multiple countries New audio description in Fitness Security notes 8 5 1 15 4 1 19T252 March 31 2022 2 years ago 2022 03 31 Important security updates Bug fixes No published security notes 49 8 6 15 5 19T572 May 16 2022 23 months ago 2022 05 16 Add ECG support in Mexico Series 4 or later Add irregular heart rhythm notifications in Mexico Security notes 8 7 15 6 19U66 July 20 2022 21 months ago 2022 07 20 Important security updates Bug fixes Security notes 8 7 1 15 6 1 19U67 August 17 2022 20 months ago 2022 08 17 Apple Watch Series 3 only Restart issue fix No published security notes 49 Post watchOS 9 update for Series 3 and or watches paired with an iOS 15 x iPhone to support iPhone 6S 6S Plus SE 1st gen 7 and 7 Plus 8 8 1 15 7 7 19U512 June 21 2023 10 months ago 2023 06 21 Final version to support the Apple Watch Series 3 iPhone 6S 6S Plus SE 1st gen 7 and 7 Plus Security notes watchOS 9 edit Apple announced watchOS 9 at the 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6 2022 With this release Apple dropped support for Apple Watch Series 3 making it the first version of watchOS to run exclusively on Apple Watch models with 64 bit processors Table of versions watchOS 9 x Apple Watch 58 Watch family Series 4 Series 5 SE Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Ultra watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 9 0 16 0 20R361 September 12 2022 20 months ago 2022 09 12 Initial release on Apple Watch Series 8 Apple Watch SE 2nd gen and Apple Watch Ultra Drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3 iPhone 6S 6S Plus SE 1st gen 7 and 7 Plus Watch Faces New Astronomy Lunar Playtime Metropolitan and Nike watch faces Complication improvements Portrait photo watch face improvements Change watch face depending on Focus Workout Access workout view during a workout New heart rate zone elevation view and running power graphs Additional running metrics SE Series 6 and later New custom and Multisport workout option New workout alerts Pool Swim workout improvements New swimming metrics Fitness New trainer guidance and personal fitness metrics displayed Compass New Compass app SE Series 5 and later New compass waypoints and backtrack GPS function SE Series 6 and later Sleep Sleep tracking improvements New comparisons chart Medications Add and schedule medications View medication schedule Medication reminders New watch complication AFib History New weekly summary notifications AFib tracking improvements Export data as a PDF Family Setup New Podcasts app New support for Yahoo and Outlook emails Accessibility New AssistiveTouch actions Ability to pair a Bluetooth keyboard Airplay Apple Watch to iPhone Miscellaneous New Low Power Mode International roaming support SE Series 5 and later New keyboard languages Series 7 and later New Communication safety setting in Screen Time New cycle deviation notifications alerts New cardio recovery metrics Reminders Calendar and Podcast app improvements Minor Dock enhancements New notification banner design when in use Security notes 9 0 1 20R8380 September 22 2022 19 months ago 2022 09 22 Apple Watch Ultra only Fixes an issue with audio on phone calls on the Apple Watch Ultra No published security notes 49 9 0 2 20R8383 October 10 2022 19 months ago 2022 10 10 Fixes an issue causing interruptions with Spotify Fixes an issue with snooze alarm notifications continuing after deleting the alarm Fixes syncing of Wallet and Fitness data for newly paired watch Fixes an issue with audio interruptions on Series 8 and Ultra No published security notes 49 9 1 16 1 20S75 October 24 2022 18 months ago 2022 10 24 Option to extend battery life during select workouts by reducing heart rate and GPS reading frequency Series 8 SE 2nd generation and Ultra Download music while on battery via Wi Fi or cellular Add support for Matter Fixes incorrect voice feedback of average pace for the Outdoor Run workout Fixes an issue where the chance of rain probability shown in Weather app may be different from iPhone Fixes an issue with the hourly weather complication showing AM for PM hours Fixes an issue with time duration getting stuck during Strength Training Workout Fixes an issue where VoiceOver fails to announce the app name when multiple notifications are received Security notes 9 2 16 