watchOS 10.5 Takes Another Step Toward Release

Apple’s watchOS 10.5 update for Apple Watch took another step toward its final release this week.

Apple recently released the fourth version of the watchOS 10.5 beta. The new version arrived just a week after the company pushed the third beta to testers.

In order to download the watchOS 10.5 beta, testers need to open the Watch app and head into the Software Update section in Settings. From there, make sure one of the options under “Beta Updates” is toggled on.

Apple Watch users need an Apple ID linked with a registered account to download and install the watchOS 10.5 beta.

The arrival of the fourth watchOS 10.5 beta means the software is almost ready for widespread consumption. We haven’t noticed any major differences between the third and fourth beta which is a sign the final release should be close.

Apple hasn’t confirmed a release date, but watchOS 10.5 should arrive in May alongside iOS 17.5 for iPhone and a slew of other software upgrades.

Apple plans to announce new hardware at its “Let Loose” special event on May 7th and we expect some of the new software to tie-in with these announcements.

watchOS 10.5 is a milestone upgrade, but it appears it’s one in name only as testers haven’t discovered any Apple Watch-centric features.

And given how close we are to the final release, that’s not expected to change. That being said, Apple Watch users can count on bug fixes and security issues for lingering issues discovered within the operating system.

Once Apple releases watchOS 10.5, we expect the company to put watchOS 10.6 into beta testing ahead of the company’s watchOS 11 reveal in June at WWDC 24.