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.
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.
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times.
The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said.
While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone.
iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by Juli Clover
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio.
MacBook Air (Early 2026)
The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account.
In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3.
AirDrop
Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts.
iOS 26.2...
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.
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.
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).
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.