2 20S361 December 13 2022 17 months ago 2022 12 13 Security notes 9 3 16 3 20S648 January 23 2023 15 months ago 2023 01 23 Security notes 9 3 1 16 3 1 20S664 February 13 2023 15 months ago 2023 02 13 9 4 16 4 20T253 March 27 2023 13 months ago 2023 03 27 Wake up alarms are no longer silenced with cover to mute gesture to avoid accidental cancellations during sleep Cycle Tracking with retrospective ovulation estimates and cycle deviation alerts now supported in Moldova and Ukraine AFib History now available in Colombia Malaysia Moldova Thailand and Ukraine Security notes 9 5 16 5 20T562 May 18 2023 11 months ago 2023 05 18 Add Pride Celebration watch face to honor the LGBTQ community and culture Security notes 9 5 1 20T570 May 30 2023 11 months ago 2023 05 30 9 5 2 20T571 June 21 2023 10 months ago 2023 06 21 Security notes 9 6 16 6 20U73 July 24 2023 9 months ago 2023 07 24 9 6 1 20U80 August 15 2023 8 months ago 2023 08 15 9 6 2 16 6 1 20U90 September 7 2023 8 months ago 2023 09 07 Security notes Post watchOS 10 Updates for watches paired with an iOS 16 x iPhone to support phones that iOS 17 does not support like iPhone 8 iPhone 8 Plus iPhone X 9 6 3 20U502 September 21 2023 7 months ago 2023 09 21 Final version to support iPhone 8 8 Plus and X Security notes watchOS 10 edit Apple announced watchOS 10 at the 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5 2023 With this release Apple dropped support for iPhone 8 8 Plus and X All Apple Watch models supporting watchOS 9 also support watchOS 10 59 Table of versions watchOS 10 x Apple Watch 60 Watch family Series 4 Series 5 SE Series 6 Series 7 Series 8 Series 9 Ultra Ultra 2 watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features 10 0 17 0 21R356 September 18 2023 7 months ago 2023 09 18 Initial release on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 Drops support for the iPhone 8 8 Plus and X New Watch Faces Snoopy Palette Nike Globe and Solar Analog Optimized Charge Limit is now available on Apple Watch SE Series 6 Series 7 and Series 8 Fixed Apple Watch Series 6 40mm estimates maximum battery capacity more accurately 10 0 1 17 0 1 21R360 September 21 2023 7 months ago 2023 09 21 Bug Fixes 10 0 2 17 0 2 21R371 September 26 2023 7 months ago 2023 09 26 Ultra 2 and Series 9 only Bug fixes that are specific to the Ultra 2 and Series 9 10 1 17 1 21S67 October 25 2023 6 months ago 2023 10 25 Double Tap gesture select models NameDrop select models Bug fixes 10 1 1 17 1 1 21S71 November 7 2023 6 months ago 2023 11 07 Battery Drain Fixes 10 2 17 2 21S364 61 December 11 2023 5 months ago 2023 12 11 10 3 17 3 21S644 January 22 2024 3 months ago 2024 01 22 10 3 1 17 3 1 21S651 February 8 2024 3 months ago 2024 02 08 10 4 17 4 21T216 March 7 2024 2 months ago 2024 03 07 10 5 17 5 21T575 May 13 2024 0 days ago 2024 05 13 See also edittvOS macOS iOS iPadOS visionOSReferences edit Hall Zac March 7 2024 Apple releases macOS Sonoma 14 4 watchOS 10 4 and more 9to5Mac Retrieved March 7 2024 Clover Juli May 7 2024 Apple Seeds Release Candidate Version of watchOS 10 5 to Developers MacRumors Retrieved May 7 2024 How to change the language on an Apple Watch and make it differ from the language on your paired iPhone Business Insider October 8 2019 Archived from the original on October 9 2019 Retrieved September 21 2020 Your Apple Watch is designed to mirror the language used on your iPhone so by default it ll use whichever language is set on that device but you can make the two devices differ Apple iPhone XS Technical Specifications Apple Archived from the original on January 4 2019 Retrieved January 4 2019 a b Apple Watch runs most of iOS 8 2 may use A5 equivalent processor AppleInsider April 23 2015 Archived from the original on April 26 2015 Retrieved April 25 2015 Apple announces watchOS 2 with third party Apple Watch apps new Timepieces video playback much more 9to5Mac June 8 2015 Archived from the original on June 9 2015 Retrieved June 8 2015 watchOS 2 final version released for Apple Watch users September 21 2015 Archived from the original on February 12 2019 Retrieved September 21 2015 Apple s watch OS 2 is now live following bug delay CNET Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved September 23 2015 Juli Clover September 17 2018 Apple Launches