Apple Releasing watchOS 6 for Series 3 and Later Sept. 19, Delayed for Older Apple Watches

Apple today announced that it will be releasing watchOS 6 on Thursday, September 19 for the Apple Watch Series 3 and Series 4 models.

watchOS 6 will not be immediately available on Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watch models, with Apple instead delaying the release until "later this fall."

watchOS 6
It is not clear why older Apple Watch models won't be getting the update at launch.

September 19 is just one day before new Apple Watch Series 5 models are expected to begin shipping out. Apple Watch Series 5 pre-orders are available starting today on Apple.com.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Apple AI Command Center Concept Mock 3

Apple Expected to Launch This All-New Device Next Year

Wednesday November 27, 2024 1:05 pm PST by
Apple is expected to kick off 2025 by launching an all-new smart home hub, also referred to as a "command center," as early as March. The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall. The device is said to run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and it is expected...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.2

Thursday December 5, 2024 11:48 am PST by
Apple seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.2 today, which means it's going to see a public launch imminently. Release candidates represent the final version of new software that will be provided to the public should no last minute bugs be found, and Apple includes release notes with the RC launch. The iOS 18.2 release notes provide a look at all of the new features that are coming...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp to Drop Support for These iPhones Starting May 2025

Monday December 2, 2024 2:57 am PST by
WhatsApp is set to end support for iOS versions older than iOS 15.1 from May next year, removing the chat platform's compatibility with several iPhone models in the process. From May 5, 2025, WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models. Users with those devices won't be able to access the encrypted chat service after the specified date unless they ...
Flip iPhone Thumb 1

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Could Reinvigorate Stalling Market

Monday December 2, 2024 4:04 pm PST by
The foldable smartphone market has stalled with customer interest in foldables waning, but that could change when Apple debuts a foldable iPhone, according to display analyst Ross Young. In a report on the current foldable smartphone market, Young says that Apple is expected to "enter the foldable market" in the second half of 2026. Apple's "dominant position in flagship smartphones" could...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Rectangle Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Already Rumored to Have These 8 New Features

Wednesday November 27, 2024 12:19 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch for 10 more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. An imaginative iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro ...

Top Rated Comments

Wig321 Avatar
68 months ago
Probably delaying it for performance reasons or something similar.

Out of interest, did the Series 5 not tempt you to upgrade? Even the series 4 is a massive jump over the 2.
For what I use it for the series 2 is still working great. I’m waiting to upgrade when the battery life is significantly extended. I thought today might have been the day!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BaggieBoy Avatar
68 months ago
Strange, the beta is running fine on my series 2.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jmausmuc Avatar
68 months ago
Blah blah blah
nice comment. Keep at it
[doublepost=1568144633][/doublepost]
Have the say I was stunned they didn't rev the hardware on the Series 5. Have a 3 and was slammed dunk for a update, but with Series 4 internals and a for sure hardware update with Series 6, now I'll have to think about it. I'm okay with raising my 3 to have the display come on (not a draw for me).
Wait one more year. I’m sure next years version will be a “full” upgrade.
Same with the iPhone btw
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sasparilla Avatar
68 months ago
Probably delaying it for performance reasons or something similar.

Out of interest, did the Series 5 not tempt you to upgrade? Even the series 4 is a massive jump over the 2.
Have the say I was stunned they didn't rev the hardware on the Series 5. Have a 3 and was slammed dunk for a update, but with Series 4 internals and a for sure hardware update with Series 6, now I'll have to think about it. I'm okay with raising my 3 to have the display come on (not a draw for me).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DaveMcM76 Avatar
68 months ago
The latest beta seems to be working absolutely fine on my series 2 but as I’ve just preordered a series 5 my main concern is now whether a watchOS 6 beta backup will restore ok on the watchOS 6 release version as it looks I won’t be able to update the series 2 before my 5 arrives.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KillerScoregasm Avatar
68 months ago
Probably trying to find a way to throttle those older watches but in a way they don’t get caught.. jk. What I think they should do is offer a light software version for their older model. I don’t use half the features of my bloated watch software..
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)