watchOS 11 was announced at WWDC 2024. While the latest software won’t launch officially until later this year, you can get your hands on the beta now — although we don’t recommend it for everyone.
watchOS 11 compatible Apple Watch models
To install the watchOS 11 developer beta on your Apple Watch, you must have one of the following Apple Watch models:
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Ultra
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE WATCHOS 11 BETA
To install watchOS 11 developer beta on Apple Watch, you’ll need to:
- Ensure your Apple Watch has at least a 50 percent of battery power.
- Ensure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.
- Keep your iPhone next to your Apple Watch to make sure they’re in range.
- Make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS 18 beta.
Here’s how to install watchOS 11 beta on your Apple Watch:
- Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
- Tap My Watch.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap Beta updates.
- Choose watchOS 11 Developer Beta.
- If prompted for your iPhone passcode or Apple Watch passcode, enter the passcode.
- Wait for the Apple logo and progress bar to appear. When the update is done, your Apple Watch will restart.
Final Thoughts
Whether we’re talking about phone or watches, beta updates can be full of bugs in unlikely places. They’re primarily for developers and early adopters, and there are processes in place for reporting bugs and improve your iOS and watchOS experiences. See Apple’s Beta Software Program site for more details.
watchOS 11 is going to be a significant update, so if it does take a long time to install, don’t worry, this is normal. Likewise with the iOS 18 beta software. However, after this lengthy process is complete, you’ll gain access to all of the new features on watchOS 11 and iOS 18 earlier than anyone else.
As the official launch in September draws nearer, you can expect to see fewer bugs as things get ironed out. We have no idea exactly what sort of bugs you can expect to see – but that’s part of the ‘fun’ of beta testing.
If you are set on downloading Apple’s beta software across all platforms, then you might also be interested in how to download the macOS Sequoia beta on your Mac.