5 Things to Know About the watchOS 10.4 Update

Apple’s pushed its new watchOS 10.4 update to Apple Watch users.

watchOS 10.4 is a milestone upgrade, the fourth for the company’s watchOS 10 operating system. It brings a mix of new features, enhancements, and fixes to compatible Apple Watch models.

It’s an important upgrade and most Apple Watch owners should install the update today, or at some point in the near future.

In this guide we’ll cover everything you need to know about the watchOS 10.4 update for Apple Watch.

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

We’ll start with some quick thoughts about watchOS 10.4’s performance.

watchOS 10.4 Review

This 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 10.3.1, you’ll see a fairly small download. If you’re moving your device up from watchOS 9, or a much older version of watchOS 10, the download will be larger.

The installation took around eight minutes on an Apple Watch 4.

We’ve been using watchOS 10.4 on an Apple Watch 4 for several days now and performance is holding up quite well in key areas like battery life and speed.

watchOS 10.4 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 10.4 feels fast and we haven’t noticed abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If you’re dealing with bugs and/or performance issues on watchOS 10.3.1, or an older version of watchOS, you might want to install the watchOS 10.4 update right now.

watchOS 10.4 Problems

We haven’t run into any bugs or performance issues during our time with the software, but some Apple Watch users are struggling after the upgrade.

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 10.4 Features

Apple’s milestone updates (watchOS x.x) typically bring a mix new features, enhancements, and fixes to Apple Watch devices. That’s what watchOS 10.4 brings to the table.

The software delivers new emoji characters including a lime and a phoenix.

Apple’s also added a new setting that lets Vision Pro users disable the Double Tap feature on the Apple Watch. The company did this because Double Tap gestures can be enabled accidentally when using the Vision Pro.

watchOS 10.4 also ushers in 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.”

Here are the update’s release notes:

New Features

• Tap to Show Full Notification setting now allows you to double tap to expand the notification
• Using Apple Pay with Confirm with AssistiveTouch will require a passcode for additional security and will not support double clicking the side button

Bug Fixes

• Resolves an issue that causes some users to experience false touches on the display
• Fixes an issue that prevents contacts from syncing to Apple Watch for some users

watchOS 10.4 also has security patches on board and you can learn more about those changes over on Apple’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 your 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 10.4 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 install the software.

What’s Next

watchOS 10.4 was the last confirmed upgrade in Apple’s pipeline, but we expect Apple to push a new version of watchOS 10 into beta testing sooner rather than later.

There’s a good chance watchOS 10.5 will enter beta later this month, culminating in a release in either April or May.

Don’t be surprised if we see a watchOS 10.4.1 update bridge the gap between the two milestone releases.

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 security patches, but Apple hasn't revealed them yet. It's probably waiting until it releases additional software for Mac and other devices.  The update's patches will help keep your device and its data protected from harm. And that makes it 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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