Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 8.1 to Developers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 8.1 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 8.1 beta to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming just a day after watchOS 8 was released to the public.

watchOS 8 on Apple Watch feature
To install ‌‌watchOS 8‌‌, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌‌watchOS 8‌‌ 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. It's not recommended to install ‌‌watchOS 8‌‌ on a main Apple Watch as the software may be unstable at this early date.

There's no word yet on what's new in watchOS 8.1, but we'll update this article when we know more.

Related Roundups: watchOS 26, watchOS 27
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Second watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday June 15, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes three weeks after Apple seeded the first betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...
f 5d631a2d7714517b0b0137e38aadf744d175cb3e

Apple Releases First iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Betas to Developers

Monday June 8, 2026 11:40 am PDT by
Following the WWDC 2026 keynote event, Apple has seeded the first betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 to developers for testing purposes. Registered developers can opt in to betas and download the software through the Settings app on each device. The software includes many of the new features that were shown off earlier today, though some of what...
Apple Watch Series 9 Pink Aluminum Feature

watchOS 27 Drops Support for Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra 1, SE 2, and Older

Monday June 8, 2026 11:37 am PDT by
Apple today confirmed that watchOS 27 will not support the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra (first generation), or Apple Watch SE (second generation), effectively drawing a line at devices equipped with the S9 or S10 chip. The only Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27 are the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and SE 3. The cuts are the biggest...

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors