Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of WatchOS 2.2 to Developers

watchos2Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 2.2 update to developers, less than a week after seeding the fifth watchOS 2.2 beta and three months after releasing watchOS 2.1, the first major update to the watchOS 2 operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 2.2 has been in testing since January 11.

The latest watchOS 2.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone running the iOS 9.3 beta by going to General --> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 2.2, along with iOS 9.3, introduces support for pairing multiple Apple Watches with a single iPhone. Both updates are required, with each watch running watchOS 2.2 and each iPhone running iOS 9.3. watchOS 2.2 also includes a revamped look for the built-in Maps app on the Apple Watch with access to the Nearby feature first introduced with iOS 9 and new buttons for quickly accessing directions to home and work.

There were no other obvious outward-facing changes introduced in the first five watchOS 2.2 betas aside from the changes to the Maps app, but the update undoubtedly includes under-the-hood performance updates and bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of watchOS 2.1. WatchOS 2.2 is expected to debut in the spring, perhaps at Apple's rumored March 21 event.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

gsmornot Avatar
119 months ago
So Watch users, has this 2.2 update made your watch any faster?

Still wrestling with the temptation to buy one... trying to hold out until this supposed event in a week or two.
Mine is the same overall speed is has been since launch day. Some apps are faster to load since they are native now vs fully dependent on the iPhone but generally, the watch is what I consider slow. That said, 90% of the time the watch does not need to be anything else, slow is fine. The complications for example are limited (due to battery restrictions) to updates every half hour roughly so you don't need fast for such a slow update cycle. The time does not need speed, just needs to display along with most of the other "things" you look at via the watch. I hope the future models feature a faster processor because generally as you get used to something you want it faster each update. I do. 2.2 is not for speed, its for adding a new feature to maps and generally cleaning up code. (opinion). If you have a use of the watch now, try it. You can add multiple watches to your phone now so in the future you can keep this one and get a new one and have two for different uses.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
h00ligan Avatar
119 months ago
If they can't magically make it twice as fast it doesn't matter. They were bullied into releasing this at least a year too early. Aside from notifications and some glances the watch is functionally useless die to speed issues. I can get my phone out. Unlock it. Open an app. And search or find whatever before an app loads on the watch.

Battery lasts well into a day or 24 hours. In some cases more. I'd take half the battery life for 50% more speed.

They also need to reduce the zoom
When you turn on redice motion - which is the only way to use this watch at a reasonable speed. It makes finding apps terrible.

Overall this is easily the worst apple
Product in the modern era.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac 128 Avatar
119 months ago

And in the real world people are very satisfied:

http://www.imore.com/six-months-after-launch-apple-watch-owners-remain-satisfied
Oh right, the Wristly study. The mysterious Watch devoted company that sprang up over night solely to conduct studies about Apple's new smartwatch product.

Never mind that it's a survey of 1,500 OPT-IN participants. In other words, pro-Apple watch enthusiasts. The participants found them. It in no way represents the "real world". And less than half worked outside the tech industry, and of those in the tech industry over 10% were developers for the watch!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blasto2236 Avatar
119 months ago
Anyone else had problems installing the beta? I have the profile installed, and iOS 9.3 Beta installed on my paired iPhone, however the beta update never shows up in the Watch app under "General>Software Update". I have tried deleting and reinstalling the profile to no avail.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SvP Avatar
119 months ago
Mine is the same ov...e two for different uses.
What a great answer. I wanted to + this. For the watch more than other devices it's the experience that matters: pick the right complications and you'll love knowing what you used to check in the weather app, traffic app or other things. The notifications will be fantastich if you have lots of "have to know but rarely act" messages; you can separate it from your mail making you not more productive: but better productive; way less screentime on your phone, too.

It is slow tho: i hope they'll optimize for the moments you want to do more than check the status, weather, traffic or bankaccount balance; the reason slowness doesn't bother me that much is that those things are usually what i grab my phone for :)

Battery life is easily one day, it'll make it to the next day also, until about 22:00. Full brightness, longest on-time. Tweaking the brightness and on-time it'll go for three days.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gsmornot Avatar
119 months ago
That's what life's all about, right? :p
Maybe not all but it's good not being that guy.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)