Apple Releases watchOS 8.5 With Support for Apple TV Purchase Authorization, Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification Improvements and More

Apple today released watchOS 8.5, the fourth major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September. watchOS 8.5 comes two months after the launch of watchOS 8.4, which fixed a charging bug.

watchOS 8 on Apple Watch feature
‌‌watchOS ‌8.5 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update. 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.

watchOS 8.5 introduces support for Emoji 14 characters, with new additions including melting face, biting lip, heart hands, bubbles, beans, face with diagonal mouth, palm up hand, eggs, troll, low battery, coral, lotus, and more, plus it includes improvements to Apple's irregular heart rhythm feature that notifies users if atrial fibrillation is detected. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

watchOS 8.5 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:

  • Ability to authorize Apple TV purchases and subscriptions
  • COVID-19 vaccination cards in Apple Wallet now support the EU Digital COVID Certificate format
  • Updates to irregular heart rhythm notifications designed to improve atrial fibrillation identification. Available in the United States, Chile, Hong Kong, South Africa, and many more regions where the feature is available.
  • Audio hints in Fitness+ provide you with audio commentary of visually demonstrated moves during workouts.

For more on all of the features in watchOS 8, we have a dedicated watchOS 8 roundup.

Related Roundup: watchOS 10
Related Forum: Apple Programming

Top Rated Comments

expectdelay Avatar
23 months ago
That irregular heart rhythm notification is a great feature, and I love that they are updating it. It was very helpful to me. Love any health related updates.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
23 months ago

PSA: This is the first Watch OS update that requires newer than iOS 15.1.1. :)
My mom just tried to update her watch and it told her that she had to update her phone first (both watch and phone are on the latest, not today’s, last revision. )
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mapsdotapp Avatar
23 months ago
nice quality of life improvement: inputting your passcode immediately unlocks the watch instead of having to tap OK to submit it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Toratek Avatar
23 months ago
My iPad Pro, iPhone13 Pro, MacBook Pro, and both my Apple Watches (7 & 6) updated in a grand total of 20 minutes. This was a very smooth update.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarlJ Avatar
23 months ago

It’s taking 2 hours to download …..is it normal??????
Any chance it's trying to download over a different connection (either cellular or WiFi, vs. using bluetooth from the iPhone)?

I just updated my watch (Series 5) and it took less than 5 minutes for the whole process.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
london_apple Avatar
23 months ago
2 hours to download… still waiting. Why is it always the Watch that takes forever to update? Literally every other product downloads an update faster for me lol
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
instagram messenger

Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month

Tuesday December 5, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform....
iphone 5g mmwave

Apple's Work on 6G Connectivity Already Expanding

Monday December 4, 2023 7:00 am PST by
Apple's work on implementing 6G cellular connectivity on its devices appears to be ramping up, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Apple is increasingly turning its attention to 6G, even amid its widely reported difficulties developing a custom 5G cellular modem. In 2021, the first highly specific Apple job...