Apple Pulls watchOS 5 Beta 1 From Developer Portal After Reports of Bricked Devices

[MacRumors]

Apple appears to have temporarily pulled the first watchOS 5 beta from its website after some users reported cases of the software bricking Apple Watch devices.

Several users on the MacRumors forums and over on Reddit have expressed problems trying to get the software onto their devices, with freezes reportedly occurring during the installation phase, particularly on Apple Watch Series 2 models.

Apple has obviously deemed the issues to be sufficiently widespread for it to take action. As such, developers accessing Apple's beta software download portal are currently unable to get a download link and are instead met with the following message:

Seed 1 of watchOS 5 is temporarily unavailable. We are investigating an issue that occurs while updating. If you've experienced any issues, please contact AppleCare.

Both the watchOS 5 configuration file and the over-the-air update have been removed, and right now it's unclear when they will return.

As is often the case, initial software beta releases can be susceptible to bugs and issues which only reveal themselves during device propagation. We'll update this article when Apple fixes the problem and makes a revised version of the beta available once more.

Article Link: Apple Pulls watchOS 5 Beta 1 From Developer Portal After Reports of Bricked Devices

 

[pelowj]

Yep, bricked my S2. Being picked up today for repair.

 

[justperry]

Cue the comments, see Apple's software is still buggy*.


* It's a Developer release, it might contain bugs like this one.

 

[44267547]

Glad they pulled it early on. Also, Macrumors, it seems the beta is affecting more Series 2 users based off readings, perhaps indicate this in the article.

 

[Candlelight]

Apple software is still buggy!

 

[stoney05]

I was super nervous during the update. My watch stayed on the last “tick” for about 15 minutes, and when it finally completed I was stuck in boot loop.

Eventually I force reset it and it booted normally. Guess I got lucky.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Apple software is still buggy!

It's a beta.

 

[Candlelight]

It's a beta.

I was teasing the guy above me.

 

[Futhark]

I thought it had bricked mine. Mine froze on the install circle for a few hours then I had to reboot the watch by holding in both buttons. It did a few reboots and then stayed on the white Apple logo for ages then it started. Thought I was going to have to take it in for repair.

 

[justperry]

I was teasing the guy above me.

You forgot the but I got the joke.

 

[profets]

It’s unfortunate that with the watch we can’t restore when something like this happens (as we can with iOS devices).

 

[pelowj]

It's a Developer release, it might contain bugs like this one.

Of course, but it's a bit different when it's on a platform that doesn't allow the [developer] user to plug in and reload the operating system themselves. This means that every single person affected by this has to send the device back to Apple.

 

[macintoshmac]

This is why Public Betas are usually released late. So that we do not have an epidemic-level issue before us.

 

[Donga120]

I was super nervous during the update. My watch stayed on the last “tick” for about 15 minutes, and when it finally completed I was stuck in boot loop.

Eventually I force reset it and it booted normally. Guess I got lucky.

Yep. Mine kept getting stuck on the syncing like scenaria, I rebooted 2-3 times and eventually it worked. Took about 12 hours total lol

 

[TiggrToo]

Of course, but it's a bit different when it's on a platform that doesn't allow the [developer] user to plug in and reload the operating system themselves. This means that every single person affected by this has to send the device back to Apple.

If only it were just developers affected by this issue. Except, let's face it, way too many everyday people here grabbed this first beta, dropping it on their only Apple Watches that they otherwise rely on and are now *!*%ing bricks because their watch is now hosed.

Patience is a lost virtue in technology it seems.

 

[friednoodles]

Anyone who isn't a developer with a separate device for testing is taking a huge risk by installing a watchOS beta. It's crazy to me that non-developers are installing these developer betas on their watches. The fact that there are never public betas of watchOS should be enough to dissuade people, but apparently not.

 

[MrGimper]

Of course, but it's a bit different when it's on a platform that doesn't allow the [developer] user to plug in and reload the operating system themselves. This means that every single person affected by this has to send the device back to Apple.

Which is an inconvenience, but shouldn't affect your day-to-day device as you wouldn't run this on a device you couldn't afford to miss for a few days.

I tried to update my S2 several times... rebooting, removing and re-adding the dev profile, un-pairing and re-pairing. Just rebooted halfway thru the update and was still on the old version. Glad it didn't work now!

 

[justperry]

Of course, but it's a bit different when it's on a platform that doesn't allow the [developer] user to plug in and reload the operating system themselves. This means that every single person affected by this has to send the device back to Apple.

True/might be true, seems some get it to work after a reset, if that isn't the case then yes, you have to send it in.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I was teasing the guy above me.

My bad, it's sometimes difficult for me to figure out who's being sarcastic over text

 

[alexgowers]

It’s a beta. Crashes are normal and expected, and I would not call a device bricked unless there was no fix or rescue available. This is not bricking.

 

[Naraxus]

It's a beta. There's bound to be issues. That's why you always put beta software on something OTHER than your primary device.

 

[MrGimper]

It’s a beta. Crashes are normal and expected, and I would not call a device bricked unless there was no fix or rescue available. This is not bricking.

Agreed .... bricking tends to be when you make unauthorised changes, such as rooting/jailbreaking, or custom firmware on a 3DS etc, which void warranties. With this, you just send the device away and it gets fixed.

 

[HiRez]

Thanks to all you poor suckers pioneering trailblazers who test!

 

[pelowj]

It’s a beta. Crashes are normal and expected, and I would not call a device bricked unless there was no fix or rescue available. This is not bricking.

Rubbish. A device is bricked when the device ceases to function and the user can take no action at home to remedy the problem. Being able to send the bricked device halfway around the world to Apple so that they can fix it with hardware and software not publicly available does not make the device any less bricked.

True/might be true, seems some get it to work after a reset, if that isn't the case then yes, you have to send it in.

Some people have had other problems. My problem is the watch displays a red exclamation mark. The only remedy is to send it back into Apple.

-Jp

 

[dan9700]

worked fine for me, using it now