- Apple released the first ever public beta for Apple Watch on Monday, giving every Apple Watch Series 3, 4, and 5 user the ability to test watchOS 7 weeks before launch.
- In order to get the watchOS 7 public beta, you need to have the iOS 14 public beta on your iPhone.
- watchOS 7 adds sleep tracking, new workouts, new watch faces, and directions for cycling in Maps.
We’ve been writing about developer and public betas on iPhone and iPad for years, but on Monday, Apple rolled out the first watchOS public beta for Apple Watch owners. Before now, Apple Watch users with developer accounts were the only people who were able to test the latest software for Apple’s smartwatch ahead of its public release, but now anyone with an Apple Watch can check out the new features and fixes early.
Before we tell you how to install the watchOS 7 public beta, there are two things you should know. First, there is no way to downgrade back to watchOS 6 once you install the beta, so be prepared to live with unfinished software until the full release this fall. Second, you need to have the iOS 14 public beta installed on your iPhone in order to get the watchOS beta — here are the instructions for that. With that out of the way, we can begin.
After you upgrade to the iOS 14 public beta on your iPhone, follow these steps to get the watchOS 7 public beta:
- Visit the Apple Beta Software Program website on your iPhone and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Tap on the arrow at the top of the page next to “Apple Beta Software Program” and then tap on “Enroll Your Devices” in the menu that appears.
- Tap on the watchOS tab, then scroll down and click on the “Download profile” button.
- Once you download the profile for the watchOS 7 public beta, you can activate it by going to Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management and tapping “Install.”
- If you have automatic updates enabled on your Apple Watch, you should get a notification from the Watch app on your iPhone that the public beta is available. If not, you can check for the update manually by opening the Watch app and going to My Watch > General > Software Update and tapping “Download and Install.”
watchOS 7 brings a ton of new features to Apple’s popular smartwatch, including a new Sleep app with sleep tracking, multiple new watch faces, four new workouts on the renamed Fitness app (Dance, Functional Strength Training, Core Training, and Cooldown), directions for cycling in Maps, and automatic handwashing detection.
watchOS 7 is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3, Apple Watch Series 4, and Apple Watch Series 5, and you need to have an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 in order to install the software and use it on your watch.
