Apple Releases watchOS 8.7 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Releases watchOS 8.7 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

by

Apple today released watchOS 8.7, the sixth major update to the watchOS 8 operating system that launched in September 2021. watchOS 8.6 comes around two months after the launch of watchOS 8.6, an update that expanded ECG functionality to Mexico.

Apple watchOS 8 feature 2
watchOS ‌8.7 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

According to Apple's release notes, there are no new prominent features in watchOS 8.7. Instead, the software focuses on under-the-hood "improvements," along with bug fixes and important security updates.

Related Roundups: watchOS 26, watchOS 27
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

watchos 27

Apple Seeds watchOS 27 Beta 2 to Developers

Tuesday June 23, 2026 11:18 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second beta of watchOS 27 to developers, with the update coming two weeks after the launch of the first beta. The beta can be downloaded through the Watch app on the iPhone with a free developer account. The Apple Watch will need to be on the charger, connected to Wi-Fi, and have a battery level of 50 percent or above for new software to be installed. The beta is...
Read Full Article • 65 comments
General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

Apple Releases Third watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6 and visionOS 26.6 Betas

Monday June 29, 2026 10:08 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the third betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes two weeks after Apple seeded the second betas. The software updates are available through the Settings app on each device, and because these are developer betas, a free developer account is required. There's no word on what's in the...
Read Full Article • 1 comments
watchos 27

Apple Seeds New watchOS 27 Beta for Apple Watch Ultra 3

Thursday June 25, 2026 12:16 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded a new beta of watchOS 27 for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, with the update coming over two weeks after the launch of the first beta. This beta is only available for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, which did not get the second beta update that came out earlier this week. The beta can be downloaded through the Watch app on the iPhone with a free developer account. The Apple Watch will...
Read Full Article • 21 comments

Top Rated Comments

B
Baretta
52 months ago

Problem is, if the watch runs out of power because you didn’t charge it enough before the update, it will brick the watch. So, charger is needed. Because some people are stupid and others make mistakes.
So how about a 80+% battery check
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dk001 Avatar
dk001
52 months ago
Wish Apple would do away with having to utilize the charger to update.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
thadoggfather
52 months ago
Apple should released an ultra violet Watch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
CarAnalogy
52 months ago

Apple should released an ultra violet Watch.
Is that watch in the picture a real color? That one would be a hit I’d think.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spartan1967 Avatar
spartan1967
52 months ago

Wish Apple would do away with having to utilize the charger to update.
Definitely a prominent new feature that is needed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Toratek Avatar
Toratek
52 months ago

Updated earlier this afternoon. I hope the Hand Washing notification is now fixed up. It was pretty glitchy and random.
I don’t need a watch to tell me to use reasonable hygiene- and contact COVID was debunked quite a while ago.


So how about a 80+% battery check

I have a few different smart watches. The AW is the only one that has to be connected to its charger.

True but I can update my other devices off the charger if they have greater than 50% battery. My watch was at about 90% today when the update came out. Charger anyway.

They already have the requirement for it to be at greater than 50%, in addition to being on the charger. Only possible reason to require both is if there’s a watch model out there for which processing the update would eat up a large percentage of battery despite being on the charger.

I assume there’s a good reason for it but it seems a little overly cautious.
All of you have reasonable points. I can only assume this is the requirement because they are taking a “belt and suspenders” approach, because the consequences of a power problem while updating are so unfixable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments