Installation:

  • Go to the Apple Watch companion on your iPhone.
  • Open Settings → General → Software Update.
  • Click on Download and Install.

Note: Your Apple Watch has to been in range of your iPhone and its battery has to be charged at least 50%.

What's New:

watchOS 6.1.1 Release Notes

  • watchOS 6.1.1 optimizes performance, provides security updates, and contains improvements and bug fixes, including:
  • Resolves an issue where the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch face does not speak time
  • Addresses an issue where the calendar complication may not display events
  • Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data

Performance and Navigation

  • Press the side button to access your favorite apps in the Dock
  • Apps in the Dock launch instantly with already updated information
  • Add up to 10 apps in the Dock, control music from Now Playing or launch your most recently used app
  • Swipe edge-to-edge to quickly switch your watch face
  • Swipe up from the bottom of your watch face to access important settings in Control Center

Watch faces

  • New Minnie Mouse, Activity, and Numerals watch faces
  • Complications now available on Photo, Photo Album, Timelapse, and Motion
  • New complications including Workout, Music, and Messages
  • New Face Gallery in the Apple Watch app on iPhone to add and customize watch faces
  • Discover and add third party complications in the Face Gallery

Activity

  • Ability to share and compare your Activity rings
  • Rank alphabetically, or by progress towards Move goal, Exercise goal, steps or today’s workouts
  • Automatic notifications when a friend completes their rings, finishes a workout, or earns an achievement
  • Customized smart replies for encouragement or smack talk
  • New Sharing tab in the Activity app on iPhone to view history

Workout

  • Quick Start for most commonly used workouts
  • Multiple metric view, customizable for each workout type
  • New gestures for pause, resume, and marking segments
  • Labels for “Other” workouts to keep track of Yoga, Pilates, Cross Training, and more
  • Auto-pause for running workouts
  • Siri support for pause, resume, and end workouts
  • Route maps with speed indicators for outdoor workouts

Wheelchair use

  • Activity rings optimized for wheelchair users
  • Accounts for varying speeds, terrains, and pushing techniques
  • Pushes contribute to all-day calorie goals
  • Time to roll notification and roll ring
  • New Outdoor Run Pace and Outdoor Walk Pace workouts

Breathe

  • New Breathe app to take a moment in your day for short deep breathing sessions
  • Calming visualization and haptic cues guide you while you inhale and exhale
  • Adjust session length and breaths per minute
  • Summary upon completion including heart rate
  • Time to breathe reminders
  • Weekly summary

Communication

Expressive Messaging

  • Full-screen effects to celebrate special moments
  • Tapback for quick replies to messages, links, and photos
  • Handwritten messages animate like ink on paper
  • Send recent built-in or third-party stickers
  • View secret messages with invisible ink

Scribble

  • Write words on the display and Apple Watch will convert the handwriting to text
  • Use the Digital Crown to scroll through predicted options
  • Available in English (US), Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese
  • Reply options available in the Messages and Mail notification, including Digital Touch, emoji, and smart replies
  • New emoji, including gender diverse options to existing characters, single parent family variations, rainbow flag, and redesigns of popular emoji

Emergency SOS

  • Press and continue to hold the side button to call emergency services
  • Automatically notify SOS contacts and share your location
  • Display your Medical ID with information about medications, allergies, and medical conditions
  • Adjusts the emergency number to your current location

Home

  • New Home app to control HomeKit enabled accessories
  • Enable scenes created on your iPhone to control groups of accessories with just a tap
  • Control favorite accessories from your wrist, even remotely with Apple TV or iPad
  • Support for IP cameras to see live video in rich notifications and accessory controls

Other improvements

  • New Reminders app for managing scheduled reminders, grocery lists, and more
  • New Find My Friends app for viewing location of friends and family
  • Pay with Apple Pay within third party apps
  • Delete events and switch calendars in Calendar app
  • Support for FaceTime Audio calls directly from Apple Watch
  • Search for Settings in Apple Watch app on iPhone
  • Camera app controls for Flash, Live Photos, HDR, Zoom, Burst, and Front or Rear facing
  • Siri support for Spanish (Chile), Chinese (Cantonese - China), English (Ireland), English (South Africa)

Other models:

Previous versions: