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.

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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.

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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 Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

Maclver Avatar
71 months ago
Hopefully we get the standard app complications back..... i.e.. messages...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mick-Mac Avatar
71 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
71 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
71 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
71 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
71 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)

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