watchOS 5 With Walkie Talkie Apple Podcasts Siri Shortcuts New Watch Faces Raise to Speak and More MacRumors Archived from the original on September 17 2018 Retrieved September 17 2018 watchOS 5 adds powerful activity and communications features to Apple Watch Apple Newsroom Press release Archived from the original on April 14 2022 Retrieved June 5 2018 Juli Clover September 19 2019 Apple Releases watchOS 6 With Dedicated App Store New Watch Faces Noise Monitoring App and More MacRumors Archived from the original on September 20 2019 Retrieved September 19 2019 watchOS 7 adds significant personalization health and fitness features to Apple Watch Press release Apple Inc June 22 2020 Archived from the original on February 17 2021 Retrieved July 23 2020 Orellana Vanessa Hand July 21 2020 10 new tricks WatchOS 7 will soon bring to your Apple Watch CNET Archived from the original on August 5 2020 Retrieved July 23 2020 Summerbell D Apple will introduce new health features and a focus mode to WatchOS 8 WavBand Tech Archived from the original on June 8 2021 Retrieved June 8 2021 How To Use and Organize Apple Watch Glances iPhoneTricks April 27 2015 Archived from the original on May 3 2015 Retrieved April 27 2015 Apple Watch Technology Apple Archived from the original on December 23 2014 Retrieved December 26 2014 Apple Ending Support for Force Touch on Apple Watch With watchOS 7 iPhone in Canada Blog June 24 2020 Archived from the original on June 28 2020 Retrieved July 14 2020 Ng Gary June 8 2017 Apple Watch Calculates VO2 Max in watchOS 4 Beta iPhone in Canada Archived from the original on October 22 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 a b Bonifacic Igor September 15 2020 Apple adds blood oxygen monitoring to the Watch Series 6 Engadget Archived from the original on October 21 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Hand Orellana Vanessa September 8 2020 WatchOS 7 Apple Watch will soon be able to measure your fitness level as you age CNET Archived from the original on October 22 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Comstock Jonah September 15 2020 Apple adds SpO2 amp V02 Max to Apple Watch Series 6 and launches three new studies mobiHealthNews Archived from the original on February 22 2021 Retrieved October 20 2020 Hand Orellana Vanessa July 23 2019 Apple Watch ECG vs hospital EKG Not the results I was expecting CNET Archived from the original on October 21 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Mitroff Sarah September 19 2019 Apple WatchOS 6 How to track your menstrual cycle and fertility CNET Archived from the original on October 22 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 Stein Scott August 14 2020 Apple WatchOS 7 sleep tracking What it can and can t do CNET Archived from the original on October 21 2020 Retrieved October 20 2020 watchOS 7 adds significant personalization health and fitness features to Apple Watch Apple Inc June 22 2020 Archived from the original on February 17 2021 Retrieved July 23 2020 Apple Is Going After The Health Care Industry Starting With Personal Health Data CB Insights Research September 20 2017 Archived from the original on May 28 2018 Retrieved May 28 2018 a b Phelan David Apple Watch Secrets Revealed By Jony Ive Health A Big Focus Forbes Archived from the original on May 28 2018 Retrieved May 28 2018 Apple Watch s heart rate sensor can detect diabetes Cardiogram study finds Macworld Archived from the original on June 17 2018 Retrieved May 28 2018 Ballinger Brandon Hsieh Johnson Singh Avesh Sohoni Nimit Wang Jack Tison Geoffrey H Marcus Gregory M Sanchez Jose M Maguire Carol Olgin Jeffrey E Pletcher Mark J 2018 DeepHeart Semi Supervised Sequence Learning for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence Vol 32 pp 2079 2080 arXiv 1802 02511 doi 10 1609 aaai v32i1 11891 S2CID 3610017 Archived from the original on September 20 2021 Retrieved May 22 2020 a b c Apple Watch Firmware Archived from the original on August 20 2015 Retrieved May 19 2015 Apple Watch Timekeeping Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved March 9 2015 Apple Watch Built in Apps Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved June 29 2015 watchOS 1 01 information Apple Inc Archived from the original on February 8 2023 Retrieved