Apple Releases watchOS 6.1.1 With Bug Fixes

Apple today released watchOS 6.1.1, the third update to the watchOS 6 operating system that's designed to run on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 6.1.1 comes over a month after the launch of watchOS 6.1.

‌‌watchOS 6‌‌.1.1 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

watchos6ewatchfaces
To install the new software, the ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌. Apple has also released a watchOS 5.3.4 update for those who have Apple Watch models not able to be upgraded to watchOS 6.

We didn't find any significant changes during the watchOS 6.1.1 beta testing period, and Apple doesn't have specific release notes available. The update "provides important security updates and is recommended for all users."

For more detail on the features included in the overall watchOS 6 software release, make sure to check out our watchOS 6 roundup.

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

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...

Top Rated Comments

CarlJ Avatar
78 months ago
Will this latest update fix the horrendous battery life issues with Apple Watch 5 and the always-on display?
I'v had an Apple Watch 5 since release day, and it has always-on enabled, and I've never seen even the slightest trace of this "horrendous battery life issues" of which you speak.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
k1121j Avatar
78 months ago
I stopped asking my apple watch 5 siri things it takes so long to respond its useless
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neoelectronaut Avatar
78 months ago
I wonder if this'll fix Siri saying "Uh-Oh, Lost the Connection" every time I ask her to set a timer.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anshuvorty Avatar
78 months ago
So, when Apple Watch 5 was released, people were complaining about low battery. Will this latest update fix the horrendous battery life issues with Apple Watch 5 and the always-on display?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xyz01 Avatar
78 months ago

So, when Apple Watch 5 was released, people were complaining about low battery. Will this latest update fix the horrendous battery life issues with Apple Watch 5 and the always-on display?
I'm still having horrendous battery life with both Watch S3 and Watch S5, even after turning off the always on display. Phone has been reinstalled (and the 7 Plus replaced with an 8 Plus, installed from scratch), andwatch reinstalled many times as well. The problem seems to be WatchOS 6 related (no problem with S3 and WOS 5, even with the IOS 13 beta).

Hoping WOS 6.1.1 fixes the problem, but I run out of power - with pretty much no active use - in the late afternoon. Every day.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
78 months ago

What part is not true?
The part I bolded in the original quote: "it [the watch] needs to be in range of the iPhone". If you use software update directly on the watch, your iPhone doesn't enter into the picture.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)