Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 8.1 to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming just a day after watchOS 8 was released to the public.

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.
There's no word yet on what's new in watchOS 8.1, but we'll update this article when we know more.
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