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watchOS 6 is the sixth major release of watchOS for the Apple Watch series developed and distributed by Apple Inc. It was announced at the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference alongside iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13 and macOS Catalina.

Product history[]

watchOS 6 is derived from iOS 13; both were announced on June 3, 2019 during the keynote address at WWDC 2019, when it became available to developers. It was released to the public on September 19, 2019.[2][3]

Supported models[]

Support for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2 was initially not included and came later with version 6.1 on October 29, 2019.[4]

Release history[]

Obsolete / unsupported   Discontinued   Current   Beta  
watchOS 6.x releases
watchOS
version
iOS version
based on
Build Release date Features

6.0

13.0

17R575

September 19, 2019 (2019-09-19)

Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 5.
Not released for Watch Series 1 and 2.
Dropped support for iPhone 5S and iPhone 6.

  • Cycle Tracking
    • New Cycle Tracking app for keeping your menstrual cycle and fertility metrics
    • Notifications predicting a person's next menstrual cycle and fertile window.
  • Noise
    • New Noise app for detecting decibel levels in your surroundings. (Series 4 or later only)
    • Notifications can be pushed when it detects that the noise in your surrounding is too high.
  • Voice Memos
    • New Voice Memos app for recording and listening to voice memos directly on Apple Watch
    • Synced across all your devices as well.
  • Audiobooks
    • Now you can sync up to 5 hours of audiobooks to your Apple Watch
    • Stream them when your Watch is connected via Wi-Fi or cellular
  • App store
    • New built-in App Store where you can find and download apps for your Watch.
    • Supports Sign in with Apple
  • Activity Trends
    • Activity Trends in Activity app which includes all three activity rings, stand minutes, walking distance, walking pace, running pace, and VO2 max.
    • These are compared with data averaged over the last 90 days to the wearer's performance over the last year.
    • Tips are given if a single trend is going down.
  • Workout
    • New elevation metrics for Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, and Hiking workouts (Series 2 or later only)
    • Stopwatch app can now be viewed on your watch face during workouts
    • GymKit support for True and Woodway
  • Siri
    • Now you can identify songs directly on your Watch -- with the ability to add identified songs to your Apple Music library
    • New Siri Web Search -- shows up to 5 online results with the ability to view optimized Web content.
    • Siri integration into the redesigned Find People app
  • Watch Faces
    • New Faces
      • Numerals Mono and Numerals Duo (Available in Arabic, Arabic Indic, Roman numerals, and Devanagari)
      • Meridian -- black or white dial which fills the screen and includes 4 complications (Series 4 or later only)
      • Gradient -- Design dynamically changes as time passes. Available in full screen or circular with 5 complications (Series 4 or later only)
      • California -- Supports multiple numeral styles in Roman, Arabic, and Devanagari in fullscreen or circular (Series 4 or later only)
      • Solar Dial -- Depicts the Sun's path in circular form across a 24-hour dial (Series 4 or later only)
      • Modular Compact -- With many complications and the option to choose between analog or digital time (Series 4 or later only)
    • Tap to speak on all watch faces, supports up to 30 languages
    • Receive and customize time-keeping chimes (An alert on the hour, every half hour or every 15 minutes, either with haptics or customizable chimes)
    • Now you can reorder your Watch faces directly on your Watch
    • New complications
      • Audiobooks
      • Calculator
      • Cellular connectivity
      • Cycle Tracking
      • Noise
      • Wind
      • Rain
      • Voice memos
    • New monochrome complications for Infograph and Infograph Modular faces
  • Miscellaneous
    • New Calculator app with the ability to calculate tips and split checks
    • Support for custom stations in the Podcasts app
    • Smart Guidance and spoken navigation in Maps
    • Redesigned Now Playing app with Apple TV Remote controls
    • Personalized music picks in the For You tab
    • Support for automatic software updates
    • Redesigned Walkie-Talkie app
    • Redesigned Find People app which allows you to add friends, set notifications, and change settings directly on your Watch
    • Redesigned Reminders app with shared lists, subtasks, and the ability to add new reminders
    • More settings for Accessibility, Workout, and Health

6.0.1

13.1

17R604/17R605

September 30, 2019 (2019-09-30)

Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.

Improvements and bug fixes

  • Resolves an issue where the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch faces do not speak time.
  • Addresses an issue where the calendar complication may not display events.
  • Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data.

6.1

13.2

17S84

October 29, 2019 (2019-10-29)

First version of watchOS 6.x to support Watch Series 1 and 2.

  • Support for AirPods Pro
  • Other improvements and bug fixes
  • Brings watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2

6.1.1

13.3

17S449

December 10, 2019 (2019-12-10)

  • Important security updates

6.1.2

13.3.1

17S796

January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)

  • Important security updates

6.1.3

17S811

February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)

  • Heart rhythm notification bug fix

6.2

13.4

17T529

March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)

  • Brings ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications to Chile, Turkey, and New Zealand
  • Brings in-app purchases to Apple Watch apps
  • Fixes music playback issues when switching from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth

6.2.1

13.4.1

17T530

April 8, 2020 (2020-04-08)

  • Fixes an issue that prevented FaceTime audio calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or Macs running OS X El Captain 10.11.6 and earlier from working

6.2.5

13.5

17T608

May 18, 2020 (2020-05-18)

  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Saudi Arabia
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Saudi Arabia

6.2.6

13.5.1

17T620

June 1, 2020 (2020-06-01)

  • Unspecified security updates

6.2.8

13.6

17U63

July 15, 2020 (2020-07-15)

Semi-final release supported on Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.

  • Adds support for digital car keys (CarKey) for Apple Watch Series 5 with compatible vehicles
  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa

References[]

  1. watchOS 6.2.8 (17U63), Apple Developer. 2020-07-15.
  2. Heather Kelly (June 3, 2019). Everything Apple announced at WWDC, from Apple sign-in to dark mode.
  3. watchOS 6 advances health and fitness capabilities for Apple Watch. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on June 6, 2019.
  4. watchOS 6. Apple Inc.. Retrieved on February 23, 2020.

External links[]

Articles[]

Spacer 100x100   Apple Watch
Apple Watch (original) · Series 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · SE (1st) · 6 · 7 · 8 · SE (2nd) · Ultra
  Apple Watch Edition  |  Apple Watch Hermes  |  Apple Watch Nike+  |  Apple Watch Sport
Apple Watch bands and cases · faces   |   watchOS: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9
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