Apple just announced a pair of gold finishes for the Apple Watch; new wristbands in a line of fall colors; new bands from the fashion house Hermes; and that watchOS 2 will ship Sept. 16.
Developers have been showing the Apple Watch some extra love lately. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Though there aren’t any specific numbers on Apple Watch units sold up until this point, we do have some exciting statistics on how many apps are available for watchOS. It turns out that ahead of the watchOS 2 public release, developers have shown significant interest in the platform. They’ve contributed an impressive 11,469 Watch apps to the App Store and counting, but growth has particularly taken off in recent months.
Apple has released a new set of betas for the mobile operating systems it announced at WWDC 2015 in June. iOS 9 beta 4 and watchOS 2.0 beta 4 are now available to registered developers, nearly two weeks after Apple seeded the previous betas.
watchOS 2.0 is bringing native apps to your wrist Photo: Apple
The third big beta update for Apple Watch is here.
Two week after Apple released the second watchOS 2.0 beta, the third beta version of the Apple Watch operating system is now ready for developers to install through the Apple Dev Center.
The second big beta update for Apple Watch is already here.
Two week after Apple revealed the first watchOS 2.0 beta, the second beta version of the Apple Watch operating system is now available to developers in the Apple Dev Center.
watchOS 12/26 will apparently work with your old Apple Watch. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple reportedly does not plan to drop support for any older Apple Watch models with watchOS 12 (or watchOS 26). A leaker indicates the upcoming watchOS release will support Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models — the same as watchOS 11.
Apple discontinued support for several older Apple Watch models with the release of watchOS 11 in 2024
What's in store for the next version of watchOS? A big name change might be just the start. Image: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
There’s less than a week to go until WWDC, the annual developer fest where Apple takes the wraps off its latest OS releases. While the rumor mill has mostly focused on iPhone this year, there’s plenty for Apple Watch fans to look forward to.
Rumor has it that the next big watch update — possibly dubbed “watchOS 26,” in line with Apple’s rumored naming convention shakeup — will get a fresh new user interface, Apple Intelligence, conversation transcriptions and a smart AI coach that delivers tailored health and fitness advice.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and take a closer look at what’s in store for Apple Watch.
watchOS 12 might feature a glassy design. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Apple’s upcoming iOS 19 design overhaul will extend to Apple Watch, Apple TV and even the Vision Pro headset that inspired the glossy refresh, according to a new report. This will help the company deliver a more consistent experience across all its devices.
“tvOS and watchOS will both be redesigned to match their more popular siblings [iOS, macOS and iPadOS], while visionOS will get some adjustments — in cases where the changes make sense for a headset,” wrote Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman in Sunday’s Power On newsletter. “While iOS 7 in 2013 was the biggest-ever visual change to the iPhone’s software, the latest overhaul will be much more widely felt.”
Double-tapping index finger and thumb will open a surprising amount of watch functionality. Photo: Apple
The release of the watchOS 10.1 beta to developers on Wednesday brings the cool new “double tap” gesture that allows one-handed use of Apple Watch in certain cases (though it can’t be enabled yet).
In other words, it’s a way to operate the wearable without touching its screen. And once iOS 10.1 arrives in October, Apple Watch Series 9 and second-gen Apple Watch Ultra users can try it. However, even folks with older Apple Watches can try a version of it right now.