Apple Seeds Fourth watchOS 9 Public Beta

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 9 update to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to experience the new watch software ahead of its fall release. The new beta comes a week after the third beta, and it corresponds to the sixth developer beta that was released yesterday.

watchOS 9 Feature
The watchOS 9 update can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 16. After installing iOS 16, the proper watchOS 9 profile from Apple's beta software website must also be installed.

The software can be accessed by going to General > Software Update in the Apple Watch app on ‌iPhone‌. To update, ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌.

watchOS 9 expands the sleep tracking feature to add sleep stages, allowing the watch to track when users are in REM Core, or Deep sleep, plus it supports a Medications app for managing and getting reminders for medications, vitamins, and supplements.

There are four new watch faces, including Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy, and the ECG app supports AFib History for tracking how long a person has been in atrial fibrillation.

Custom workouts have been added to the Workout app, and there are fitness improvements for runners, triathletes, and swimmers. 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.

More on everything that's new in the watchOS 9 update can be found in our dedicated watchOS 9 roundup.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

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 ...
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...
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...
Mayday Calendar

Apple Acquisition Hints at Upgraded Calendar App on iOS 19 or Beyond

Friday May 9, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple acquired Canadian startup Mayday Labs in April 2024, according to a European Commission listing, spotted by French blog MacGeneration. The acquisition had not received widespread attention from tech publications until now. Apple is legally required to report certain acquisitions to the European Commission, under the terms of the EU's Digital Markets Act. Mayday Labs founder Jeremy...
fortnite apple featured

Epic Games Submits Fortnite to U.S. App Store

Friday May 9, 2025 9:57 am PDT by
As promised, Epic Games today submitted Fortnite to the U.S. App Store, and if approved by Apple, it will mark the first time that the Fortnite app has been available in the United States since 2020. Fortnite will include options to purchase in-app currency from the web rather than through in-app purchase, which is what got the game banned to begin with. This time, though, Apple has been...
airpods pro purple

Apple's Camera Equipped AirPods and Apple Watch Could Launch as Soon as 2027

Thursday May 8, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple is working on versions of the AirPods and Apple Watch that incorporate a camera, and the devices could be ready to launch sometime around 2027, reports Bloomberg. Apple has developed a chip codenamed "Nevis" that will be used for its camera-equipped Apple Watch, while a chip codenamed "Glennie" will be incorporated into the AirPods. Apple is aiming to have the chips ready "by around...

Top Rated Comments

everlast3434 Avatar
36 months ago
The watch faces are still as boring as the day the watch came out. Give us OPTIONS Apple!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AirunJae Avatar
36 months ago

The watch faces are still as boring as the day the watch came out. Give us OPTIONS Apple!
Yeah, I really think they should do some collaborations with some brands and app developers or something. Like, I used a WearOS several years back, and the vast majority of watch faces you could download were... not aesthetically pleasing. I understand the reticence to open it up completely, but a few new options once or twice a year isn't really cutting it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thalegold Avatar
36 months ago
Same old thing. YAWWWWN. So bored of the watch. The watch faces are okay but nothing to run out and get excited about. Some of them are quite stupid honestly. This may turn out to be the first time I buy a Samsung instead.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
txb0115 Avatar
36 months ago
If a lack of watch faces annoys anyone that much, they need to evaluate their lives.

Would I like more faces with a little better customization?

Sure.

Does the lack of those affect my life in any measurable way? No. I’m able to use my watch just fine.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
everlast3434 Avatar
36 months ago

Yeah, I really think they should do some collaborations with some brands and app developers or something. Like, I used a WearOS several years back, and the vast majority of watch faces you could download were... not aesthetically pleasing. I understand the reticence to open it up completely, but a few new options once or twice a year isn't really cutting it.
For sure! Collabs, approved devs, something!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZzapDK Avatar
35 months ago

who *needs* the Apple watch?
Yeah, it was also more a question of how would you feel if your device(s) failed you during your triathlon. If that wasn't an issue, then I'd go ahead. I have installed the beta on my iphone, watch and ipad and for me - if something failed - I'm sure it'd be fixed eventually
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)