Apple Seeds watchOS 9.1 Release Candidate to Developers

Apple today seeded the release candidate version of watchOS 9.1 update to developers ahead of an expected public release on Monday, October 24 alongside iOS 16.1. The new beta comes one week after Apple released the fifth watchOS 9.1 beta.

watchOS 9 Feature
To install ‌watchOS 9.1, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, ‌watchOS 9.1‌ can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

Apple's release notes for the update are as follows:

This update includes improvements for your
Apple Watch.

- Battery life extended during Outdoor Walking, Running, and Hiking Workouts with the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings on Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra
- Music can download while Apple Watch is off charger using Wi-Fi or cellular
- Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

This update also includes bug fixes for your Apple Watch.

Related Roundup: watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

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...
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...
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 wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

dadiy Avatar
43 months ago
Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ediks Avatar
43 months ago

GPS probably because the fact that the new watches (8 / Ultra / SE) only use their own gps chip instead of the iPhone gps chip.
the older watches also use their own gps when the iphone is not nearby... + series 8 is literally series 7 with a new name
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Westside guy Avatar
43 months ago

Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Because Apple wants the "6 & 7 people" to buy a new watch.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
43 months ago

Why would the ability to reduce the frequency of heart rate and GPS readings be limited to Apple Watch Series 8 etc. I’m sure the watch 6 &7 people would benefit from this more.
Probably because the Series 8 is the only capable doing this with the stunning new gen S8 chip. /s

They have done this with all of their products lately (Stage Manager). But with the other products it takes new chips to increase performance/features. Apparently decreasing features/performance ALSO takes new gen chips.

This money sucking strategy is off the f charts.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MaxSto Avatar
43 months ago

Apple Watch 6 has its own gps.

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP826?locale=en_GB
Yes, like every other Apple Watch.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dadiy Avatar
43 months ago

GPS probably because the fact that the new watches (8 / Ultra / SE) only use their own gps chip instead of the iPhone gps chip.
Apple Watch 6 has its own gps.

https://support.apple.com/kb/SP826?locale=en_GB
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)