Apple Releases Updated Beta of New watchOS 5 Operating System to Developers

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Apple this morning seeded an updated beta of an upcoming watchOS 5 update, one week after releasing the first beta after the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference Keynote. watchOS 5 is the newest version of the software that runs on the Apple Watch.

To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 5 beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchos5roundup
To 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. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 5 software that still has bugs to be worked out.

The first version of the initial watchOS 5 beta was pulled by Apple shortly after it was released due to reports that the beta had been bricking some Series 2 Apple Watches, rendering them unusable. This new beta fixes that issue and makes the watchOS 5 update available to developers once again.

watchOS 5 is a significant update to watchOS, introducing Activity Competitions so you can compete on workouts with friends, Walkie-Talkie with push-to-talk functionality for quickly communicating with the people you talk to most, and auto workout detection to make it easier than ever to start and stop workouts.

Other new features include an improved Siri watch face with support for third-party apps, a dedicated Apple Podcasts app, new Workout types that include Yoga and Hiking, new features for runners, WebKit support for viewing some web content on Apple Watch, and enhanced notifications, which will make notifications on the Apple Watch interactive.

watchOS 5 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers (because there's no way to downgrade Apple Watch software), so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.

The watchOS 5 update runs on all Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch models. It is not available for the first-generation "Series 0" Apple Watch models, likely due to performance and battery issues.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 6
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Top Rated Comments

Leandrogamadf Avatar
Leandrogamadf
38 months ago
Why it is named iOS 5?

Attachment Image
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macintoshmac Avatar
macintoshmac
38 months ago
Why it is named iOS 5?
To remind us of the Scotty days.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Banglazed Avatar
Banglazed
38 months ago
Beta profile now available via dev portal
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
MrGimper
38 months ago
I’m assuming this is the same beta with just an install fix?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dustonfoster Avatar
Dustonfoster
38 months ago
Installing now, anything new? Myself and wife were lucky and had no issues the first go around last week.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bhast2 Avatar
bhast2
38 months ago
Walkie talkie app on watch now says “Coming Soon”!!!

Attachment Image
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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