Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of watchOS 7.4 to Developers

by

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week release of the fourth beta and over a month after the launch of watchOS 7.3 with "Time to Walk" functionality, expanded ECG availability, and a new Unity watch face.

7
To install the ‌watchOS 7.4 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

Alongside iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 introduces a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature that lets an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you're wearing a mask, alleviating the need to enter a passcode to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

iphone apple watch unlock
‌Face ID‌ does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature provides an easy but still secure way to access the ‌iPhone‌ without the hassle of a passcode. It's similar to the Apple Watch unlocking on Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with ‌Face ID‌ can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it's only for mask usage. The Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store purchases, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a ‌Face ID‌ scan. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a passcode/password will need to be used instead.

iphone apple watch unlock 2
When the Apple Watch unlocks the ‌iPhone‌, you'll feel a haptic tap on the wrist and will receive a notification on the watch, similar to how it works when using the watch to unlock a Mac.

For those who use Apple Fitness+, the watchOS 7.4 update combined with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 enables AirPlay 2 for Apple Fitness+, so workouts can be streamed to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box. Apple Watch metrics do not show up on the screen when AirPlayed, however, and that feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌/iPad/Apple TV.

Apple has said that watchOS 7.4 will be released in the early spring.

Related Roundups: watchOS 11, watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Heart Rate Tracking Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Expected to Launch This Year With Key New Feature

Sunday August 24, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects Apple to release new AirPods Pro this year, and he said the earbuds will have a key new feature: heart rate monitoring. From his Power On newsletter today, with emphasis added:As for Apple's other devices, there's a lot in the fall pipeline — though many of the new products are only incremental upgrades. There will be Apple Watch updates, faster Vision...
Read Full Article • 73 comments
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Sunday August 24, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should be unveiled in a few more weeks, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman corroborated a rumor that iPhone 17 Pro models will be "available in an orange color." Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Antenna Design

Two All-New iPhone 17 Colors Seemingly Confirmed

Monday August 25, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple will offer the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max in a new orange color, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman made the claim in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, adding that the new iPhone 17 Air – replacing the iPhone 16 Plus – will come in a new light blue color. We've heard multiple rumors about a new iPhone 17 Pro color being a shade of orange. The ...
Read Full Article • 61 comments
iPhone 17 Air Thumb 2 Blue Electric Boogaloo

Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber. Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have ...
Read Full Article • 90 comments
awe dropping event

Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'Awe Dropping'

Tuesday August 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, according to an announcement that went out today. The event will start at 10:00 a.m., with select members of the media invited to attend. At the September 2025 iPhone event, Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 lineup, which includes an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. It...
Read Full Article • 214 comments
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Just Weeks Away: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Wednesday August 20, 2025 6:44 am PDT by
We're only weeks away from Apple's annual iPhone event – rumored to take place on September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for enhancements,...
Read Full Article • 75 comments
Awe Dropping Apple Event Feature

Five Things to Expect From Apple's 'Awe Dropping' September 9 Event

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today announced its "Awe Dropping" iPhone-centric event, which is set to take place on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. There are a long list of products that are coming, but we thought we'd pull out five feature highlights to look forward to. That Super Thin iPhone - Apple's September 9 event will see the unveiling of the first redesigned iPhone we've had in years, ...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3: Four Key Design Changes Anticipated

Tuesday August 26, 2025 4:05 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022 other than a shift from Lightning to USB-C, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will launch AirPods Pro 3 later this year, and apart from new features like heart rate monitoring, we're also expecting a few design changes. The fourth‑generation AirPods offer useful clues to Apple's design cues for ...
Read Full Article • 32 comments

Top Rated Comments

Johnny907 Avatar
Johnny907
58 months ago

Again hoping they fix the motion, activity and standing tracking issue that was broke starting in beta 3.
I'll let you know as soon as I finish the update and get back from my run. Fingers crossed.


They always add a new watch face with an update. I still like using Chronograph Pro.
Likewise. I've been using the same Explorer Watchface since Series 3, partially because I appreciate the simplicity but mostly because it is the only one that easily shows Cell Signal strength. It continues to baffle me that more faces don't offer this functionality.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
Braderunner
58 months ago
I bet the installation will be buttery smooth! Probably better than the last beta! Thanks, Apple!!! ;) :D:p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
Johnny907
58 months ago
Happy to report this Beta seems to solve a lot of issues with the last two. My last run was tracked accurately from start to finish, without the telltale grey dots that indicate when the watch failed to track my location. Furthermore the mile splits occurred exactly where they were supposed to within a few feet, indicating distance was properly tracked as well. Calories and active calories are still a little low but back within the range both should be.
Finally, battery drain is much diminished and back to non-beta levels. A five mile run with GPS active and streaming a podcast over connected AirPods resulted in only a 7% drain compared to the 20-25% I was getting with betas 3 and 4.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
Johnny907
58 months ago

I just got this installed on my Series 6 and am putting it through its paces. Still working on installing on my Series 5, that went a bit more slowly.

Overall, the release looks GREAT so far. The installation process was really quick for a beta, and the Infograph Modular and Astronomy faces seem to be working great! I also tried streaming music from Apple Music and that also seems perfect, rich sound quality and no stutter.

I'll keep testing this throughout the day and let you know, but it looks like watchOS 7.4 is going to be a HOT one. I think it's ready for release!
I'm guessing you either didn't install the previous betas, or don't pay attention to Activity Tracking, which has been a complete dumpster fire since Beta 3. 5 mile jog yesterday managed to track 3.4 miles of it, resulting in active calorie burn of 14 kcal. Yup. Dumpster fire.

Installing now on my Series 6. Will be leaving the house for another five miles as soon as it is finished to put it through it's *actual* paces and see if things are finally fixed after ten or so bug reports in the last month. Will report back in an hour or so.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mikman Avatar
Mikman
58 months ago
Will we ever get the “if I delete messages on iPhone it deletes them from watch as well” upgrade
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FishyFish Avatar
FishyFish
58 months ago
I just got this installed on my Series 6 and am putting it through its paces. Still working on installing on my Series 5, that went a bit more slowly.

Overall, the release looks GREAT so far. The installation process was really quick for a beta, and the Infograph Modular and Astronomy faces seem to be working great! I also tried streaming music from Apple Music and that also seems perfect, rich sound quality and no stutter.

I'll keep testing this throughout the day and let you know, but it looks like watchOS 7.4 is going to be a HOT one. I think it's ready for release!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments