Apple Seeds Second Beta of watchOS 9 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 9 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after Apple unveiled the update at WWDC and provided the first beta to developers.

watchOS 9 Feature
To install ‌watchOS 9, 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.

watchOS 9 introduces four new watch faces, including Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy, plus it includes updates to some existing watch faces and complications. The ECG app now supports AFib History for tracking how long a person has been in atrial fibrillation.

The sleep tracking feature now includes sleep stages, letting the Apple Watch track when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep, and Apple has added a Medications app. The Medications app lets users manage and track their medications, vitamins, and supplements, with reminders when it's time to take them.

Updates to the Workout app add custom workouts and improvements for runners, triathletes, and swimmers. Fitness+ workouts now support streaming to certain third-party TVs for those who don't have an Apple TV, and notifications have been redesigned to be less obtrusive when the watch's screen is active.

Other new features include a CallKit API that allows VOIP calls to be answered on Apple Watch, Apple Watch Mirroring for controlling the Apple Watch with an ‌iPhone‌, Quick Actions for doing more with a double pinch gesture, and updates to the Reminders and Calendar apps.

‌watchOS 9 is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple plans to provide a public beta later this summer ahead of the software's fall launch alongside new Apple Watch models.

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

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Top Rated Comments

SFjohn Avatar
40 months ago
Some cool new features I’m looking forward to: sleep stages & AFib History.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adamryan1983 Avatar
40 months ago

fix the f’in smart features you broke with Homekit and Siri. Always need to confirm with a tap on the Watch to perform an action through HomeKit one of the most basic essential features that should be on a smartwatch! This **** started with OS8. Unbelievable!
calm down man.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
40 months ago
I'm very excited for sleep stages and medication tracking.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xDKP Avatar
40 months ago

Is the public beta typically early summer or should we expect it on September 21st?
They have said July
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
40 months ago
fix the f’in smart features you broke with Homekit and Siri. Always need to confirm with a tap on the Watch to perform an action through HomeKit one of the most basic essential features that should be on a smartwatch! This **** started with OS8. Unbelievable!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)