Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third beta and more than a month after first unveiling watchOS 3 at its 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.

The third watchOS 3 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone by going to General --> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery, it must be on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 3 introduces significant changes to the watchOS operating system. A new dock, accessible by pressing the side button, replaces Glances and houses 10 favorite first and third-party apps. Apps in the dock are kept continually up to date and are stored in memory for a new instant launch ability.


Activity Sharing options allow Apple Watch owners to share workout and activity information with friends, and there are new fitness features for Wheelchair users. A Breathe app guides users through daily deep breathing sessions, an Apple Watch can unlock a Mac, and Apple has added apps for Reminders, Find My Friends, and accessing one's heartbeat.

Watch faces support more complications, there are three new watch faces to choose from, including a new Activity watch face, and an SOS feature will make sure an option to get help in an emergency is always right at your fingertips. On the iPhone, there's a new Face Gallery for customizing Apple Watch faces, and watchOS 3 allows the Apple Watch to be located via Find My iPhone for the first time.

For full details on the new features coming in watchOS 3, which will be released to the public this fall, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 8
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

gsmornot Avatar
89 months ago
And my watch still can't find the public beta even after installing the profile dozen times. Tried repairing the watch as well but nope. Doesn't work.
There is no public watch beta.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hedwigg Avatar
89 months ago
Downloading now.
Thanks for that vital, informative update.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Goff Avatar
89 months ago
Yeah I got to know.that sucks
But it makes sense. If something goes wrong with your iPhone, iPad, or Mac? You can push it back to a working release. We can't do that on the Apple Watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
89 months ago
Attention mods/writers:
Might be helpful to mention in the second paragraph that you can't install the watchOS 3 beta without first installing the iOS 10 beta on the paired iPhone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclo Avatar
89 months ago
Attention mods/writers:
Might be helpful to mention in the second paragraph that you can't install the watchOS 3 beta without first installing the iOS 10 beta on the paired iPhone.
Will note, thank you!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
89 months ago
Not showing for me yet. I just wish it would fix stale complications issue (which requires a restart to update).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

google drive for desktop1

Google to Roll Out New 'Drive for Desktop' App in the Coming Weeks, Replacing Backup & Sync and Drive File Stream Clients

Tuesday July 13, 2021 1:18 am PDT by
Earlier this year, Google announced that it planned to unify its Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync apps into a single Google Drive for desktop app. The company now says the new sync client will roll out "in the coming weeks" and has released additional information about what users can expect from the transition. To recap, there are currently two desktop sync solutions for using Google...