In addition to a new version of iOS 17, Apple has also released the watchOS 10.6 update for the Apple Watch.
watchOS 10.6 is available
While we call watchOS 10.6 a major update, unfortunately the update brings with it a whole lot no innovations to your Apple Watch. But just like with iOS 17.6, the list of security holes that are fixed by the update is surprisingly long. watchOS 10.6 does make your Apple Watch a lot more secure and that is reason enough to update quickly.
Incidentally, watchOS 10.6 may be the last major update for two generations of Apple Watch. watchOS 11 is no longer compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 and Series 5. The first-generation Apple Watch SE has also been removed from the compatibility list. Whether Apple will continue to support these three Watch models for another year, as was the case with watchOS 8 and the Apple Watch Series 3, remains to be seen.
Apple officially sold the Apple Watch Series 3 until September 2022. Updates were still released for almost a year, until June 2023. The first-generation Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5 and SE have not been available in the Apple Store for several years, with the SE 1 last leaving the range in September 2022. From this perspective, Apple has little reason to provide these models with an update to watchOS 11.
Installing the update
If you have a more recent Apple Watch, you can easily install watchOS 10.6 directly. Make sure that your Apple Watch is charged to at least 50 percent and is also connected to the charger, otherwise you will receive a message that the installation has been interrupted.
To start the update to watchOS 10.6, open the Watch app on your iPhone. From there, tap General, then Software Update. When the update is finished preparing, tap Install.
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