Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of watchOS 4.2 to Developers

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.2 update to developers for testing purposes, four days after seeding the third watchOS 4.2 beta and over two weeks after releasing the watchOS 4.1 update.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS 4.2 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchos4
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 4.2 brings support for Apple Pay Cash, Apple's new peer-to-peer payment service that is designed to let users send money to one another. Apple Pay Cash can be used to send and receive money through the Messages app on the Apple Watch.

Aside from Apple Pay Cash, watchOS 4.2 appears to focus primarily on under-the-hood bug fixes and security updates.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

Kievreece Avatar
107 months ago
I’d like to have responsiveness of my Apple Watch S2 Nike+ restored back to normal as was 3.1.3.

Strong workout app
Music playing playlist (2 synced, under 2GB total music) under 25 apps.

3 second lag to invoke top shade for motivations,
2 second lag from pressing crown to get to home.
Screen presses 7 second and multiple attempts.
I hear ya man. For me on my Series 2 performance is ok...tolerable compared to WatchOS 3.x but battery is for crap
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
107 months ago
I thought I was going crazy or that something got inside my AWatch. Glad and sad to hear others are facing this issue as well.
Yesterday, in a dramatic fit of despair over watchos and iOS I wiped my phone and watch completely and redid everything from scratch. Seems to have helped speed it up (a little)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kievreece Avatar
107 months ago
Any sign of iPhone music library control or still removed?
I don’t expect that back until maybe WatchOS 5 then Apple will act like it’s a brand new feature lmao
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoundJudgment Avatar
107 months ago
Question. I have never been able to update past 4.0 on my watch. Iv downloaded the profile several times with no luck. Any one ever heard of this? I have the Series 1.
And of course it *has* to be on the Charging-Pad when attempting to update. They insist upon this, even if the Watch is fully charged already.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnysods Avatar
107 months ago
I’d like to have responsiveness of my Apple Watch S2 Nike+ restored back to normal as was 3.1.3.

Strong workout app
Music playing playlist (2 synced, under 2GB total music) under 25 apps.

3 second lag to invoke top shade for motivations,
2 second lag from pressing crown to get to home.
Screen presses 7 second and multiple attempts.
It's horrible isn't it?

Almost as if they did it on purpose.

Longing for the speed and battery life of 3.1. I should have left it there...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
107 months ago
Try an un-pair and re-pair and see if that improves things.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)