The Apple Watch might not have been the runaway retail hit that lots of people expected it to be, but that’s hardly a reason for Apple to go and make them all worthless, right? The company risked doing just that with its latest software patch, which is causing major headaches for many users. Anyone who updated their Apple Watch since Monday was at risk of a bricked wearable, according to Apple, which has pulled the update and is currently investigating the issue.
Apple Watch owners began reporting issues shortly after the watchOS 3.1.1 update rolled out on Monday. Affected users said their watches seized up, displaying a large red exclamation mark and a link to Apple’s online support page.
Unfortunately, it seems online support is of little help in this case, as the issue requires contacting AppleCare for a real fix. Many with bricked watches have suggested that taking the malfunctioning device to an Apple Store is the only way to actually correct the error.
In a statement, Apple noted that the issue didn’t affect everyone who downloaded the update, but merely “a very small number.” The company also reassured Watch owners that anyone who was able to successfully install update 3.1.1 without a problem is just fine, and no action needs to be taken.
That said, if you’ve already downloaded the update but have not yet installed it, it would be highly advisable to hold off until Apple rereleases the patch, hopefully with the software issue ironed out. The company has not yet offered a timeline on when that might be.