May 24 2016 About the security content of watch OS 1 0 1 Apple Support Apple Archived from the original on February 8 2023 Retrieved June 29 2015 Download watchOS 2 0 2 2 2 Information support apple com Archived from the original on May 14 2021 Retrieved June 22 2019 a b c d e f watchOS 2 x information Apple Inc Archived from the original on February 8 2023 Retrieved May 24 2016 Download watchOS 3 0 3 2 3 Information support apple com Archived from the original on December 22 2016 Retrieved June 22 2019 Apple has temporarily pulled the watchOS 3 1 1 update due to reports of it bricking devices 9to5Mac December 14 2016 Archived from the original on December 15 2016 Retrieved December 14 2016 About watchOS 4 Updates Apple Support Archived from the original on September 22 2017 Retrieved June 22 2019 Alfred Ng Shara Tibken September 12 2018 Apple Watch Series 4 starts at 399 packs larger displays and EKG sensor CNET Archived from the original on August 28 2018 Retrieved August 28 2018 About watchOS 5 Updates Apple Support Archived from the original on November 23 2018 Retrieved June 22 2019 Kelion Leo October 31 2018 Apple Watch owners asked to return devices for repair after update glitch BBC News Archived from the original on October 31 2018 Retrieved October 31 2018 Clover Juli July 22 2019 Apple s Walkie Talkie Apple Watch App Works Again Following iOS 12 4 and watchOS 5 3 Release MacRumors Archived from the original on July 23 2019 Retrieved July 23 2019 About the security content of watchOS 5 3 2 Apple Inc Archived from the original on April 9 2019 Retrieved September 26 2019 watchOS 5 3 4 16U627 Releases Apple Developer Apple Developer Apple Inc December 10 2019 Archived from the original on May 10 2020 Retrieved December 10 2019 About the security content of watchOS 5 3 4 Apple Inc Archived from the original on April 9 2019 Retrieved December 10 2019 watchOS 5 3 5 16U652 Releases Apple Developer Apple Developer Apple Inc February 18 2020 Archived from the original on May 16 2020 Retrieved February 18 2020 Clover Juli February 18 2020 Apple Releases watchOS 6 1 3 Update With Heart Rhythm Notification Bug Fix MacRumors Archived from the original on February 18 2020 Retrieved February 18 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Apple security updates Apple Support Archived from the original on July 23 2019 Retrieved January 23 2023 Heather Kelly June 3 2019 Everything Apple announced at WWDC from Apple sign in to dark mode CNN Archived from the original on June 3 2019 Retrieved June 3 2019 watchOS 6 advances health and fitness capabilities for Apple Watch Press release Apple Inc Archived from the original on May 14 2021 Retrieved June 6 2019 watchOS 6 Apple Inc Archived from the original on September 16 2019 Retrieved February 23 2020 About watchOS 6 Updates Apple Support Archived from the original on September 13 2022 Retrieved September 13 2022 About watchOS 7 Updates Apple Support September 14 2021 Archived from the original on September 13 2022 Retrieved September 13 2022 Marczak Bill Scott Railton John Razzak Bahr Abdul Al Jizawi Noura Anstis Siena Berdan Kristin Deibert Ron September 13 2021 FORCEDENTRY NSO Group iMessage Zero Click Exploit Captured in the Wild Citizen Lab Archived from the original on September 13 2021 Retrieved September 16 2021 About watchOS 8 Updates Apple Support Archived from the original on August 5 2022 Retrieved September 13 2022 Shen Xinmei December 15 2021 Apple blocks mainland Chinese users from seeing some geographic information on its Compass app South China Morning Post Archived from the original on September 22 2022 Retrieved September 22 2022 About watchOS 9 Updates Apple Support Archived from the original on September 12 2022 Retrieved September 13 2022 watchOS 10 Preview Apple Retrieved June 9 2023 About watchOS 10 Updates Apple Support watchOS 10 2 21S364 Releases Apple Developer Apple Developer Apple Inc December 11 2021 Retrieved December 11 2021 External links editwatchOS official site Apple security content for details about watchOS security updates About watchOS 9 Updates Apple s official watchOS 9 release notes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WatchOS amp oldid 1223683091 watchOS 4, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.