Good news for Apple Watch users: watchOS 8 is now available for download. tvOS 15 has also been officially released. Read here how to get the updates on your Apple Watch and Apple TV.
download watchOS 8
With the watchOS 8 update, your Apple Watch gets a number of nice features again. The latest version is now available for download and introduces all sorts of useful innovations. Think of the Focus mode, which makes your Watch less distracting. Also new is the Mindfulness app and the sleep tracker has been greatly improved.
Want to download watchOS 8? Then follow the steps below. Make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 15 first, otherwise you won’t be able to update your smartwatch.
- Connect your Apple Watch to the charger and ensure that the paired iPhone is and remains nearby;
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone;
- Tap ‘General’ and go to ‘Software Update’;
- Wait a while for the update to appear and follow the instructions on the screen.
As with other Apple Watch updates, it is important to charge your watch sufficiently. To update to watchOS 8, your Watch must be at least 50 percent full. In addition, we recommend backing up your Apple Watch beforehand so that you lose personal data if something goes wrong during the update.
These Apple Watch models support watchOS 8:
- Apple Watch Series 3
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7 (coming later this year)
download tvOS 15
An update is also available for tvOS, the operating system of the Apple TV. It is tvOS 15, which introduces a custom Control Panel and lets you listen to content with Spatial Audio with the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. With the new SharePlay it is possible to watch movies or series together during a FaceTime call, but this feature will only be released later this year.
Updating your Apple TV is simple and a snap. Simply follow these steps to get the latest version:
- On your Apple TV, go to Settings and choose ‘System’;
- Then tap on ‘Software update > Update software’;
- Your Apple TV will now search for tvOS 15. Follow the onscreen prompts to begin updating.
iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 also released
Major updates have also been released for the iPhone and iPad in the form of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. The latest versions introduce many improvements, including the Focus mode to bundle notifications.
FaceTime is also going to be overhauled, so you can now also make video calls with Android users. iPadOS 15 includes the same improvements, but also lets you place widgets anywhere on your home screen, for example.