Apple Breaks watchOS Updates On Older Apple Watch Models [Update: Fixed]

With today's watchOS 11.3 update, Apple accidentally broke watchOS updates for some older Apple Watch models, according to information circulating on social networks.

apple watch se new blue
For Apple Watch models that are unable to be updated to watchOS 11, such as the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5, there is an unintended bug that prevents some of them from installing the latest version of watchOS 10, watchOS 10.6.1.


An Apple Watch that was not running watchOS 10.6.1 prior to the release of watchOS 11.3 and iOS 18.3 is now unable to have the watchOS 10.6.1 update installed. So an Apple Watch SE 1, Series 4, or Series 5 owner running an older version of watchOS cannot install watchOS 10.6.1 at the current time.

Further, some Apple Watch models running earlier versions of watchOS 10 cannot be paired to an iPhone.

This issue only applies to Apple Watch models that are limited to watchOS 10, and it is further only applicable to those not already running watchOS 10.6.1, an update that came out last August. Apple will likely fix this issue in the near future.

(Thanks, lunotech11!)

Update: Apple appears to have addressed this issue.

Popular Stories

M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...
MacBook Pro M5 Screen

New MacBook Pro Does Not Include a Charger in the Box in Europe

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:59 am PDT by
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chip does not include a charger in the box in European countries, including the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, and others, according to Apple's online store. In the U.S. and all other countries outside of Europe, the new MacBook Pro comes with Apple's 70W USB-C Power Adapter, but European customers miss out....
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
macbook pro blue

Apple's M5 MacBook Pro Imminent: What to Expect

Tuesday October 14, 2025 4:35 pm PDT by
Apple is going to launch a new version of the MacBook Pro as soon as tomorrow, so we thought we'd go over what to expect from Apple's upcoming Mac. M5 Chip The MacBook Pro will be one of the first new devices to use the next-generation M5 chip, which will replace the M4 chip. The M5 is built on TSMC's more advanced 3-nanometer process, and it will bring speed and efficiency improvements. ...

Top Rated Comments

DBZmusicboy01 Avatar
10 months ago
Instead of focusing on Apple Intelligence.
Software Stability is what they need to focus on for all the devices including iPhones.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thefrost Avatar
10 months ago
Maybe if Apple focuses more on fixing their software, these kinds of things wouldn't happen.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
10 months ago
zero testing going on.
copying zuckerburg's work moto, work fast, break things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Move_fast_and_break_things
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WilliApple Avatar
10 months ago
Why not give the Series 4 and 5 watchOS 11? There, problem solved!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thefrost Avatar
10 months ago

How much more time is required?
Maybe we should end there since you clearly aren't getting the point. Have a nice day.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
10 months ago

Apple could spend 10X the time they spend now on software and there will still be bugs.

You will never find 100% perfection 100% of the time when humans are involved.

There is no such thing as bug free code.
All of Apple's (m)emoji updates have been 100% bug free perfection.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)