WatchOS 11.1 beta retracted after reports of bricked Apple Watch devices

Be careful about installing beta software on your Apple Watch.
 By 
Alex Perry
 on 
Apple Watch Series 9 on a man's wrist
It's a beta version of the WatchOS, and betas are known to have a few quirks. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Some Apple Watch users claimed that they had their devices ruined by the latest beta release.

At least, that's the word on sites like Reddit, as spotted by Neowin. After installing the third beta for watchOS 11.1, some users found that their devices would freeze up not long after being turned on with the update installed. Common fixes like restarting the devices don't seem to work, either. Apple has since pulled the update so it's no longer available for download.

If this happened to you, unfortunately, the only thing you can really do is send the device to Apple for repairs. As Neowin pointed out, Apple Watches don't allow users to revert back to old software after an update.


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This is obviously a bummer for anyone who suffered a bricked Apple Watch, but it's a good reminder to be very careful about installing pre-release software onto your personal devices. Apple recently had to do something similar after an iPadOS update bricked some tablets.

journalist alex perry looking at a smartphone
Alex Perry
Tech Reporter

Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.

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