Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of watchOS 9.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 9.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software update coming one week after launch of the third beta.

Apple watchOS 9 Feature
To install the watchOS 9.4 update, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center.

Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.4 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 has to be placed on the charger, and it will need to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌ it is paired with.

watchOS 9.4 gains support for new emoji characters that include donkey, goose, black bird, shaking head, hyacinth, pea pod, and more, with 31 new characters available in total.

Through iOS 16.4, the update adds support for Web Push notifications that are sent to an ‌iPhone‌, with the notifications able to be set up for a website that is added to the ‌iPhone‌'s Home Screen.

watchOS 9.4 will go through a few more rounds of beta testing, and it is expected to see a launch in the spring alongside iOS 16.4.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

williamkey123 Avatar
22 months ago
I wish they actually made a watch that shade of purple!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IIGS User Avatar
22 months ago

Apple makes a significant change for runners with watchOS 9.4 ... new this year in 9.0 was "Running Power" a complex algorithm that helps create a numerical value and graph that quantifies the effort you make while running while accounting for grade, wind and more. Basically the watch knows you are working harder running uphill or against the wind and gives you credit even if you are running slower, etc. It's a powerful way to train because you can workout to a given Power value and the number should equate to effort no matter if you are running on the flats, downhills or uphills if you just keep the number the same etc. The problem? Apple unlike competitors only created this value for RUNNING and just dropped the value to 0 if you began walking. The problem was twofold... 1) walking still takes effort and 2) many runners might walk portions such as during intervals, or when on a particular steep incline etc. This "0" Apple gave you skewed the effort value for the entire run as you can imagine. With 9.4 Apple fixes this and now begins giving appropriate Running Power effort values EVEN if walking, which makes it far better to understand the overall effort of a workout.
I wish I could run like I used to. I used to do two miles a day. I couldn't figure out why my aerobic capacity would never get better no matter how hard I pushed myself. I used to run myself almost stupid trying to get better. I often felt like a failure, or even lazy.

Then I was diagnosed with a defective mitral valve with severe regurgitation in my late 40's. They put a "clip" on it because I was too sick for open heart surgery at the time. It worked great at first, but its effectiveness has diminished with time and the clock is ticking on a full valve replacement. I'm not really comfortable with exercising the way I did in my 30's and 40's given my heart condition. My job can be physically stressful at times so I get a lot of exercise there. My cardiologist said he was amazed I never had a full blown heart attack doing what I do and exercising at the level I did. And none of the standard heart screens caught it. I had several that were job related over the years and passed every one. He also said I'm healthy enough for the standard robotic valve replacement surgery now. so this thing bought me time to get better.


Hopefully this fixes battery life on my Ultra. I averaged 51 hours with Sleep tracking on the last beta.
I'm generally happy with my Ultra. It's my favorite gadget right now. The altimeter is a bit buggy. The battery life isn't as good as I thought it would be, but it's pretty good. It was spendy, but I think it was worth the money over the regular watch. If you have a big enough wrist.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xDKP Avatar
22 months ago

It better fix the slow charging issue!!! I only bought a Series 7 because it supports fast charging.
Is there a slow charging bug? Haven’t noticed?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProfessionalFan Avatar
22 months ago

Hopefully this fixes battery life on my Ultra. I averaged 51 hours with Sleep tracking on the last beta.
How many hours should it average?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canyonblue737 Avatar
22 months ago
Apple makes a significant change for runners with watchOS 9.4 ... new this year in 9.0 was "Running Power" a complex algorithm that helps create a numerical value and graph that quantifies the effort you make while running while accounting for grade, wind and more. Basically the watch knows you are working harder running uphill or against the wind and gives you credit even if you are running slower, etc. It's a powerful way to train because you can workout to a given Power value and the number should equate to effort no matter if you are running on the flats, downhills or uphills if you just keep the number the same etc. The problem? Apple unlike competitors only created this value for RUNNING and just dropped the value to 0 if you began walking. The problem was twofold... 1) walking still takes effort and 2) many runners might walk portions such as during intervals, or when on a particular steep incline etc. This "0" Apple gave you skewed the effort value for the entire run as you can imagine. With 9.4 Apple fixes this and now begins giving appropriate Running Power effort values EVEN if walking, which makes it far better to understand the overall effort of a workout.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)