Apple

watchOS 11: What to Know Right Now

Published

3 mins ago

04/02/2024

Apple’s hard at work on a new watchOS 11 update for Apple Watch and today we want to give users an early look at what we know and what we expect.

As we push into 2024, we’ve heard quite a bit about iOS 18 for iPhone and a bit about macOS 15 for Mac. And now we’ve finally heard about Apple’s plans for watchOS 11.

Given the lack of information, we’ve received questions from family, friends, and readers about watchOS 11 and today we want to answer as many as we can.

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Using the leaked information and years of experience covering Apple software, we can put together an early look at what to expect from watchOS 11 and its release.

If you’ve owned an Apple Watch for a long time, you probably know some of this already. If you haven’t, or you’re looking to set your expectations, here’s what you need to know about the next Apple Watch operating system right now.

What Apple Watches Will Get watchOS 11?

This is the burning question on the minds of Apple Watch users because for some, it will determine if they upgrade to a new model this year or stick with what they got.

Apple will confirm a full list of watchOS 11 eligible Apple Watch models at WWDC 2024 in June. You can expect most, if not all, watchOS 10-powered models to get the upgrade.

Apple Watch models typically get left behind on older software after five to six years of software upgrades which means the Apple Watch 4 may get left behind on watchOS 10.

A report from French blog iPhoneSoft suggests this will be the case.

Below is a list of Apple Watch models that should get upgraded to watchOS 11:

watchOS 11 Eligible Apple Watch Models

Apple Watch Series 5
Apple Watch SE
Apple Watch Series 6
Apple Watch Series 7
Apple Watch Series 8
Apple Watch Series 9
Apple Watch Ultra
Apple Watch Ultra 2

You can also expect Apple’s new Apple Watch 10 and Apple Watch SE 3 to run watchOS 11 out of the box.

watchOS 11 Beta

Again, Apple will confirm watchOS 11 at WWDC 2024. The event starts on June 10th and stretches to June 14th.

The company typically pushes beta software to developers on the first day of WWDC which means you can expect the first watchOS 11 beta to roll out on June 10th.

Unless Apple changes how it handles things, there will be two versions of the watchOS 11 beta: A developer beta and a public beta for users registered in the Beta Software Program.

The developer beta usually arrives a few weeks before the public beta. Apple’s typically launches public betas in July so that’s what Apple Watch users should expect right now.

Another note: In order to use the watchOS 11 beta, iPhone users will need to download the iOS 18 beta.

watchOS 11 Release Date & Time

Apple’s watchOS 11 update will stretch over several months culminating with a final release in the fall.

We don’t know many versions of the beta the company will release, but we should see at least six versions of the beta before Apple pushes the final version of the beta, known as the Golden Master (GM).

Apple releases new watchOS operating systems in September alongside new iOS software for the iPhone. That’s what to expect from the watchOS 11 release date right now.

The company will likely confirm the precise date on stage during its fall event for the upcoming iPhone 16, Watch Series 10, and Watch SE 3.

As for a specific date, we expect new hardware to arrive on Friday, September 20th or Friday, September 27th. If this happens, you can expect watchOS 11 to roll out on September 16th/17th or September 23rd/24th.

watchOS 11 Features

We haven’t heard much about watchOS 11’s features. Most rumors have centered around iOS 18 and Apple’s plans for AI.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman believes iOS 18 will be a large upgrade for iPhone, but he doesn’t think watchOS 11 will be substantial.

He says Apple Watch users should expect a “fairly minor” update which means we won’t see a massive redesign. It’s also unclear if Apple’s AI features will reach the Apple Watch.

We should hear more about Apple’s plans in the months ahead so bookmark this page and check back for frequent updates.

9 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 16 & 8 Reasons Not To

Wait for Design Improvements

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After the iPhone 15 launched, users started complaining about overheating issues. Apple eventually fixed them with a software update, but it looks like the company might make some upgrades to the iPhone 16 to reduce overheating.

According to leaker Kosutami, Apple may introduce a new graphene thermal system on board the iPhone 16.

The leaker also says the company may also switch to a metal shell for the battery of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max to help prevent overheating issues.

The leaker has released an image that showcases the redesigned battery on a prototype. This is the first known image of an iPhone 16 Pro component.

The device in question currently features the rumored glossy metal shell and a 3355 mAh capacity battery. The iPhone 15 Pro has a 3274 mAh battery.

Bloomberg report Mark Gurman also believes the iPhone 16 will get a new capture button for shooting videos.

The Information says the button is mechanical, not capacitive, and it will respond to pressure and touch.

The site claims iPhone 16 users will be able to zoom the camera in and out by swiping left, and right, on the button. Users will also be able to activate video recording with a hard press and focus using a light press.

Leaker Instant Digital corroborates this and adds that a light press on the button will let users adjust the camera's focus.

CAD images from 91Mobiles show off what this button, and the overall iPhone 16 Pro design, could look like.

A report from MacRumors also outlines a potential design change to the base iPhone 16's design. Apple is apparently testing a slimmer camera bump with a pill-shaped design language.

We expect the iPhone 16 to look a lot like the iPhone 15, and the images appear to confirm this, but these changes would give the new models a bit of an edge over their predecessors.

There's also chatter about improved titanium technology on board the iPhone 16 Pro models.

The rumor suggests Apple plans to use a method that "improves the previous titanium processing and color processing" which could in turn lead to a more glossy material.