Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the watchOS 4 beta 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 needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 features three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual and is perhaps the most significant new feature in the update. There are also new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options.

GymKit, a new technology platform, will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and the Activity app will offer up intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement along with new monthly activity challenges.

Many other small tweaks and changes have been introduced, all of which are outlined in our dedicated watchOS 4 roundup.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers need to wait until the software sees an official release in the fall to try it out.

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

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
vision pro video recording

WSJ: Some Apple Vision Pro Buyers 'Feel Total Regret'

Friday May 16, 2025 7:43 am PDT by
Apple's Vision Pro headset has left many early adopters expressing dissatisfaction over its weight, limited use cases, and sparse software ecosystem, according to a new article from The Wall Street Journal. In the year following the device's launch, user feedback suggests that it has failed to meet expectations for comfort, software support, and social acceptance. In interviews conducted by T...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Could Debut Advanced Silicon Battery Tech

Friday May 16, 2025 8:00 am PDT by
The upcoming all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air could become the first Apple smartphone to adopt advanced battery technology, with Japanese supplier TDK preparing to ship its new generation of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June. According to DigiTimes, TDK CEO Noboru Saito revealed in a recent interview that the Apple supplier has accelerated its production timeline, moving shipments...
fortnite apple featured

Apple Says Fortnite for iOS Isn't Blocked Worldwide, Just the U.S.

Friday May 16, 2025 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today clarified that it has not blocked Epic Games from updating the iOS Fortnite app in the European Union, but it is not planning to allow Epic Games to offer Fortnite in the United States App Store at the current time. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that Epic Games tied its U.S. App Store submission to the update that was also being submitted to the Epic Games Store for iOS ...

Top Rated Comments

BigMar89 Avatar
102 months ago
Still can’t even download beta 4... continuously tells me “can’t connect to Apple Watch.”
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jhfenton Avatar
102 months ago
The Music app being consistently being open in WOS4 has to be contributing to the battery drain. Is there any way to disable it popping up when music is playing on the iPhone?
On the Watch app on the iPhone, under General->Screen Activation, there is a toggle for Launch Audio Apps. Turn that off. (I apologize if the menu names aren't exactly right. Those are my translations of the French menu names.)

I didn't like that functionality either, so I turned it off fairly quickly (once I found the toggle).
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
102 months ago
I know vertical scrolling is more natural, but I kind of like the watch dock in watchos3
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jacob.r Avatar
102 months ago
Same here, I have solved this in the past by going in and out of airplane mode.... but no dice this time
I found a work around start playing music on your iPhone and use your watch to control the volume. it keeps the watch connected to your iPhone. Worked for me in the past and now.
[doublepost=1502130665][/doublepost]
Still can’t even download beta 4... continuously tells me “can’t connect to Apple Watch.”
I found a work around start playing music on your iPhone and use your watch to control the volume. it keeps the watch connected to your iPhone. Worked for me in the past and now.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tazinlwfl Avatar
102 months ago
Beta 5 installed, and yeah - it's a little faster out the gate. Music took a bit longer than expected to open initially, but Music syncing seems to be faster. Stock App icons are back in the iPhone Watch app, and AirPods work great. Just need to confirm when I share an AirPod with my wife as we run to see if the connection has improved. I'll be testing all of the workout tracking apps tonight after work. I remember a couple suggesting not to update to watchOS 4 Beta (b1-3), but so far beta 4 has worked the best.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jhfenton Avatar
102 months ago
If you don’t mind me asking what type of HIIT is it? I was also hoping for interval running workouts :/
It appears to be just another indoor exercise. It doesn't even track distance during the workout. Calorie calculations may be optimized in some way for HIIT workouts (based solely on HR). And it will classify your workouts better if you care about that.

What we need is the ability to program a traditional running interval workout with repeats and recoveries based on distance or time (e.g., 2-mile warm-up, 8 x 0.5 mile with 2 min/0.25 mile jogs, cool-down). I'm still looking for a good Watch app that handles that. (I believe RunKeeper has the basic functionality, but the app was buggy when I tried it.)

Besides battery life, it is the one major advantage that my old Garmins (315xt and 910xt) have over my Apple Watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)