Apple Watches Shipping to Customers Confirmed to Have Covered Diagnostic Port

Early Apple Watch models were found to have a hidden diagnostic port used to allow Apple engineers to diagnose problems with the devices, but reports at the time were unsure if the feature would be included in models shipping out to consumers. Apple Watches have now arrived in Australia, giving us our first opportunity to further investigate the diagnostic port.

diagnosticport1
MacRumors reader MrLaforge has received his Space Gray Apple Watch Sport and has taken high-quality pictures of the casing, giving us a look at what appears to be the diagnostic port hidden underneath a cover. The port's cover looks a lot like the SIM card slot on an iPhone 6, and it appears that it might open in a similar way, giving Apple employees a way to run diagnostics on the Apple Watch when it's brought in for service.

diagnosticport
The same covered diagnostic port was also present in Apple Watches provided to media sites for Apple Watch reviews earlier this month. At Apple Stores, devices on display have the same ports, but they remain uncovered, presumably to make it easier for employees to continually monitor and adjust settings on the devices.

A report from TechCrunch has speculated that this diagnostic port could also potentially be used for smart band accessories in the future, but it is unclear if that is something that Apple is planning on introducing.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

iPhone Foldable Display Said to Feature iPad-Style 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Friday March 28, 2025 3:44 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming "iPhone Fold" will feature a foldable screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, according to a Chinese leaker who previously leaked the book-style device's display dimensions. The Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station claims that Apple will adopt a "roughly" 4:3 aspect ratio on the inner display in order to achieve consistency between the outer display, as well as to ensure parity...

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
130 months ago
The watch has as many ports as the new MacBook.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrLaforge Avatar
130 months ago
Bad office lighting, and it's been mauled by half the office.

The finish is clean, just not showing in this photo.

Sim Tray is super tiny, even the tiniest pin I could find won't fit in the eject hole..
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brian Y Avatar
130 months ago
Looking at that up-close photo, I'm glad I changed from space grey to silver. That finish looks terrible.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Locoboof Avatar
130 months ago
Port,no port..... Just deliver mine tomorrow!!! :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrLaforge Avatar
130 months ago
I want an answer as well

Pure luck.

Ordered at 4:31pm ACST via the App Store App here in Adelaide, Australia.

Confirmed at 4:33pm ACST in Email

I didn't do any more or any less than anyone else.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PowerBook-G5 Avatar
130 months ago
Diagnostics are accessed only through the iPhone paired with watch. Edition is the only watch which can have diagnostics run on watch only. The stores have received a grey device that locks into the strap slot with pins that go into the slot when uncovered.

Source? What makes the Edition so much different that it and only it can be used with this "grey device"?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)