Apple Seeds Third WatchOS 2 Beta to Developers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Third WatchOS 2 Beta to Developers

by

Apple-Watch-Midnight-Blue-250x299Apple today seeded the third watchOS 2 beta to developers, just over two weeks after seeding the second watchOS 2 beta and a month after announcing the new operating system update at its Worldwide Developers Conference.

watchOS 2 requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update.

watchOS 2 is the first major update to the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The new software brings many new features that Apple Watch developers can take advantage of, including native apps that run on the Apple Watch itself instead of the iPhone. It also allows developers to access the Taptic Engine and a number of other sensors in the Apple Watch, including the heart rate monitor, the microphone, and the accelerometer.

Along with these features for developers, which will lead to much more complex and full-featured third-party Apple Watch apps, the update introduces new watch faces (photo albums and time-lapse), third-party Complications, Time Travel for viewing upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

watchOS 2 is currently only available to registered developers who have also installed iOS 9 on their iPhones. Apple plans to release the software to the public in the fall.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

3 4 24 Sport Band Refresh Feature

Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Watch Series 12 Could Introduce Sensor in Band

Friday July 3, 2026 8:54 am PDT by
The Apple Watch Series 12 could ship with a new health sensor built directly into one of its bands, according to a sketchy rumor from a known leaker. The leaker known as "Kosutami" says the sensor will be injection-molded into a silicone band, and only a silicone band, apparently because Apple has not yet solved how to embed similar hardware in bands made from other materials. No detail was...
Read Full Article • 49 comments
watchos 27

Siri AI Comes to Apple Watch in watchOS 27 Beta 3

Monday July 6, 2026 1:24 pm PDT by
With watchOS 27 beta 3, Apple added support for Siri AI and the Siri app, so Apple Watch users can now use the features right from their wrist. Apple said Siri AI would be coming to the watch back when watchOS 27 was first introduced, but the feature wasn't live until now. The Dynamic App Grid that pops up when the Digital Crown is pressed displays the Siri app in the center, and the...
Read Full Article • 83 comments
Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black

Apple Watch Series 13 Rumored to Mark the End of an Era

Wednesday July 8, 2026 1:29 pm PDT by
While the Apple Watch Series 12 is still a few months away, a new rumor suggests that next year's Apple Watch Series 13 will mark the end of an era. According to a recent post from a known leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the Apple Watch will be receiving a major redesign next year, and this will apparently include a new way of attaching bands to the watch. As a result, the ...
Read Full Article

Top Rated Comments

B
bemaniac
144 months ago
So if you go to a doctor and he/she misdiagnoses you, would you say that the quality of medical care has matured because we know more diseases now, hence it's OK to be misdiagnosed?

Apple has > $400 billion in their pockets. There is no excuse for rookie mistakes like that. They can hire all the talent in the world if they wanted to, to make sure major mistakes don't happen, yet major mistakes continue to happen.
Yes, but never in the history of the universe has anyone expected a BETA to be polished software. This is why it's not available to the general public. It's not even a public beta yet. The purpose for THESE beta builds are so that DEVELOPERS (like me) can start building apps for the new SDKs and report bugs to Apple. They're not for a bunch of whiney early adopter users to complain about Apple's software quality.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NotSafeForWork Avatar
NotSafeForWork
144 months ago
I think I'll bite the bullet and install beta 3 on my Watch. The previous 2 betas were apparently really bad but...I'll give it a shot because why not.
Regret coming in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Suckfest 9001
144 months ago
I suggest that we agree to disagree... it seems that everyone is so focused on using my statement in relation to the betas alone, not accounting previous public releases, that it makes no sense to argue.
Well you did post it in a beta thread...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Suckfest 9001
144 months ago
So if you go to a doctor and he/she misdiagnoses you, would you say that the quality of medical care has matured because we know more diseases now, hence it's OK to be misdiagnosed?

Apple has > $400 billion in their pockets. There is no excuse for rookie mistakes like that. They can hire all the talent in the world if they wanted to, to make sure major mistakes don't happen, yet major mistakes continue to happen.
It's a beta. It's not supposed to be nor expected to be stable. If you're seriously going to whinge about beta software behaving like beta software, then I really don't know what to tell you.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iNosey
144 months ago
So if you go to a doctor and he/she misdiagnoses you, would you say that the quality of medical care has matured because we know more diseases now, hence it's OK to be misdiagnosed?

Apple has > $400 billion in their pockets. There is no excuse for rookie mistakes like that. They can hire all the talent in the world if they wanted to, to make sure major mistakes don't happen, yet major mistakes continue to happen.
Like I said, you go build one and we'll see.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I
iNosey
144 months ago
Same issue here...
On the "bright" side, iOS9 beta 3 broke a lot of things that were just fine in beta 2... quality of Apple software has decreased so much in the recent years, it's disappointing :(
Ugh, I can't stand it when people say that. It hasn't decreased... Its just that as you get into more lines of code, the more bugs will appear. It's the whole point of a BETA. For you to test it and tell them the bugs. You try making a Mobile OS and I guarantee you there will be bugs, if you can even do it at all. So no, the quality of their software hasn't decreased, it's just matured. In all essence, I like iOS 8. It's one of the most updates they've ever had. And that's because of the betas and the feedback. And iOS 9 will be even better. So will watchOS 2. That's why they specifically say not to install on a device that is used daily. If you're gonna complain, go get a new iPhone and new AppleWatch and install that stuff on there. It's not a big deal.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors