Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.3 update to developers, a few days after seeding the fifth beta and more than a month after releasing watchOS 4.2.3, a minor update focusing on bug fixes.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.
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To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it has to be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone it's paired to.
watchOS 4.3 introduces support for Nightstand mode in portrait orientation, a feature that was previously only available when the watch was placed in landscape orientation. There's also a new charging animation when the Apple Watch is placed on the charger, a new app loading animation, your Activity data is now displayed on the Siri watch face, and the battery complication more accurately reports battery life.
The watchOS 4.3 update also brings the return of a much-desired feature that allows music playing on the iPhone to be controlled using the Music app on the Apple Watch.
In prior versions of watchOS, starting with watchOS 4, the Music app could only be used to control music playing on the watch itself. With the tvOS 11.3 beta installed, there's also an option to control music playing on the Apple TV with the watch.
Apple plans to release watchOS 4.3 to the public in the spring, and until then, it will be limited to developers. Apple offers public betas of tvOS, iOS, and macOS, but watchOS betas are not available for public beta testers because there's no way to revert to an earlier version of watchOS once an update is installed.
As we're on the sixth beta, we should be nearing a release date in the next couple of weeks.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)I wonder what would happen with WatchOS 5?
i think series 0 will very likely be left out of watchos 5I just hope it improves the speed again on my Apple Watch Series 0. Orginal watch. In particular on starting an exercise and then listening to music. Once it took me 5 minutes after I started the exercise to get the music playing. Very annoying. Don’t tell me to buy a new one. With WatchOS 3 all was good.
Buy a new one! Just kidding, I’ve got a series 2 and it feels less smooth with watchOS 4. Battery life is fantastic though.i think series 0 will very likely be left out of watchos 5
Series 0 is like the iPad 1. They were cool when announced as they were new product category, but the hardware were significantly out-speced by the 2nd and 3rd gen. Heck, even I feel my series 2 feels slower now than when I first got it. Even booting up takes forever.Buy a new one! Just kidding, I’ve got a series 2 and it feels less smooth with watchOS 4. Battery life is fantastic though.
Agreed also on S2.So many beats released in the last 2 weeks what’s going on?! Vehemently waiting this and iOS update as I’m getting that Android-over-fence-fever again.