Can't update Apple Watch 7 to watchOS 9 from iPhone 7 with iOS 15.7

[eriohm]

In august my mother got an Apple Watch 7 in birthday present from me and my siblings. She has really liked it and with the release of watchOS 9 she looked forward to the more detailed sleep tracking.

But my mom can't up update to watchOS 9 from her iPhone 7 with iOS 15.7, the current latest iOS version that phone can run.

She gets an information (see screenshot in Swedish) that she need to update to the software on the iPhone before she can update the Apple Watch, but she can't update it since, as I said, 15.7 is the latest one.

Is it so stupid that you need iOS 16 to be able to update to watchOS 9? If so, does anyone have any suggestion on how to do that? And if that is the case and you don't want to change phone Apple has really done stupid when they block users of a newer watch that will not get every updates the watch can run.

Please help!

 

[bricktop_at]

Yes you need iOS 16 for watchOS 9… and that‘s not stupid but necessary for the features to properly integrate.
You can on the other hand use watchOS 8 with iOS 16 just fine

 

[matrix07]

Well that really sucks. I imagine iPhone 7 is still serving your mother well.
I would recommend - if features in watchOS 9 is important - to sell iPhone 7 and buy used iPhone 8 or 11 or newest SE perhaps?

Another thing to consider is adding your mother watch to YOUR iPhone as a family member. That way I’m pretty sure you can install watchOS 9 on hers but not sure how her iPhone will play into this. You need to ask Apple employees at Apple Store.

Normally we don’t have this kind of mismatch of devices. It’s either both too old or both too new, not one very old & one very new. 🙂

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Apple knows what they are doing. Apple Watch is a vehicle to get people to upgrade their perfectly good phones, probably why they haven’t enabled it as a standalone device still.

 

[DMG35]

Why not just update to iOS 16? Is there something about it that you think won't work for her? Just curious as it shouldn't be anything too drastic that makes the phone difficult for her to use.

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Why not just update to iOS 16? Is there something about it that you think won't work for her? Just curious as it shouldn't be anything too drastic that makes the phone difficult for her to use.

Not compatible, 8 upwards.

 

[DMG35]

Not compatible, 8 upwards.

Oh my bad I missed that portion of it.

OP yeah I get it now. Kind of forces you to purchase a new phone to use the newer software.

 

[jrs22]

For $5 your mother can buy Autosleep for her phone and have essentially the same results, if not better, than the upgraded sleep info from Watch OS9.

As a side note, I just upgraded from an iphone7 to an iPhone mini 13 because the battery on my old phone was shot. If your mother likes the size of the 7 the 13 mini is the same width and even shorter.

 

[Nismo73]

Oh this is dumb. I have a 7 plus (work provided) and a 7 watch. I just replaced the battery on the phone for $25 to get some more life out of it before at some point I ask for a new phone, but come on Apple.

 

[eriohm]

Thanks everyone for the responses.
For the time being my mom will keep her iPhone 7 and not update her Apple Watch.

 

[christiann]

Just encountered a similar issue. However, can’t you jailbreak the iPhone 7 using palera1n (checkm8 exploit) and then install the Legizmo tweak to enable compatibility? I think you can also enable certain features.
This is the Legizmo tweak.