Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of watchOS 8 to Developers

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of the upcoming watchOS 8 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming one week after Apple released the fifth watchOS 8 beta.

watchOS 8 on Apple Watch feature
To install ‌watchOS 8‌, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌watchOS 8‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌. It's not recommended to install ‌watchOS 8‌ on a main Apple Watch as the software may be unstable at this early date.

watchOS 8 has several new features that are extensions of new features introduced in iOS 15. There are improvements to Wallet that allow it to hold keys for unlocking hotel, car, and home doors, plus Apple will let U.S. users add their IDs to Wallet later this year.

Apple overhauled the Home app, and for the Workout app, there are new Tai Chi and Pilates workout types, and the Breathe app has been renamed to Mindfulness thanks to a new Reflect session that invites users to get into a positive state of mind. When sleeping, the Apple Watch now measures respiratory rate.

Focus mode from iOS 15 syncs to the watch so users can stay on task, and in the Messages app, Scribble, dictation, and emojis can be combined within the same message, making it easier to communicate. Dictated text can be edited, and GIFs can be sent right from the watch.

There's a new Portrait watch face, and the Photos app has been updated with support for Memories and Featured ‌Photos‌. A new Find My app lets items be located right on the wrist, and there are also new updates for Music, Weather, Timers, and more, along with a new Contacts app.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

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Top Rated Comments

fwmireault Avatar
48 months ago
Where’s the public beta of WatchOS 8 beta 5?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
48 months ago

Don't you want the guinea pigs (Apple developers) to try out this beta software first?
Yes but WatchOS beta 5 was released to developers last week, and public beta is usually released the next day. It’s weird to Apple to release beta 6 to devs without a public release of the 5
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imnotthewalrus Avatar
48 months ago

Don't you want the guinea pigs (Apple developers) to try out this beta software first?
As it has been a week since beta 5, the "guinea pigs" have had ample time for that. The only thing that makes sense of the public version being delayed is that the beta had issues that beta 4 did not have.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)