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Apple Seeds Fifth WatchOS 2 Beta to Developers

Thursday August 6, 2015 11:09 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple-Watch-Midnight-Blue-250x299Apple today seeded the fifth watchOS 2 beta to developers for testing purposes, more than two weeks after seeding the fourth watchOS 2 beta and nearly two months after announcing the new operating system update at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference.

watchOS 2 requires the iOS 9 beta to be installed and can be downloaded over-the-air using the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. Caution should be used when installing this beta, as downgrading the software on the Apple Watch is not possible without help from Apple [PDF].

watchOS 2 is the first major update to watchOS, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 2 introduces several new features that developers can use to improve their Apple Watch apps, including native apps that run on the watch itself instead of the iPhone. The software also allows developers to access the Taptic Engine and other sensors like the heart rate monitor, the microphone, and the accelerometer for the first time.

With the new tools for developers, Apple Watch apps will be more complex and full-featured. Other features in watchOS 2 include new watch faces (photo albums and time-lapse), third-party Complications, Time Travel, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

watchOS 2 is currently only available to registered developers who have also installed iOS 9 on their iPhones. Apple plans to release the software to the public in the fall.

What's new in beta 5:

Previous watchOS 2 betas haven't added many new features, but there are several new additions in watchOS 2 beta 5, as listed below.

Timelapse - There's a new Timelapse watch face that displays the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Sleep settings - There's a Settings option that will keep the Apple Watch's screen active and turned on for 70 seconds. Currently the watch face only stays on for 15 seconds.

watchos270seconds
Music - In the Music app, there's a new "Quick Play" button to access music on the iPhone more quickly. The Music app interface has also been tweaked and will display the app that's playing music.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
[ 130 comments ]


Top Rated Comments

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fzfpff
46 months ago

please send the watch profile


here you go:
Rating: 45 Votes
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utsava
46 months ago

I don't get it, Why is it called "complication" instead of "compilation"? I think we can distinguish between a Watch compilation and a Music compilation; not only is "compilation" more precise, "complication" has a negative connotation.


"Complication" is the term used in horology to describe a secondary function on a watch face. It has a long history that Apple is just continuing.
Rating: 7 Votes
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JeffyTheQuik
46 months ago

Oh, thank ye gods!!!!
The last beta DESTROYED my battery life & I'd get random occasional reboots.

Thank you for beta testing this. I know a lot of people that don't appreciate beta testers, but I do. Without your testing, one could only imagine the bugs that'd get into the wild...
Rating: 6 Votes
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liuping
46 months ago
Keep the screen active for 15 seconds or.... 70 seconds? What an odd second option.

15, 30 and 60 would be a better set of choices, IMHO.
Rating: 6 Votes
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Douglas B
46 months ago

Keep the screen active for 15 seconds or.... 70 seconds? What an odd second option.

15, 30 and 60 would be a better set of choices, IMHO.


No, they've been pretty smart about this. The nurses and paramedics who have asked for this need to be able to watch the second hand for 60 seconds. But they still need a few seconds after they have tapped the screen to get their hand on their patient's wrist for the pulse. 60 seconds wouldn't have been enough.
Rating: 4 Votes
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andybno1
46 months ago

Is multi-color modular face new in watchOS? As far as I can tell, my watchOS 1 Watch's modular face is all the same color, except the large center module, which is grey. So, I have it set to white, so it all pretty much looks white, to match the white Sport band. Don't know how I feel about the battery module being colored. Kind of ruins the white motif for me. More options would be nice.

this is how the multi-colour looks

Rating: 3 Votes
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Karma*Police
46 months ago
I gotta say, I'm looking forward to this more than El Cap and iOS 9.
Rating: 3 Votes
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TyPod
46 months ago
THANK GOD! Get me off this broke ass Beta 4!
Rating: 3 Votes
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andybno1
46 months ago
New design for music player in glances

Rating: 2 Votes
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Murphintosh
46 months ago

I don't get it, Why is it called "complication" instead of "compilation"? I think we can distinguish between a Watch compilation and a Music compilation; not only is "compilation" more precise, "complication" has a negative connotation.


Context is everything; "complication" doesn't have a negative connotation in watch nomenclature as others have mentioned. I thought it was a strange term when first learned it in the context of watches. As for "compilation" being more precise, I beg to differ. I've never seen or heard the word "compilation" used to mean anything other than a new publication, collection or list of previously available data, stories, songs, etc. I only know of it being used for those kinds of intangibles. I'm curious to know if you use in a different way or if you thought of it because "compilation" looks very similar to "complication."
Rating: 2 Votes

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