Apple this morning announced watchOS 5, a new version of the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The first developer beta of watchOS 5 has now been released to developers for testing purposes. To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 5 beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the beta, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 5 software that still has bugs to be worked out. watchOS 5 is a huge update that brings Activity Competitions so you can compete on workouts with friends, Walkie-Talkie with push-to-talk functionality for quickly communicating with the people you talk to most, and auto workout detection to make it easier than ever to start and stop workouts. Other new features include an improved Siri watch face with support for third-party apps, a dedicated Apple Podcasts app, new Workout types that include Yoga and Hiking, new features for runners, and enhanced notifications, which will make notifications on the Apple Watch interactive. watchOS 5 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers (because there's no way to downgrade Apple Watch software), so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.<doc-sep>Apple appears to have temporarily pulled the first watchOS 5 beta from its website after some users reported cases of the software bricking Apple Watch devices. Several users on the MacRumors forums and over on Reddit have expressed problems trying to get the software onto their devices, with freezes reportedly occurring during the installation phase, particularly on Apple Watch Series 2 models. Apple has obviously deemed the issues to be sufficiently widespread for it to take action. As such, developers accessing Apple's beta software download portal are currently unable to get a download link and are instead met with the following message: Seed 1 of watchOS 5 is temporarily unavailable. We are investigating an issue that occurs while updating. If you've experienced any issues, please contact AppleCare. Both the watchOS 5 configuration file and the over-the-air update have been removed, and right now it's unclear when they will return. As is often the case, initial software beta releases can be susceptible to bugs and issues which only reveal themselves during device propagation. We'll update this article when Apple fixes the problem and makes a revised version of the beta available once more.<doc-sep>After making it available yesterday, Apple this evening has seemingly removed the watchOS 5 developer beta from its website. The company doesn’t elaborate as to the specifics of the removal, though it acknowledges the unavailability on its website… On its developer portal, Apple says that seed 1 of watchOS 5 is “temporarily unavailable.” The company seems to suggest that the update process rendered the Apple Watch of some unusable. Apple says it is investigating an issue that occurs while updating and invites affected user to contact AppleCare. Seed 1 of watchOS 5 is temporarily unavailable. We are investigating an issue that occurs while updating. If you’ve experienced any issues, please contact AppleCare. Apple has both removed the watchOS developer configuration file from its website, as well as removed the over-the-air update that would appear in the Apple Watch app on iPhone after the configuration profile had been installed. The company doesn’t provide a timetable as for when the update might become available again. Aside from typical beta issues such as general bugs and app compatibility issues, we’ve not seen any reports of such bricked devices. Have you had issues updating to beta one of watchOS 5? Let us know down in the comments! Be sure to catch up with all of our WWDC coverage in our full roundup of yesterday’s announcements. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:<doc-sep>Screenshot : David Murphy If you want to play with the “early AF” release of iOS 12, or run around in the deserts of macOS Mojave, you normally have to give Apple $99 for the privilege of developing apps for its platform—apps it’ll ultimately take a 30 percent cut of (unless you offer a subscription and keep a user for longer than a year, but now I’m getting minute). That gets you access to the just-announced developer betas, which arrive (and tend to be updated) before the official public betas of Apple’s new operating systems Advertisement However, if you don’t feel like paying money to play around with a pre-release version of an operating system—and you don’t want to wait for the public betas to hit—then you can go “unofficially” grab the brand-new betas for iOS 12, macOS Mojave, tvOS 12, and watchOS 5 right now. I put “unofficially” in quotes, because these are the real beta profiles you’d otherwise download straight from Apple itself. The files are being hosted elsewhere though, which means a few things: One, it made me slightly apprehensive to download and install them at first and, two, these links could disappear at any time. (Let me know if they do and I’ll try to find more.) That said, a few Reddit commentators who have more familiarity with this process have already mentioned that getting a big green checkmark when installing these profiles—on iOS, at least—means they’re legit and certified by Apple. They aren’t some random piece of malware disguised as a beta profile, which you should certainly think about if you’re ever installing a profile that you didn’t acquire directly from a reputable source. See that green checkmark underneath AppleCare Profile Signing Certificate? Super important. If your iOS 12 beta software profile doesn’t have that, don’t install it. Screenshot : David Murphy Download Apple’s developer beta profiles So, that warning aside—and the general warning that these are early versions of Apple’s operating systems that may or may not cause havoc on your primary devices if you install them—here are the beta profile links (with credit to Redditor kevin777787 for publishing them): For iOS 12 and watchOS 5, you’ll need to download the profile using Safari on your iPhone or iPad. Since the primary links are hosted on the not-so-pretty uploadfiles.io site, makes sure you’re clicking on the big “slow download” button once it activates—and only that button, located to the left of the “Turbo Download” button, and nothing else. Advertisement Once you download the beta profiles, installing them on your device should be a pretty clear process. (The installation process will first ask you to uninstall any other beta profiles you might have on your device, if you have any leftover from, say, iOS 11. So, if you want to save a step, do that before you tap on the link.) To get macOS Mojave, you can use any browser you want to grab the .DMG file. Once you download it, run it, and the App Store listing for the new operating system should immediately pop up once the small beta installation utility is done. Download and proceed as normal. Advertisement He who controls the spiced apples controls the universe. Screenshot : David Murphy For tvOS 12, you’ll have to get a little creative to install the beta version of the operating system on your device, but Apple spells out the process pretty plainly on its site. (I don’t have an Apple TV, or else I’d also happily walk you through that process myself.)<doc-sep>
Apple late Tuesday halted downloads of the first watchOS 5 beta seed, saying the software will be temporarily unavailable as it investigates an unspecified issue that may occur during the update process. Details of the issue were not made public, though AppleInsider readers have reported inordinately long wait times when attempting to install the first watchOS 5 beta seed that saw release shortly after its unveiling onstage at Monday's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. In addition to first-hand reports, beta update troubles were also detailed in online forums posts by members of Apple's developer program. In some cases, the 546MB over-the-air download failed to complete, while others ran into errors during the update process. The most frequently reported problem, at least among those outlined online, was an issue that saw an Apple Watch seemingly complete the installation procedure only to reboot into a current version watchOS 4. Re-pairing the device with an iPhone running iOS 12 beta worked for a small number of users, though most claimed the workaround was ineffective. Apple has since pulled watchOS 5 beta and the initial seed's release notes from its developer website, which now shows the software as "Coming Soon." In an update, the company says, "Seed 1 of watchOS 5 is temporarily unavailable. We are investigating an issue that may occur while updating. If you've experienced any issues, please contact AppleCare." Bugs and other problems are common occurrences in beta software, especially first release versions like initial seeds. Indeed, beta builds exist to ferret out potential issues before the release reaches consumers. As AppleInsider noted earlier this week, beta software should only be installed on non-critical hardware. These early releases are built for developers, not average consumers looking to get a sneak peek at Apple's upcoming platform advancements. Announced on Monday, watchOS 5 comes with a slew of new features including enhanced fitness functionality, deeper Siri integration, a new "walkie-talkie" communication feature, user interface tweaks and more.