Apple Seeds watchOS 26.1 Beta to Developers [Download]

Apple has seeded the first beta of watchOS 26.1 to developers for testing. The release comes just over a week after the public launch of watchOS 26. The build number for this beta is 23S5002i.

It is unclear what's new in this first point update, though it likely contains bug fixes and performance improvements following the major software release.

watchOS 26 was a major update, introducing a new design with 'Liquid Glass,' an AI-powered 'Workout Buddy,' and smarter proactive assistance through Smart Stack hints. You can find a complete list of changes in the official watchOS 26 release notes.


For devices running watchOS 9.5 or later, from your iPhone go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and choose the Developer beta to install this software. Before testing your software on your device, make sure to enable Developer Mode in Settings > Privacy & Security.

To update to the latest beta version of watchOS, use the Watch app on iPhone to update the software.

Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for updates on any new features found in this beta.