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Apple Releases watchOS 11.6.2 With an Important Fix

Apple today released watchOS 11.6.2 for the Apple Watch Series 6 through Series 10, Apple Watch SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.

watchOS 11 Feature 2 1
"This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for all users," says Apple.

watchOS 11.6.2 will only appear on Apple Watch models that have not already been updated to watchOS 26 or later. There are no specific details available yet beyond Apple's vague release notes, so it is unclear what exactly the update includes.

Update: Apple says watchOS 11.6.2 "addresses a cellular network issue for Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Series 9, Series 10, SE 2, Ultra, and Ultra 2 when establishing a connection to emergency services in Australia."

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Top Rated Comments

jaymc Avatar
13 weeks ago

hmm just checked and my Ultra 2 says I am up to date on 26.2.1. This might be a update for only certain regions
It's for update watchOS 11.6.2, not watchOS 26.2.1
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
powaking Avatar
13 weeks ago
Also 10.6.2 for my series 4 watch. 160mb upgrade
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mlrollin91 Avatar
13 weeks ago

hmm just checked and my Ultra 2 says I am up to date on 26.2.1. This might be a update for only certain regions
Why would you expect to get an watchOS 11 update if you are on 26?

I'm not seeing the update on my S8 Watch which is on 11.6.1 . I only have the option to update to 26.2.1, which I am not interested in for that watch.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PhillyGuy72 Avatar
6 weeks ago

has anyone noticed any difference when updating to the 10.6.2 (not 11.6.2)? My Watch 4 is still going strong with well more than all day battery life (amazing quality I must say, well dome Apple), don't want to take any chances upgrade if it risks a reduction in battery life.

Good that they do update the certificate though. Otherwise we would end up like those old Mac where you have to change the date to reinstall the OS.
This update MAY HAVE brought back my Apple Watch 4 Stainless Steel back from the dead?? I can't really explain it, but for the past few years my AW4 44mm has been draining fast...probably since the final OS 9 update, then especially after OS 10.0! It was awful, I was getting maybe 2 hours on OS 9, then it really tanked after 10.0..literally 100% charged to 0%, watch shutting down in 20 minutes. I would watch the % drop each second on my phone.

SO..I thought the battery was finally shot, it sat in a box and I would try and install a new battery when I get a chance. And I did pick up a new battery for this...it arrived today. I charged up my AW4 for the first time in god knows how long, it was still paired to my 13 Pro Max and showed this 10.6.2 update. I took care of that (why not), it installed fine while still on the puck charger. I then totally wiped out the watch, unpaired it. BUT..I thought 'let me to try and pair it again to see what would happen.'

I'm just baffled, pleasantly shocked....I was able to wear the watch for 5 hours no problems... it still had 82% when I took it off..it didn't die in 8-10 minutes like before. I did notice if I went into settings or swipe to find other watch faces I'd quickly lose 1%, maybe 2%. Not perfect and never expected that, but whatever was on this watch before, severely flawed OS late 9 - early 10 software...maybe even a darn rogue app messing it up all this time. That problem is gone!

But...now I have an Apple Watch battery I don't know what to do with right now. I'll see how the AW4 handles in the next few days, if it's running ok, I might keep it just in case...or just return the battery.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surfzen21 Avatar
13 weeks ago
My AWU hasn't worked right since 26 for me.

Playlists randomly stop playing while I'm on my run and the only thing that will fix it is a reboot. It also stopped reading out my metrics every half mile even though its set up correctly. The metrics would fine on bike rides though.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surfzen21 Avatar
13 weeks ago

It happened again twice today while running. Played about four songs before stopping, then manually tapped next track and then it started again for a few more, then stopped again.

You are totally right also on original post, I used to get spoken prompts (ahead or behind target, split pace, halfway point etc), and none of those have been working for a while either, so something is clearly crashing out on the audio side of the watch.

If I do a walk and and take my iPhone vs running with watch and AirPods only, the Workout Buddy prompts do send to the AirPods about 80% of the time. That is bugged too, but at least it works most of the time unlike this issue which is much more frustrating for anyone running without an iPhone.
All these errors and problems make it less likely that I buy another Apple watch in the future and less likely that I use it to track metrics. That's already happened unfortunately.

This seems like basic stuff that should work 100% of the time. I want my focus to be on my run or bike and not if my tech is working properly.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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