How to download watchOS 10.1 for your Apple Watch now

How-to
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It's that time of year again, a new watchOS is here.

watchOS 10
(Image credit: Apple)
iOS 17.1:

A grid of iPhones running iOS 17

(Image credit: Apple)

- Compatibility: iPhone XR and later
- How to download and install iOS 17.1
- How to make iOS 17.1 Contact Posters
- How to use StandBy on iOS 17.1
- How to leave a FaceTime video message on iOS 17.1

watchOS 10, the software update that launched alongside the brand new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 has been pretty excellent but not without its flaws. To make up for this watchOS 10.1 is focused on bug fixes and quality-of-life changes. 

If you've been hit by some strange weather complications or just want to further customize your watch, you will want to update to the very latest software. Along with the new watches, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro handsets now work well with watches thanks to improvements made in iOS 17 .

If you're looking to update your watch to watchOS 10.1, here's how to download and install it right now. 

How to download and install iOS 17.1

How to download watchOS 10.1 to your Apple Watch

watchOS features on Apple Watch

(Image credit: Apple)

Getting the latest version of watchOS on your Apple Watch is incredibly simple. You just need your iPhone and your Apple Watch close to hand.  

  • First you need to open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone
  • Click My Watch
  • Next, go to General > Software Update
  • If an update is available (which it should be!), tap on Download and Install

The Apple Watch just evolved

Apple Watch face with Smart Stack

(Image credit: Apple)

Everything about watchOS 10.1 is itereating on watchOS 10 which was a fantastic redesign and a huge update to watchOS 9. In fact, it might be one of the biggest upgrades we've ever seen to Apple's watchOS generally. 

What's so different? Well, the new changes to the way we interact with our Apple Watch with watchOS 10 are very exciting for owners because Apple has decided to incorporate widgets into the way we use the device to make for a more streamlined and interactive experience.

The new approach to the design of watchOS has a focus on what the company is calling 'Smart Stack'. The feature is accessible from the Digital Crown and serves up more glanceable information when you look at your Apple Watch. The 'Smart Stack' is made up of small versions of your apps and widgets, like News, Weather, and Health. Tap on any of these and you're taken to the app itself where there are more new design elements to explore.

To find out more, read our watchOS 10.1 guide.

John-Anthony Disotto
John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.