Problem with updates of older Apple Watch models fixed
The new Apple Watch operating system 11.3 released this week brought about a change that prevented older models from being updated to watchOS 10.6.1.
![Apple Watch Series 4](https://heise.cloudimg.io/width/610/q85.png-lossy-85.webp-lossy-85.foil1/_www-heise-de_/imgs/18/4/7/8/9/7/2/4/applewatchseries4-92eea4e8e838fea5.png)
Apple Watch Series 4: One of the series affected by the watchOS 11.3 problem.
(Image: Apple)
Users of certain Apple computer watches have been complaining about problems installing operating system updates since Monday. Although the devices do not support watchOS 11.3, its introduction meant that the latest predecessor version, watchOS 10.6.1, could no longer be installed. This affected the Series 4 and Series 5, among others, and there were also reports of the first Apple Watch SE. What all these models have in common is that they can only be upgraded to watchOS 10.6.1, which was released in August.
Small change, annoying effect
According to the X user @MasterMike88, who deals with topics such as iOS jailbreaks himself, Apple had internally upgraded the so-called Compatibility Version (CV) – and this was inappropriate for older devices. In practice, this meant that watchOS 10.6.1 was suddenly no longer released for Series 4, 5 and SE 1 because CV 24 was incorrectly required for these devices instead of the previous 22, which stands for later watchOS 11.
However, this is exactly what is not running on the devices. The step that was taken with the release of watchOS 11.3 therefore meant that users could no longer install watchOS 10.6.1 if they had not yet updated. Anyone who has only now updated their iPhone to iOS 18 with iOS 18.3 may no longer be able to access their watch if it has not yet been updated to watchOS 10.4, as this is a prerequisite. Some users who left their devices on earlier versions due to jailbreaks and now wanted to update were also affected by the problem.
Apple fixes bug on the server side
The problem was fixed shortly after the first reports. Since Tuesday evening, it should no longer occur, according to X. Apple has reset the CV value from 24 to 22. However, there are now several OTA assets in circulation. However, normal users do not usually encounter these, as the update function triggers their download.
The problem shows that Apple's update requirements, which the company can change at any time, sometimes cause users grief. watchOS 10.6.1 also contains security vulnerabilities that have long since been fixed in watchOS 11.3. So if you really want to be safe, you need to buy an Apple Watch that supports watchOS 11. These are all devices from Series 6 onwards.
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(bsc)