Apple Seeds Second Beta of watchOS 8.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.6 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming two weeks after the release of the first beta.

watchOS 8 on Apple Watch feature
To install ‌‌‌watchOS 8‌‌‌.6, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌‌‌watchOS 8.6 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌.

We don't yet know what's included in the watchOS 8.6 update, and no new features have been discovered in the beta so far.

Related Roundup: watchOS 11
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 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. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...

Top Rated Comments

twocents Avatar
39 months ago

Apparently the first watchOS version shipped with the original Apple Watch was based on iOS 8.2 or something so they didn’t reuse that version number to avoid confusion. I forget exactly, but yeah I just looked it up and watchOS 1.0 was indeed based on iOS 8.2 so it’s probably something along those lines.

Kind of a fun, random, and interesting Apple fact. ;):apple:
Nice catch! Watch has really matured since those days..
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tridley68 Avatar
39 months ago
This is the most updates for an iOS that I have ever seen.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sorgo † Avatar
39 months ago

Whatever happened to watchOS 8.2?


Apparently the first watchOS version shipped with the original Apple Watch was based on iOS 8.2 or something so they didn’t reuse that version number to avoid confusion. I forget exactly, but yeah I just looked it up and watchOS 1.0 was indeed based on iOS 8.2 so it’s probably something along those lines.

Kind of a fun, random, and interesting Apple fact. ;):apple:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Davelfc Avatar
39 months ago
Rather than this ridiculous rush to bring out a new version of the operating system, just provide updates and improvements each month. What we end up with is an ok operating system that has taken almost a year to iron out issues, then being replaced with a new one with a load more bugs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutmac Avatar
39 months ago
Whatever happened to watchOS 8.2?



Attachment Image
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sir_Macs_A_Lot Avatar
39 months ago
I'm having the hardest time pairing an Apple Watch Series 1 to an iPhone 11. Apple is no help. They've moved on to bigger and better things. :oops:
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)