Apple Releases watchOS 8.7 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

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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 Roundups: watchOS 10, watchOS 9
Related Forum: iOS, Mac, tvOS, watchOS Programming

Top Rated Comments

Baretta Avatar
Baretta
11 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
dk001
11 months ago
Wish Apple would do away with having to utilize the charger to update.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
thadoggfather
11 months ago
Apple should released an ultra violet Watch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spartan1967 Avatar
spartan1967
11 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
CarAnalogy
11 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
Toratek
11 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)
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