Apple’s WWDC keynote brought reveals of the company’s major new software versions, including watchOS 27 for Apple Watch, which was released just now in developer beta.
If you’re excited to try out the latest Apple Watch features following today’s WWDC reveals, the first watchOS 27 beta is available now.
Apple has just released its first watchOS 27 developer beta, while the public beta won’t debut until July.
To install watchOS 27 beta 1, you need to first have iOS 27 beta 1 installed on your iPhone.
After your iPhone is running the new beta software, you can open the Watch app and go to General ⇾ Software Update ⇾ Beta Updates to select the watchOS 27 beta.
Additionally, watchOS 27 has strict hardware requirements: it’s limited to Apple Watch Series 10 and newer.
Apple’s first betas of major new OS versions tend to be its least stable software releases. That means installing the watchOS 27 beta could introduce major new bugs, performance issues, battery drain, and more for your Apple Watch.
As such, Apple does not recommend installing the new software on your primary device, but rather one dedicated to testing and development.
That said, we’re hoping the lack of a major software redesign this year means Apple’s OS 27 betas will be a little more stable than iOS 26 and its companion updates were in 2025.
Check out our WWDC News Hub for all the latest announcements from Apple.
Have you installed watchOS 27 beta 1 on your Apple Watch? How’s it running for you? Let us know in the comments.
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Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.
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