- Apple is currently testing watchOS 11.4 and has released the final beta – the release candidate – prior to the public launch
- The update includes a new option to allow Wake Up Alarms to break through silent mode
- It means you'll be able to hear your audible watch alarm even when your device is in Silent Mode
All the best Apple Watch models will get an upgrade when watchOS 11.4 rolls out, likely in early April, and the final beta has revealed a major upgrade to the Wake Up Alarm function we've been waiting years for.
With the release of the new software, Apple Watch users will soon be able to select an option that lets their alarm break through silent mode.
The setting toggle, spotted by 9to5Mac, will ensure that users wearing their watch for sleep tracking and as a friendly morning alarm will be able to hear the audible chime of the Apple Watch alarm, even if they've left their Watch in Silent Mode.
It's a feature so simple, yet so vital, that it begs the question why it wasn't added years ago.
Don't sleep on this Apple Watch upgrade
As a tenured Apple Watch user, I'm one of many who only ever uses their watch in Silent Mode.
While Haptic feedback and notifications on your wrist can be helpful, the noise your Apple Watch makes when it gets an alert in loud mode is extremely annoying.
It's why Silent Mode is one of the 5 settings I change right out of the box every time I get a new Apple Watch, and I know I'm not the only one.
As mentioned, the upshot for sleep tracking – until now – is that you can only feel the haptic vibration of your watch alarm, not the audible sound, unless you're happy toggling Silent Mode on your Watch every night before you go to bed.
The haptic wakeup option is perfect if you don't want to wake up anyone else in the house, but watchOS 11.4's tweak is a much-needed upgrade for those who want to hear their Apple Watch's alarm without having to toggle silent mode every night.
Other watchOS 11.4 upgrades include support for controlling Matter-compatible robot vacuums directly from your wrist, as well as the usual slew of bug fixes and tweaks. With the release candidate now out in the wild, we'd expect the full watchOS 11.4 release to land in early April.
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