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Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers

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Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth beta and more than two months after introducing the watchOS 4 update at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update.

watchos4beta7.jpg

To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.

watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual and is perhaps the most significant new feature in the update. There are also new complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training and new swimming options.


GymKit, a new technology platform, will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and the Activity app will offer up intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement along with new monthly activity challenges.

Many other small tweaks and changes have been introduced, all of which are outlined in our dedicated watchOS 4 roundup.

watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers need to wait until the software sees an official release in the fall to try it out. With September approaching, we are nearing the end of the beta testing period.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/21/apple-seeds-watchos-4-beta-7-to-developers/
I can’t insrall this one. My “watch” app crashes every time I start to install it to the watch.
 
Downloading. Fingers crossed for better battery life. Hasn’t really been good since the betas started - need to run a half marathon early September so would be pretty bad if it’s not improving
 
I'm really looking forward to the official release of this, mainly the slide for music while running.
 
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Spendlove said:
Any news on how this is running on a 42mm Generation 0?
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On Gen 0? It is still downloading, preparing, re-preparing, preparing to reprepair, begin install, then between 30 minutes to 4 hours later the watch 'should' restart and have the update applied.

On another note. People with Gen2. How quick are updates applied, like in a general timeframe, compared to Gen0 if you have experience with both.
 
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nutmac said:
Works like a charm for me. Beta 6 really turned things around for me, which significantly reduced lags and improved battery life.
Click to expand...

Improved lag a lot for me as well with a S2 - previous betas before the 6th lagged a lot switching watch face etc.
 
blacktape242 said:
I take it there is no public beta for this?
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No. There are no public betas for the Apple Watch. Since there's no way to downgrade without shipping the Watch off to Apple, Apple would just be asking for a headache.
[doublepost=1503352959][/doublepost]DP7 is installing on my 42mm Series 2 right now. I've been running watchOS 4 since DP4, and battery life has been getting better, for both passive use and with GPS/bluetooth during a workout. Battery life on DP6 was not obviously worse than watchOS 3.

The only instability I saw on DP6 involved the beta of a third-party podcast app, so it's hard to know where the bug originated.
 
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Does this beta fix the Do Not Disturb glitch that has been there ever since watchOS 1? Basically, even when it is enabled, you will still get notifications from group text messages (even if you set it to DnD on iOS).
 
Has the wee lag in analog faces --> springboard & vice versa gone in WachOS 4 betas? its the only thing that annoyed me in 3.2.2 & 3.2.3.
 
Has Apple shown any change of stance on how open their API is getting towards other brand wearable watches?
 
Stuck on “checking for updates” spinning wheel.

Sometimes it tells me there’s no internet connection. Sometimes it says my software is up to date.

Is anyone else having the same problem? Beta 6 here
 
Workout battery life seems to be better. Last night I ran 5 miles / 42 minutes with GSP+AirPods-iPhone and used 19% (from 95% to 76%). That's a rate of 27%/HR for GPS+BT audio.

If that rate turns out to be consistent, I'll be delighted. It should be good enough for long runs.
 
Boardiesboi said:
Stuck on “checking for updates” spinning wheel.

Sometimes it tells me there’s no internet connection. Sometimes it says my software is up to date.

Is anyone else having the same problem? Beta 6 here
Click to expand...
Yes. This is a common problem with updating these betas. Just keep checking and eventually it will go through. Rebooting both devices sometimes help. As does opening apps that communicate with your phone. As does disconnecting from wifi.
 
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jhfenton said:
Workout battery life seems to be better. Last night I ran 5 miles / 42 minutes with GSP+AirPods-iPhone and used 19% (from 95% to 76%). That's a rate of 27%/HR for GPS+BT audio.

If that rate turns out to be consistent, I'll be delighted. It should be good enough for long runs.
Click to expand...
Yesterday (Sunday), my Watch drained from 100% to 78% over 8 miles / 62 minutes with GPS+AirPods-iPhone. (I did not wear my Polar HR strap.)

I threw the watch on the charger after I got up and while I was getting ready, and it was still at 100% when I started running. There is a bit of non-linearity on the reported battery drain at 100%, so I wouldn't expect 22%/hr consistently, but it does appear as if a fully-charged watch will now last long enough for a 2:30-2:45 long run with GPS+BT audio. :)
 
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