Can't update your older Apple Watch? Apple may have just accidentally broken updates for it

Framtida Apple Watch- och iPhone-modeller kommer förmodligen att få ny skärmteknik. (Image credit: Shutterstock / DenPhotos)

Some older Apple Watch models have been unable to update properly
The problem means they may not be able to sync with your iPhone
It’s almost certainly a mistake by Apple and will hopefully be fixed soon

If you have an older Apple Watch and have noticed that it’s been unable to update properly, you might not be alone. According to info circulating on social media, Apple has mistakenly excluded many Apple Watch users from upgrading their devices to a more recent version of watchOS.

Specifically, the concerns center on the Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5 and first-generation SE models. For instance, X user @MasterMike88 claimed that if one of these Apple Watches is running a watchOS version prior to 10.6.1, it will not be able to update to that version.

This is a problem because it means that users of older Apple Watch models will not be able to get potentially important security and feature upgrades included in watchOS 10.6.1.

We’d always recommend ensuring your Watch is running the latest version of Apple’s software, but in this instance, it looks like that’s not possible. Hopefully Apple will push out a fix soon.

That syncing feeling

There’s another potential problem: an Apple Watch running an older version of watchOS 10 might not be able to pair with an iPhone if it is affected by this issue. If you can’t pair them, you won’t be able to sync data between the two devices.

It appears that this issue is only limited to Apple Watch models that can run watchOS 10 but not watchOS 11 – in other words, the Series 4, Series 5 and original SE editions that we mentioned earlier. More recent Apple Watches should be unaffected.

Back on X, @MasterMike88 believes that the problem stems from Apple changing the update requirements from CV (Compatibility Version) 22 to 24, which is normally associated with late versions of watchOS 11. Since the affected Watch models can’t run watchOS 11, they can’t install an update that they should have access to (that is, watchOS 10.6.1).

Because of that, we suspect that this is a mistake on Apple’s part rather than any deliberate plan, and that means it’s likely that Apple will fix this issue soon. If you’re affected, you’ll have to hang tight until Apple sorts this issue out.

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Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.