Apple’s forthcoming watchOS 7 update for the Apple Watch range will drop support for Series 1 and Series 2 smartwatches.
In a somewhat surprising call, Apple says watchOS 7 will only run on the Apple Watch Series 3 and up, leaving older devices stuck on watchOS 6.
Until now, Apple had only dropped support for the original 2015 Apple Watch with all other models supported in watchOS 6. It’s particularly tough news for owners of the Series 2 device, which launched less than four years ago.
Related: Apple Watch Series 6
Now you’ll need a Series 3 or higher to access new watchOS 7 features like the long-awaited sleep tracking, new complications, watch face sharing, and big updates to health and fitness tracking. watchOS 7 is also getting all of the fancy new Apple Maps features from iOS 14.
The list of compatible watchOS 7 devices is as follows:
- Apple Watch Series 3
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5
With an Apple Watch Series 6 on the horizon, it’s clear that watchOS 7 will be the installed operating system out of the box too. watchOS 7 will launch this autumn for compatible devices, with developer previews out today.
The smartwatch operating system was accompanied by updates to iOS, macOS, tvOS and iPad OS during a busy WWDC 2020 conference, despite the lack of attendees this time around.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
