Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 10.5 to Developers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds First Beta of watchOS 10.5 to Developers

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming watchOS 10.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a month after the release of watchOS 10.4.

Apple Watch Faces watchOS 10 Feature Blue
To install the ‌watchOS 10.5 update, developers need to open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under "General" in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.

Once beta updates have been activated, watchOS 10.5 can be downloaded under the same Software Update section. To install software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life and it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger.

We don't yet know what's included in watchOS 10.5, but should anything new be found, we'll update this article.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black Touch ID

Apple Watch Series 12 and watchOS 27: What to Expect Later This Year

Friday May 8, 2026 2:07 pm PDT by
While not too much has been reported about the next Apple Watch models, there are a few rumors about potential design changes and watchOS 27 features. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are expected to be released in September, and we have outlined some of the key rumored hardware and software changes below. A new Apple Watch SE is not expected this year, as that model was...
ios 26 5 luminance colors 2

A Closer Look at watchOS 26.5's New Luminance Watch Face

Friday May 8, 2026 3:38 pm PDT by
With watchOS 26.5, Apple is introducing a Pride Luminance face, and it's one of the most versatile and customizable watch faces. There are pre-configured color options, but the face also supports custom colors. You can select 1 to 12 colors from a palette that has every color of the rainbow, some in-between shades, and black, white, brown, and gray. The colors you pick are distributed...
watchos 26 gradient light

Apple Releases watchOS 26.5 With New Pride Luminance Watch Face

Monday May 11, 2026 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 26.5, the fifth major update to the watchOS 26 operating system that came out in September. watchOS 26.5 comes a month and a half after Apple released watchOS 26.4. watchOS 26.5 can be downloaded for free on an iPhone running iOS 26.5 by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update, or initiating an update in the Settings app on the...

Top Rated Comments

29 months ago

You're using a watch that:

* was released 5 years ago;
* discontinued 4 years ago;
* runs both a slower processor (Cortex-A53, 1590MHz v. Apple 'Thunder', 1800MHz);
* and less capable RAM (LPDDR3 v. LPDDR4x);
* was last in line for WatchOS 9 support;
* again last in line for WatchOS 10 support, despite it being the most significant overhaul of the OS since its introduction;

And your first instinct is that this must be because Apple wants more money from you.

Okay, sure.
I am planning an upgrade and recycling the watch at Apple...

But

It ran Watch OS 9 perfectly... including runtime... is it really that bad to voice that one of the last updates it gets, actually cripples it somewhat. After 5 years of perfect performance, and a battery that is in remarkably good shape (85%)

Are we really at a point where we can't expect a smart watch to last 5 years? Apple still actually offer battery service on this model!

Think about the environmentals on this? Most consumers expect watches to last... and Apple could have said, you know what, watch OS 10 runs like dog @£%$ on series 4... lets release it only for series 5 and above.

So you dismiss sereies 4, but Apple must know there is a significant number of series 4 about... as they still developed the OS for it... and series 4 and the few models above it dont actually have much in difference in terms of performance.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baking soda Avatar
29 months ago

You're using a watch that:

* was released 5 years ago;
* discontinued 4 years ago;
* runs both a slower processor (Cortex-A53, 1590MHz v. Apple 'Thunder', 1800MHz);
* and less capable RAM (LPDDR3 v. LPDDR4x);
* was last in line for WatchOS 9 support;
* again last in line for WatchOS 10 support, despite it being the most significant overhaul of the OS since its introduction;

And your first instinct is that this must be because Apple wants more money from you.

Okay, sure.
I'm using a Series 7 and performance still sucks. And I bet even a Series 9 would suck. It's the OS and software that is terribly optimized, it's got little to do with the horsepower of the device itself.
Source: AW user since 2018
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago

Since there seem to be no new functions, I assume the release's focus was primarily on its snappishness.
Hopefully it fixes the bugs causing fast battery drain. Terribly annoying.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago
Remember when Apple joked about bringing topographical maps to the watch. :D
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago

The bugs often drain the battery.... they get inside and unplug it at the bottom..... then all the battery drains out.

Thats why bugs often cause battery drain issues... I think they like the electrolyte. The sooner we switch over to solid state electrolyte the better... Id like to see them drain those batteries.
Fuzzy Wuzzy, quite a bear,
With a look of puzzled flair.
Played all day with his ball,
Lying naked in the hall.
Not so sharp, but still our dear, fuzzy friend.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
29 months ago

Hopefully it fixes the bugs causing fast battery drain. Terribly annoying.
The bugs often drain the battery.... they get inside and unplug it at the bottom..... then all the battery drains out.

Thats why bugs often cause battery drain issues... I think they like the electrolyte. The sooner we switch over to solid state electrolyte the better... Id like to see them drain those batteries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)