The Apple Watch is an incredibly popular smartwatch, so much so that Apple often claims it’s the world’s bestselling watch full stop. You’ll certainly have seen one clamped to the wrist of many people, and you may well be wearing one right now. Apple Watches provide a lot of function no matter which model you have, but after Apple’s latest Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event, it looks as though three popular Apple Watch models have been deemed end of life and will not get the next big free software update.
Apple showed off watchOS 11 at WWDC, introducing quite a few new features that will come later this year as a free upgrade for millions of Apple Watch owners. These include a new app called Vitals, which looks to bring more overview of your health data included the measurement of training load, something rival wearable band Whoop does very well.
“The new Vitals app surfaces key health metrics and context to help users make more informed day-to-day decisions, and the ability to measure training load offers a game-changing new experience when working out for improved fitness and performance,” Apple said of Vitals.
This aims to give you more personalised insight into how hard you’ve worked out and whether you’re well rested, rather than just giving you raw data.
The Translate app is also coming to Apple Watch, as well as the Check In feature so you can inform trusted contacts of when you arrive safely at your destination, and a slew of other improvements.
But it’s bad news if you have an Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, or the first-generation Apple Watch SE. These three models will not receive the free watchOS 11 update according to Apple, so will be forever stuck on watchOS 10. Apple tends to cut software support for its devices when it believes the hardware is too old to cope with flashy new software features, which appears to be the case here.
The Apple Watch Series 4 launched six years ago in 2018 alongside the iPhone XS and XR. It runs Apple’s S4 chip, while the Series 5 and original SE have the S5, but it seems that’s where Apple has drawn the line.
Don’t panic – this doesn’t mean your Apple Watch is suddenly obsolete if you happen to have one of these models. It could still get security updates in future and Apple will continue to offer repair support for it, but if you want to own a Watch with the very latest features you might want to think about upgrading.
Apple’s current Watch line-up consists of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Series 9 and the second-generation SE. All will run watchOS 11 when it comes out on any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which is the iPhone XS and XR onward. The other Watch models compatible with watchOS 11 as the Series 6 from 2020, as well as the discontinued. Series 7 and Series 8
