Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 8.5 to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.5 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming just a day after the release of watchOS 8.4.

To install watchOS 8.5, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, watchOS 8.4 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.
We don't yet know what's included in the watchOS 8.5 update, but if if we find new features after installing the beta, we'll update this article.
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