Apple Seeds watchOS 9.1 Release Candidate to Developers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds watchOS 9.1 Release Candidate to Developers

by

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of watchOS 9.1 update to developers ahead of an expected public release on Monday, October 24 alongside iOS 16.1. The new beta comes one week after Apple released the fifth watchOS 9.1 beta.

watchOS 9 Feature
To install ‌watchOS 9.1, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.1‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌.

Apple's release notes for the update are as follows:

This update includes improvements for your
Apple Watch.

- Battery life extended during Outdoor Walking, Running, and Hiking Workouts with the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra
- Music can download while Apple Watch is off charger using Wi-Fi or cellular
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

This update also includes bug fixes for your Apple Watch.

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

Popular Stories

General visionOS watchOS and tvOS Betas Feature Redux

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

Monday June 15, 2026 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the second betas of upcoming watchOS 26.6, tvOS 26.6, and visionOS 26.6 betas for testing purposes. The software comes three weeks after Apple seeded the first 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 • 6 comments
f 5d631a2d7714517b0b0137e38aadf744d175cb3e

Apple Releases First iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Betas to Developers

Monday June 8, 2026 11:40 am PDT by
Following the WWDC 2026 keynote event, Apple has seeded the first betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 to developers for testing purposes. Registered developers can opt in to betas and download the software through the Settings app on each device. The software includes many of the new features that were shown off earlier today, though some of what...
Read Full Article • 107 comments
Apple Watch Series 9 Pink Aluminum Feature

watchOS 27 Drops Support for Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra 1, SE 2, and Older

Monday June 8, 2026 11:37 am PDT by
Apple today confirmed that watchOS 27 will not support the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra (first generation), or Apple Watch SE (second generation), effectively drawing a line at devices equipped with the S9 or S10 chip. The only Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27 are the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and SE 3. The cuts are the biggest...
Read Full Article • 523 comments

Top Rated Comments

dadiy Avatar
dadiy
49 months ago
Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E
ediks
49 months ago

GPS probably because the fact that the new watches (8 / Ultra / SE) only use their own gps chip instead of the iPhone gps chip.
the older watches also use their own gps when the iphone is not nearby... + series 8 is literally series 7 with a new name
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
Westside guy
49 months ago

Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Because Apple wants the "6 & 7 people" to buy a new watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
T
t0rqx
49 months ago

Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Probably because the Series 8 is the only capable doing this with the stunning new gen S8 chip. /s

They have done this with all of their products lately (Stage Manager). But with the other products it takes new chips to increase performance/features. Apparently decreasing features/performance ALSO takes new gen chips.

This money sucking strategy is off the f charts.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MaxSto Avatar
MaxSto
49 months ago

Apple Watch 6 has its own gps.

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP826?locale=en_GB
Yes, like every other Apple Watch.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MaxSto Avatar
MaxSto
49 months ago

the older watches also use their own gps when the iphone is not nearby... + series 8 is literally series 7 with a new name
Yep, but ONLY when the phone is not nearby.
The „new“ watches use it exclusively.
Perhaps that’s the reason.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments