When will my Apple Watch get watchOS 11? Here’s everything we know

By Christine Romero-Chan Updated September 16, 2024

If you have an Apple Watch, you need to be ready for watchOS 11  Apple’s next big software update for its smartwatches. Though watchOS 11 doesn’t have Apple Intelligence, it still has a ton of new features, including more customization for Activity Rings, overnight vitals, training load tracking, and much more.

But when will you be able to check out watchOS 11? Here’s everything you need to know about the watchOS 11 release date.

The wait is over: watchOS 11 is finally here, with the release date having been confirmed at the Apple event that also brought us the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 10. The latest update for your Apple Watch is now available to absolutely everyone, and is no longer reliant on signing up for a beta. Yes, anyone with an applicable Apple Watch can now experience everything Apple has to offer in the latest version of its wearable OS.

It’s been a long road to get here, and a familiar one for those who’ve tasted of the waters of developer and public betas before. First, watchOS 11 was released as a developer beta shortly after the WWDC 2024 keynote in June. This beta was followed by a number of updates until it was finally taken away from developers alone, and released as the watchOS 11 public beta on July 16, 2024. As ever with public betas, this release was more stable than the developer beta, but still had its share of bugs. It was meant to show the public a taste of what’s to come and to provide feedback to Apple in order to shape the final release of watchOS 11.

But betas are notoriously fickle things, and come with plenty of bugs, issues, and ways to brick your watch or render it incapable of receiving aid from Apple. Thankfully, you don’t need to play with one any more, as watchOS 11 is now out for general release.

But none of this matters if your Apple Watch can’t run the newest update. Apple is generally quite generous where updates for older models are concerned, but whether it is where the Apple Watch is concerned is a question you’ll have to answer for yourself. The cutoff line for Apple Watches to receive the new watchOS update is … the Apple Watch Series 6. That means any Apple Watches older than September 2020 will not be receiving watchOS 11. That’s a real shame if you’re still using your older Apple Watch and it’s purring away nicely. But hey, if you’re happy to live without the latest software, then you can still get a few more years out of it. Otherwise, check out our list of the best Apple Watch deals to browse upgrades.

Curious if your Apple Watch made the cutoff? We have a full list of upgradable models in our watchOS 11 compatibility article.