Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 3.1.3 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.1.3 update to developers for testing purposes, more than a week after watchOS 3.1.1 was released and three months after the launch of watchOS 3.

watchOS 3.1.3 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 3.1.3 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install.

apple watch 2 collections 4
We don't know yet what new features or bug fixes might be included in the watchOS 3.1.3 update, but we'll update this post with any new discoveries. watchOS betas are often rather minor in scale, focusing on small bug fixes and performance improvements rather than major interface changes.

The watchOS 3.1.3 beta comes shortly after Apple pulled the watchOS 3.1.1 release after it was found to be bricking some Apple Watch Series 2 devices. Apple has not re-released an updated version of watchOS 3.1.1 that fixes the bug, so many users are still running watchOS 3.1.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
samsung glitter blue

Samsung's Year End Sale Introduces Major Discounts on Popular Monitors and TVs

Monday December 29, 2025 6:29 am PST by
Samsung kicked off a new end-of-the-year sale this week, introducing great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

The 5 Most Important Apple Software Features Introduced This Year

Tuesday December 30, 2025 1:00 am PST by
2025 was a significant year of advancement for Apple's software, with a noticeable focus on visual design, productivity, and communication. While Apple introduced and continued to iterate on a wide range of features throughout the year, several additions stood out for their scope and practical impact across multiple devices. As the year comes to an end, these five new features provide a...

Top Rated Comments

Mlrollin91 Avatar
118 months ago
I wonder if 3.1.2 will be released soon for those that never updated to 3.1.1.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fulles2000 Avatar
118 months ago
Hi there!

I found a solution to your (and my) problem, in case you haven't found one yet.

1. Delete the already downloaded watchOS update in the Watch app (if you haven't done so already).
2. Force restart your iPhone (hold power- and home-button until the Apple logo appears).
3. Force restart your Watch (hold side button and crown until Apple logo appears).

Now, after both devices are powered back up, you should be able to install the app-updates from the Watch app on your phone. Strangely, already updated iPhone apps with Watch apps were not pending automatically for installation - I had to manually start the update/reinstall process.

Hope this helps!
Best regards,
VSG
Thanks. It works.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Suckfest 9001 Avatar
118 months ago
Although I am on a first day update the HW with the iPhone and the Macs, I do have concerns regarding Apple Watch.
I stopped installing Betas on any device, too many problems, too much battery consumption and so on.

However the Watch - sacred me when I realised that Apple issues an update, it bricks your device and if it's not under Apple Care - you have to pay for their mistake....
No. They did not and never have charged for firmware flashes, especially when the update is what caused it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fulles2000 Avatar
118 months ago
I'm hoping Apple release this (or at least a fixed version of 3.1.1) very soon. I downloaded 3.1.1 and left it to update overnight. When I got up the next morning there was a message on my iPhone saying it couldn't install because I didn't have an internet connection. Of course the real reason was that Apple had pulled the release.

However this means I can no longer install apps on my watch. When I try it says something along the lines of "cannot install app because an OS update is in progress". This wouldn't be the end of the world but apps that are already installed on the watch that have been updated on the iPhone also can't be installed. Therefore even though the app is on the watch my iPhone doesn't think that app is installed on the watch and won't communicate with it. I have a couple of apps that I use very often (Hole 19 & Dark Sky) that I currently cannot use on the watch. I've deleted the 3.1.1 download from the watch and rebooted it but I still can't install or update apps on my watch. I could restore the watch from a backup to see if that solves it but then I would have to set up Apple Pay again and the whole process takes ages.

It's really annoying not to be able to use the watch (especially Hole 19 which I use whenever I play golf - which will be several times next week).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaggieBoy Avatar
118 months ago
Part way through the install on a Series 0, no problem so far. One thing I've noticed (and never seen before) when the progress "ticks" are making their way round the dial, the last mark turns on an off about once a second.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
118 months ago
A lot of people on the original Apple Watch, which is no longer under warranty, seemed to be left SOL after 3.1.1 bricked their watches.

I hadn't followed recently, but I wonder if they were able to get their watches repaired without cost.
[doublepost=1482351903][/doublepost]

I read about 3.1.1 final bricking devices, but not 3.1.1 betas.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)