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Apple today released watchOS 9.5.1, a minor bug fix update designed for the Apple Watch. watchOS 9.5.1 is a free download that comes two weeks after the launch of watchOS 9.5.

watchOS-9-header.jpg

watchOS 9.5.1 can be downloaded for free through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by opening it up and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌.

According to Apple's release notes for the update, it includes "improvements and bug fixes" for the Apple Watch, with no details on which bugs have been addressed.

Article Link: Apple Releases watchOS 9.5.1 With Bug Fixes
 

t0rqx

macrumors 68000
Nov 27, 2021
1,680
4,027
Hope it improves the battery life on the Ultra. Battery was fantastic at launch, then got killed by updates.
Common practise for forced upgrades. Every update slows down the device to a point where a user gets triggered to upgrade. If the upgrade curve does not go as planned, they introduce updates that remove, decrease or distort hardware functionality. (Airpods Max ANC, iPhone camera improvements on last gen iPhones and green tint lcd on devices. Just to bame a few.
 

jdavid_rp

macrumors 6502
Feb 25, 2020
296
894
Common practise for forced upgrades. Every update slows down the device to a point where a user gets triggered to upgrade. If the upgrade curve does not go as planned, they introduce updates that remove, decrease or distort hardware functionality. (Airpods Max ANC, iPhone camera improvements on last gen iPhones and green tint lcd on devices. Just to bame a few.
Okay, then what they want us to upgrade to when there is no new AirPods Max yet?
 

terrapinjess

macrumors regular
Sep 11, 2012
135
270
incoming-2911B300-46BC-43EF-88C0-F9E3250637FD.png
For f sake… please make it so that the watch hands stop covering up the complications. The hand should go opaque or something… or just let me shut off the watch hands. I can’t be the only one who like digital time. How stupid is it that I can’t even see how much time is left on my timer in the attached example.
Yes, I reported this to Apple multiple times.
/rant
 

ss2cire

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2008
341
463
Earth?
My one request for the new WatchOS software, make it so you don't need the charger to update. How are we on the Ultra Watch and we have these antiquated charging rules?

Just wait, the Apple Car will require the same. Must be at least 50% charged and on the charger.

My guess is that this helps to protect the watch from being bricked when updating. I'm thinking 25% would be ok but, again it's probably to make sure the watch doesn't get bricked.
 

CarAnalogy

macrumors 601
Jun 9, 2021
4,751
8,656
View attachment 2209809 For f sake… please make it so that the watch hands stop covering up the complications. The hand should go opaque or something… or just let me shut off the watch hands. I can’t be the only one who like digital time. How stupid is it that I can’t even see how much time is left on my timer in the attached example.
Yes, I reported this to Apple multiple times.
/rant

Feel the exact same. This is the only watch face I use as well because I like a lot of complications.

But the corner time complication doesn’t exist, only the time zone where the name of the time zone is bigger than the time itself. And this watch face has no option to have numbers on it, so it’s harder to read at a glance. Especially since the top complication takes over some of the dial.

I wound up doing exactly what you have there, with the digital time as the top center complication. And yes, I don’t know why they think it’s helpful for the hands to be covering up one of your complications every fifteen minutes.
 

CarAnalogy

macrumors 601
Jun 9, 2021
4,751
8,656
My guess is that this helps to protect the watch from being bricked when updating. I'm thinking 25% would be ok but, again it's probably to make sure the watch doesn't get bricked.

That’s definitely why, but they will let iPhones, iPads, and Macs update on battery as long as it’s above 50%. And they already have the above 50% requirement, it seems excessive that that’s in addition to requiring the charger.
 

name99

macrumors 68020
Jun 21, 2004
2,374
2,266
Common practise for forced upgrades. Every update slows down the device to a point where a user gets triggered to upgrade. If the upgrade curve does not go as planned, they introduce updates that remove, decrease or distort hardware functionality. (Airpods Max ANC, iPhone camera improvements on last gen iPhones and green tint lcd on devices. Just to bame a few.
Oh FFS.
Proof of this theory?
 

msackey

macrumors 68030
Oct 8, 2020
2,670
3,099
My one request for the new WatchOS software, make it so you don't need the charger to update. How are we on the Ultra Watch and we have these antiquated charging rules?
I can totally see why they want the Watch to be on a charger for this. Your battery could be dramatically drained while transferring or installation. Or if it runs into some issues that needs prolonged 'working' (whether it's verification, re-installing, or clean up) that could leave your Watch in an unstable situation after a while.
 

Westside guy

macrumors 603
Oct 15, 2003
6,393
4,256
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
Hope it improves the battery life on the Ultra. Battery was fantastic at launch, then got killed by updates.
I can't speak to the Ultra, but my experience with Apple Watch has been that major updates (e.g. 5.0, 6.0, 7.0) cause a significant hit to battery life. That lost time then gradually gets clawed back as the minor updates ensue (e.g. 5.1, 5.2, and so on). Usually by .3 or so my watch's battery life is pretty close to where it was before the most recent major release.
 
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