watchOS 5 Not Available for Original Apple Watch - MacRumors
Skip to Content

watchOS 5 Not Available for Original Apple Watch

The new watchOS 5 update, which was introduced at the keynote event of the Worldwide Developers Conference this morning, will not be available on the first-generation Apple Watch models that were released three years ago in 2015.

There were some hints that support might be dropped for the original Apple Watch, including warnings in later watchOS 4 updates after Apple stopped supporting the watchOS 1 SDK.

newsiriwatchface
watchOS 5 will be able to be installed on Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch models, while original Apple Watch models will not be able to be upgraded beyond watchOS 4.

The original Apple Watch likely does not have the power and battery life necessary for some of the newer watchOS 5 features, including Walkie-Talkie for touch-to-talk communications with friends, richer interactive notifications, automatic workout detection, and updates to the Siri watch face.

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

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black Touch ID

Next Apple Watch Models Unlikely to Add Touch ID, Focus on Battery Life

Monday May 11, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is prioritizing larger batteries and more advanced health sensors over fingerprint authentication for the Apple Watch, according to a new claim from a prominent Chinese leaker. In a new Weibo post, Instant Digital pushed back on recent speculation about biometric recognition coming to Apple's wearable lineup, claiming instead that the company remains content to let users unlock their...
TMRS 194 Apple Chatbot Thumb

The MacRumors Show: Gemini Announcements and Apple Watch Series 12 Rumors

Friday May 15, 2026 7:30 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Google's latest wave of announcements for Android and Gemini, the newly announced Fitbit Air, and Apple Watch Series 12 rumors. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos The centerpiece of Google's announcements this week was Gemini Intelligence, Google's new umbrella platform for AI across phones, watches, cars,...
AirPods Hearing Aid Thumb 1

Apple Watch Hypertension Alerts and AirPods Hearing Aid Feature Expand to More Countries

Tuesday May 12, 2026 10:53 am PDT by
Apple today said Hearing Aid features are now available for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 in Italy, Romania, and Czechia, while Hypertension alerts have expanded to Israel. The Hearing Aid option allows the AirPods Pro to be used as an over-the-counter alternative to a traditional set of hearing aids. The AirPods Pro can improve sound to mitigate mild to moderate hearing loss,...

Top Rated Comments

yaxomoxay Avatar
105 months ago
I will NEVER buy another Apple watch because of this policy. When I pay an outrageous $700 for a stinking watch, I expect it to be supported for a long time to come. Apple has just become too greedy!
I am pretty sure that the Watch will continue working for all the functionalities you paid it for, for many years to come.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
105 months ago
Imagine if you spent $15,000 on one of the gold plated edition versions of this. So much for being a rival to luxury watch brands. Those last generations. This is dropped after a few years
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
105 months ago
This trusty S0 has held out so long. Looks like I won't be running the beta, but assuming a new Apple Watch is announced in the fall, it's finally time to upgrade!
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gabriel193755 Avatar
105 months ago
All I wanted was new watch faces.
What do we get? Walkie-Talkie...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
witherwings Avatar
105 months ago
So the $10.000 Gold Apple Watch series are now obsolete? Good investment!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
105 months ago
Imagine if you spent $15,000 on one of the gold plated edition versions of this. So much for being a rival to luxury watch brands. Those last generations. This is dropped after a few years
People that spend $15K on a watch will never miss that money, or they’re incredibly stupid with their finances.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)