Apple Releases watchOS 8.7 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

Apple today released watchOS 8.7, the sixth major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September 2021. watchOS 8.6 comes around two months after the launch of watchOS 8.6, an update that expanded ECG functionality to Mexico.

Apple watchOS 8 feature 2
watchOS ‌8.7 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.

According to Apple's release notes, there are no new prominent features in watchOS 8.7. Instead, the software focuses on under-the-hood "improvements," along with bug fixes and important security updates.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

Baretta Avatar
36 months ago

Problem is, if the watch runs out of power because you didn’t charge it enough before the update, it will brick the watch. So, charger is needed. Because some people are stupid and others make mistakes.
So how about a 80+% battery check
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dk001 Avatar
36 months ago
Wish Apple would do away with having to utilize the charger to update.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
36 months ago
Apple should released an ultra violet Watch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spartan1967 Avatar
36 months ago

Wish Apple would do away with having to utilize the charger to update.
Definitely a prominent new feature that is needed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
36 months ago

Apple should released an ultra violet Watch.
Is that watch in the picture a real color? That one would be a hit I’d think.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Toratek Avatar
36 months ago

Updated earlier this afternoon. I hope the Hand Washing notification is now fixed up. It was pretty glitchy and random.
I don’t need a watch to tell me to use reasonable hygiene- and contact COVID was debunked quite a while ago.


So how about a 80+% battery check

I have a few different smart watches. The AW is the only one that has to be connected to its charger.

True but I can update my other devices off the charger if they have greater than 50% battery. My watch was at about 90% today when the update came out. Charger anyway.

They already have the requirement for it to be at greater than 50%, in addition to being on the charger. Only possible reason to require both is if there’s a watch model out there for which processing the update would eat up a large percentage of battery despite being on the charger.

I assume there’s a good reason for it but it seems a little overly cautious.
All of you have reasonable points. I can only assume this is the requirement because they are taking a “belt and suspenders” approach, because the consequences of a power problem while updating are so unfixable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)