Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of watchOS 5.1 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.1 update to developers, one week after seeding the third watchOS 5.1 beta and a month after releasing the new watchOS 5 operating system.

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.

applewatchseries4watchfaces
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 5.1 includes support for the Group FaceTime that's also available in iOS 12.1 and macOS 10.14.1, with Group FaceTime calls able to be answered in an audio-only capacity on the Apple Watch. Group FaceTime allows you to chat with up to 32 people at one time.

The watchOS 5.1 update brings a full-screen new "Color" watch face option for the Apple Watch Series 4, with users able to choose between multiple shades. There's also a filled-in circular color option for older Apple Watch models that joins the standard Color clock face.

applewatchcolor
Alongside macOS 10.14.1 and iOS 12.1, watchOS 5.1 introduces support for more than 70 new emoji characters like face with hearts, red hair, gray hair, curly hair, super heroes, kangaroo, peacock, parrot, lobster, cupcake, mango, and more.

No other new features were discovered in the first three betas of watchOS 5.1, but should we find something new in the fourth beta, we'll update this post.

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

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
imac video apple feature

Apple Makes Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever

Tuesday February 3, 2026 12:45 pm PST by
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...

Top Rated Comments

Maclver Avatar
96 months ago
Hopefully we get the standard app complications back..... i.e.. messages...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mick-Mac Avatar
96 months ago
Hopefully we get the standard app complications back..... i.e.. messages...
Yes please! It's just so totally frustrating that the Messages and Phone apps are missing in the newest watch faces e.g. Infograph. I'd happily trade a few thousand useless emoji for that functionality.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kycophpd Avatar
96 months ago
The release says you must be running 12.1 and 5.1 to use the ECG option so unless there is a delay, it appears Apple is planning on releasing it when this is done in beta. Whether it is built in or a separate app still hasn't been released.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bluespark Avatar
96 months ago
The fact that someone owns a different watch doesn't make their subjective beliefs more valid, so not sure what the relevance of your S3 ownership is.
His point wasn't that this made his beliefs more valid; it was that he had experienced a watch face store and therefore could offer a relevant anecdote based on that experience.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGuder Avatar
96 months ago
Does anyone else think that there is so much potential with various watch faces that Apple has hardly skimmed the surface? Those 2 full screen colors are bla looking. I haven’t seen any watch faces that really blow me away. The fire and ice ones are cool though but there SHOULD be hundreds and hundreds of watch faces to choose from that are spectacular. They should concentrate on better designers of faces to choose from.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rwilliams Avatar
96 months ago
Hopefully we get the standard app complications back..... i.e.. messages...
Messages, mail, phone, home, podcasts, etc. It’s unbelievable that Apple would leave those out from two prominent new faces.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)