Apple has been working on the next update for its Apple Watch lineup for quite some time, seeding developer builds of watchOS 6.1 for weeks now. After the wait, the public launch is finally here.
Apple has officially released watchOS 6.1 to the public. As is par for the course, the new software is a free upgrade for supported Apple Watch devices. It is available to download and install now.
To install the new software, you have to make sure of a few things: first, the Apple Watch must have at least 50% of battery life remaining. It must be connected to its charger. It must also be paired and within range of the iPhone. Once the requirements have been met you’ll be able to download and install the update.
As far as what’s new, the pickings are slim. Apple does add support for the brand new AirPods Pro with watchOS 6.1, though. The new software does bring watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2, as well. The original Apple Watch, or Series 0, is not eligible for this upgrade – support for that watch ended with watchOS 4.3.2.
While watchOS 6 brought with it plenty of noteworthy new additions, watchOS 6.1 is designed specifically to patch any lingering bugs in the software, and boost general performance for the smartwatch lineup.
However, in the unlikely event that Apple does add any new features to the mix, we will update this post accordingly.
watchOS 6.1 is available now.