watchOS 3 Preview

Video walkthrough: everything fixed in watchOS 3 beta 3

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

Our iOS 10 Preview series detailed more than two dozen new features and refinements spotted in iOS 10 beta 3, which was seeded to Apple's registered developers yesterday. Today, we take a closer look at a dozen or so fixes that were added in the third beta of watchOS 3 (build number “14S5290d”), resolving various issues with Apple Watch features that developers reported in prior betas. No new features have been found in watchOS 3 beta 3 yet.

Video walkthrough: Emergency SOS, Activity Sharing & more in watchOS 3 beta 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 25, 2023

A second beta of watchOS 3 released last week alongside iOS 10 beta 2, macOS Sierra beta 2 and tvOS 10 beta 2. Having posted our video walkthroughs and detailed overviews of what's new in iOS 10 beta 2 and macOS Sierra beta 2, my colleague Andrew and I now get to take a closer look at everything new in watchOS 3 beta 2.

watchOS 3 beta 2 is not as feature-packed a release as the second beta of iOS 10, but still includes some major new features not found in prior betas, like Auto Unlock, Emergency SOS and Activity Sharing. We also detail a few smaller, useful enhancements in the stock Activity and Workout apps and some related new options added to the companion Watch app on the iPhone.

watchOS 3 preview: new watch faces on your wrist & Face Gallery on iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 29, 2016

After telling you about the improved performance and more intuitive navigation in the Apple Watch software, our watchOS 3 Preview series continues with an overview of three new watch faces that have been added to watchOS 3 and a brand new Face Gallery feature found in the companion Watch app on iOS 10.

watchOS 3 also lets you launch more apps from faces like Workout, Music and Messages.

And as a cherry on top, you can now use complications on faces that previously didn't support them, like Photo, Motion and Timelapse.

watchOS 3 preview: faster performance, instant app launching & simplified navigation

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 8, 2024

watchOS 3 is a creative destruction of the Apple Watch's operating system and an admission that Apple's first attempt was all wrong. With significantly improved performance, simplified navigation and the ability to launch your favorite apps almost instantly, watchOS 3 does a lot of things right.