Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 10.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after the release of the fourth watchOS 10.4 beta. The RC is the finalized version of watchOS 10.4 that will see a public launch next week.
To install the watchOS 10.4 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.
Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.4 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.
watchOS 10.4 includes new emoji characters such as a lime, an edible brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), and shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake). There is also a Setting to disable the Double Tap feature on Apple Watch when using Vision Pro, as the Double Tap gestures might be accidentally activated when controlling Vision Pro.
Apple's release notes for the update are below:
watchOS 10.4 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:
- Tap to Show Full Notification setting now allows you to double tap to expand the notification
- Using Apple Pay with Confirm with AssistiveTouch will require a passcode for additional security and will not support double clicking the side button
- Resolves an issue that causes some users to experience false touches on the display
- Fixes an issue that prevents contacts from syncing to Apple Watch for some usersFor information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
watchOS 10.4 will likely see a public release in the near future alongside iOS 17.4.
