Apple’s major software update for the Apple Watch has now launched– watchOS 11. As you’d expect, watchOS 11 will work best with the latest Apple Watches, and it’ll come pre-installed on the new Series 10. But a whole bunch of older Apple Watches will also get the free software update – stretching back a few years.
Will your current Apple Watch get the watchOS 11 update? Here’s our guide to the watchOS 11 system requirements.
Will my Apple Watch get watchOS 11?
This time around, watchOS 11 will run on most of the same devices that can run watchOS 10, but with some notable exceptions. The next major software update for Apple’s smartwatch will ditch support for the Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and original SE.
Last year’s watchOS 10 update ran on all of the same devices as the previous version, which finally dropped support for the Series 3. After a year’s gap, another Apple Watch is going to bite the dust when it comes to software support. Keep in mind, the Series 4 is now almost 6 years old and the Series 5 almost 5 years old, so both have had plenty of software support.
The earliest Apple Watch on the list for compatibility is now the Series 6, which is fairly impressive considering a lot of other smartwatches only offer three years of updates.
Here’s a full list of the devices compatible with watchOS 11:
- Apple Watch Series 10 (upcoming)
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Ultra
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch SE 2
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 6
The new software debuted at Apple’s WWDC 2024 developers conference in June and after a beta period is now rolling out to everyone.