5 Things to Know About the watchOS 10.3 Update [u]

Apple’s pushed its new watchOS 10.3 update to Apple Watch users.

Like watchOS 10.2, watchOS 10.3 is a milestone upgrade, the third for the company’s watchOS 10 operating system. As such, it brings a new feature and fixes to compatible Apple Watch models.

It’s an important upgrade and most Apple Watch owners should install the update today.

In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about the watchOS 10.3 update for Apple Watch.

Our walkthrough goes over the software’s changes, provides some thoughts about its performance, and takes a look at some of the issues impacting the software.

We’ll start with some quick thoughts about watchOS 10.3’s performance.

watchOS 10.3 Review

Our quick review will provide Apple Watch users with a look at the software’s performance in key areas like battery life, connectivity, and speed.

If your Apple Watch is currently running watchOS 10.2, you’ll see a fairly small download. If you’re moving up from watchOS 9, or a much older version of watchOS 10, the download will be larger.

As for the installation, it took around eight minutes to get the software up and running on an Apple Watch 4.

We’ve been using watchOS 10.3 on an Apple Watch 4 for several days now and here’s what we’ve discovered thus far:

watchOS 10.3 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable, we haven’t noticed into any abnormal drain
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is working normally
• GPS is also working properly

App Performance

• Third-party apps including All Trails, ESPN, Spotify, and JetBlue are all working fine
• First party apps like Podcasts are also running well

Speed

• watchOS 10.3 feels fast and we haven’t noticed abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If you’re dealing with bugs and/or performance issues on watchOS 10.2, or an older version of watchOS, you might want to install the watchOS 10.3 update today.

watchOS 10.3 Problems

We haven’t run into any bugs or performance issues yet, but some Apple Watch users have.

We’ve heard about installation issues, problems with notifications, GPS issues, Bluetooth issues, problems with first and third-party applications, UI lag, abnormal battery drain and pairing issues.

For more about watchOS 10 problems and how to fix them, head over to our guide.

watchOS 10.3 Features

Apple’s milestone updates (watchOS x.x) typically bring a mix new features, enhancements, and fixes to Apple Watch devices. And that’s precisely what watchOS 10.3 brings to compatible Apple Watch models.

Here are Apple’s official release notes for the firmware:

• watchOS 10.3 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including new Unity Bloom watch face to honor Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month.

watchOS 10.3 also brings important security upgrades to Apple Watch devices, 12 in total, and you can learn more about those patches over on the company’s security site.

watchOS 10 Downgrade

Many Apple Watch owners already know this, but if you’re a new user, or you’ve simply forgotten, here’s a PSA.

Unlike iOS, iPadOS, and macOS software, you can’t downgrade watchOS software to an older version if you run into trouble.

Because of this, you’ll want to approach the watchOS 10.3 update with a sense of caution. If you’re having a good experience on your device’s current version of watchOS, make sure you read reviews before you tap install.

What’s Next

Apple’s confirmed a new watchOS 10.4 update and the software is currently in beta testing. We expect the software to roll out to Apple Watch users in March.

watchOS 10.4 will bring new features and fixes to Apple Watch. Among them, new emoji characters to use in the Messages app and others.

Install iOS 17.4.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 17.4.1 update right away. The iOS 17.4.1 update includes two security patches. These patches will help keep your device and its data protected from harm. And that makes iOS 17.4.1 an important upgrade. If you missed iOS 17.4 and older software, you'll get the security patches from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 17.4.1. iOS 17.4 had four security patches on board.  The update also delivered quantum security protection for iMessage. The company says the upgrade gives iMessage "the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world."  The iOS 17.3 update brought 15 new security patches to iPhone. The software also added Stolen Device Protection to iPhone. It increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID to gain access to passwords, make purchases in Safari, and more. This is useful if someone gets access to your iPhone and its passcode.  iOS 17.2 delivered 10 new security patches to iPhone. If you wish to find out more, you can head on over to Apple's security site for the details. iOS 17.2 also included iMessage Contact Key Verification which improves the security of iMessage. The company also fixed an exploit that let the Flipper Zero multi-tool lock up iPhones. iOS 17.1.2 had two security patches on board. Both were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more, you can do so right here. iOS 17.1 brought 18 security fixes to iPhone. It addressed issues within Weather, Status Bar, WebKit, and more.  iOS 17.0.3 brought two patches for two security issues Apple identified within the software. If you want to read about the patches, head here. iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website. As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple.  In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages. It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them. There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks. Apple's also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.  The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves. If you skipped older versions of iOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.4.1 update as well.

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