Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of watchOS 9 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 9 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming three weeks after Apple released the third 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.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
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...

Top Rated Comments

mavis Avatar
36 months ago
So I posted this in the Watch forum but hopefully some people will see it here:

Don't reboot your watch on watchOS 9b4! Edit: rebooting didn't fix it, but a hard reset did. Hold the Digital Crown and side button, until the watch powers off.

I installed watchOS 9 beta 4 on my S7 today, and the first thing I checked once it finished was Airplane Mode mirroring (it was broken on b3 and it remains broken on b4 - Focus mirroring works fine, but Airplane Mode doesn't) ... so I rebooted both my iPhone and my watch. Big mistake.

After rebooting, none of my third-party app complications are visible. The complications are not selectable while editing watch faces directly on the watch (only Apple's stock app complications show up). I can see the complications on my iPhone, but setting them up in the iPhone's Watch app doesn't actually make them visible on the watch. So Carrot, HeartWatch, etc - nothing works.

Just an FYI. It worked after updating to b4, but not after rebooting. YMMV, but this is what happened to me.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Funny Apple Man Avatar
36 months ago
* cries in Apple Watch Series 3 *
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
36 months ago
Interesting that this came out a day later than the other developer betas.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BarrettF77 Avatar
36 months ago
For the most part the first PB has been mostly stable. Better than ones last year and better than watch os 8 for sure.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BriceApp Avatar
36 months ago

So I posted this in the Watch forum but hopefully some people will see it here:

Don't reboot your watch on watchOS 9b4! Edit: rebooting didn't fix it, but a hard reset did. Hold the Digital Crown and side button, until the watch powers off.

I installed watchOS 9 beta 4 on my S7 today, and the first thing I checked once it finished was Airplane Mode mirroring (it was broken on b3 and it remains broken on b4 - Focus mirroring works fine, but Airplane Mode doesn't) ... so I rebooted both my iPhone and my watch. Big mistake.

After rebooting, none of my third-party app complications are visible. The complications are not selectable while editing watch faces directly on the watch (only Apple's stock app complications show up). I can see the complications on my iPhone, but setting them up in the iPhone's Watch app doesn't actually make them visible on the watch. So Carrot, HeartWatch, etc - nothing works.

Just an FYI. It worked after updating to b4, but not after rebooting. YMMV, but this is what happened to me.
I noticed this too after rebooting. I uninstalled Outlook on my watch for example and reinstalled it. I was able to then get it to work as a complication on my watch again.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chickeneaster Avatar
36 months ago

I don´t care to test a Beta in my Iphone, as I can revert easily. But I have never tried in my Apple Watch.
The first time I tried a beta on my watch was for WatchOS 7 but I waited until the beta that released in late July (because I knew it was harder to revert back on the Watch) and right now is the second time I'm trying a beta for the Watch
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)