Each watchOS update can be an ordeal if for some reason the Apple Watch does not update properly and you experience problems or failures during the process. That is why in this article we expose the possible causes, as well as we propose a series of solutions with which to put an end to these tedious failures once and for all so that you can enjoy all the software news on your watch.
First of all, do you have a compatible Apple Watch?
It is possible that you have read or heard that a new version of watchOS has been released and yet no update appears to you . This may be because your watch is no longer compatible with this new version. Here is a list of all Apple smartwatches and their compatible software versions:
- Apple Watch (original): up to watchOS 5.3.9
- Apple Watch Series 1: up to watchOS 6.3
- Apple Watch Series 2: up to watchOS 6.3
- Apple Watch Series 3 – Keeps Updating (watchOS 7 and later)
- Apple Watch Series 4: Keeping Upgrading (watchOS 7 and Later)
- Apple Watch Series 5 – Keeps Updating (watchOS 7 and later)
- Apple Watch Series 6 – Keeps Updating (watchOS 7 and later)
- Apple Watch SE – Keeps Updating (watchOS 7 and Later)
Check the internet connection
Any software update requires an internet connection, preferably via WiFi, since the data is downloaded from Apple’s servers and for this you must connect your device to them. Therefore, it is essential that you make sure that you have an internet connection on both your iPhone and your Apple Watch. We also recommend doing a speed test with which to check the quality of the signal that your iPhone is receiving, since if you have low speed it is understandable that the download can be very slow and even not appear.
Is the iPhone Watch close?
Although the watchOS update will be installed on the watch itself, what is the download as such is done from the iPhone. That is why it is essential that both the Apple Watch and the mobile are close enough to be connected to each other via Bluetooth .
Put the Apple Watch to charge
Another aspect to take into account and that has more to do with the installation than with the download, is that the Apple Watch must be connected to the current and with 50% or more battery to be able to install any update. It will not matter if your watch has a 100% battery percentage during installation, since the system will prevent it from updating until it detects that it is charging.
Servers could be down
It is possible that when you are downloading a new version of watchOS there are a multitude of users around the world trying to perform the same process. This usually happens in the hours after a new release. In these cases it is understandable that the servers become somewhat collapsed and that the download slows down and even a fault appears on the screen. Our advice in these cases is that you be patient until the update is ready or, if you do not want to be pending, leave the download for another moment. Surely after a few hours everything has normalized and you can download the software faster. Also keep in mind that there are heavier versions than usual that also require a longer download time.
Try updating it in various ways
Maybe you already knew and have tried it, but there are two ways to update your Apple Watch. There are times when inexplicable failures appear to download software with one of the two methods, so we recommend trying to do it using the other. These are the two that exist:
From Apple Watch
- Open Settings.
- Go to General.
- Click on “Software update”.
- Wait for the update to appear and proceed to download it.
From the iPhone
- Open the Watch app on the iPhone.
- Go to the “My Watch” tab.
- Click on General.
- Now go to “Software update”.
- Wait a few seconds for the update to appear and download it.
If the watchOS download is very slow
There is a trick that although it is not something miraculous either, it does speed up downloads considerably . To do this, you must download the watchOS update from the iPhone, following the method that we explained just in the previous point. Once it is downloading you must put the “Airplane Mode” on the iPhone, leaving only the WiFi connection activated. Occasionally a message will pop up warning you that you must activate Bluetooth, but it is not necessary during the download process and if you ignore it you will see that not only is the software downloading, but that it is doing so faster than normal. .
