Apple Releases Fourth Beta of New watchOS 5 Operating System to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the third beta and more than a month after introducing the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 5 beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchos5roundup
To update, the Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 5 software that still has bugs to be worked out.

watchOS 5 is a major update to watchOS, introducing Activity Competitions so you can compete on workouts with friends, Walkie-Talkie with push-to-talk functionality for quickly communicating with the people you talk to most, and auto workout detection to make it easier to start and stop workouts if you forget.

Other new features include an improved Siri watch face with support for third-party apps through Siri Shortcuts, a dedicated Apple Podcasts app, new Workout types that include Yoga and Hiking, new features for runners, WebKit support for viewing some web content on Apple Watch, and enhanced notifications, which will make notifications on the Apple Watch interactive.

Early software betas often introduce new functionality, so we'll update this post if anything new is found in the fourth beta of watchOS 5.

watchOS 5 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers (because there's no way to downgrade Apple Watch software), so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.

The watchOS 5 update runs on all Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch models, but it is not available for the first-generation "Series 0" Apple Watch models.

What's new in beta 4: The Walkie-Talkie icon on the Apple Watch face is no longer persistent. It will now be displayed briefly when lifting your wrist before fading away. Walkie-Talkie also appears to obey your Do Not Disturb settings, so other Walkie-Talkie users are not able to contact you when Do Not Disturb is turned on.

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

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Top Rated Comments

centauratlas Avatar
88 months ago
Hopefully iCloud message syncing will be added to watchOS 5 at some point. Or they add a feature like the "clear all notifications" option for messages.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Natesac Avatar
88 months ago
For those with contact sync issues. Try editing or adding a contact. Fixed it for me. For now...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mmomega Avatar
88 months ago
Does anyone else think.... there has got to be a way to speed up the updating of an Apple Watch?

Like by the time I get the update finished, there's a new update.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Type4O Avatar
88 months ago
Does anyone else think.... there has got to be a way to speed up the updating of an Apple Watch?

Like by the time I get the update finished, there's a new update.
I know, mine keeps switching between 1-2 hours to download to watch.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HarryT Avatar
88 months ago
I’m really hoping this fixes my watch. Since the last beta it’s not tracked any activity as well as the other reported bugs like contacts not syncing etc.

It’s been a pretty much dead weight since the last beta.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dan9700 Avatar
88 months ago
Hopefully iCloud message syncing will be added to watchOS 5 at some point. Or they add a feature like the "clear all notifications" option for messages.
I wish
[doublepost=1531851382][/doublepost]Still sync issue doesn't come up with names also walkie talkie has vanished since beta 3 and 4 still isnt there is it just me or is others got it
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)