Apple today released watchOS 26.3, an update to the watchOS 26 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 26.3 comes two months after Apple released watchOS 26.2.
watchOS 26.3 can be downloaded for free on an iPhone running iOS 26.3 by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update, or initiating an update in the Settings app on the watch. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery and it needs to be placed on a charger.
According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 26.3 includes unspecified bug fixes and security updates, and there were no new outward-facing features discovered during the beta testing process.
Thursday September 17, 2026 1:34 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple released watchOS 27 on September 14, bringing a new Audio Intelligence feature set to its latest Apple Watch models, but as a result, owners of previous models are set to lose out doubly in the process.
Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models later this year will get Live Rewind, a feature that provides a transcript of any spoken audio that was picked up by the device in the last 15...
Monday September 14, 2026 10:03 am PDT by Juli Clover
Apple today released watchOS 27, the newest version of the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 27 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 9 and later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, and the Apple Watch SE 3.
watchOS 27 can be downloaded for free on a compatible device through the Settings app on the watch.
The update introduces support for Siri AI, a more capable...
Monday September 28, 2026 2:08 pm PDT by Eric Slivka
After releasing watchOS 27.0.1 for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 last week to address a bug that was causing devices to restart unexpectedly, Apple has now released the update for all eligible watches, which includes Series 9 and later.
Apple's release notes say only that the update "provides bug fixes for your Apple Watch" and the company does not list any security fixes,...
intiate the download from the apple watch app on my phone then turn off bluetooth on my phone
It should not matter too much but if you start the download over BT and then kill the BT it will switch to Wifi and try re-regulate the speed. It might just be cleaner to do the entire thing over wifi.
I doubt it makes too much difference over the download period but optically it will likely give you incorrect "... minutes remaining" estimates.
EDIT: Just don't forget to turn BT back on after the download has finished :D
You mean the actual download itself? Mine took <5 min, don't want to know what if would have been via the phone, but yes, preparing, verifying takes another 20-30 min and install is usually about 5 min. I usually plan on the whole process taking maybe an hour, which is fine with me. Slow, sure, but the computing power in the watch is limited.
Mine’s taking longer than both my iPhone and iPad.
You mean the actual download itself? Mine took <5 min, don't want to know what if would have been via the phone, but yes, preparing, verifying takes another 20-30 min and install is usually about 5 min. I usually plan on the whole process taking maybe an hour, which is fine with me. Slow, sure, but the computing power in the watch is limited.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
/https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/2603883/)
