Apple on Tuesday pulled watchOS 3.1.1, the latest update for its watchOS operating system, following complaints that the update rendered an unknown number of Apple Watch Series 2 units unusable.
Apple Watch owners attempting to upgrade to watchOS 3.1.1 through the dedicated Watch app on iOS will find watchOS 3.1 as the current version, meaning Apple has temporarily disabled the point update after its release on Monday.
The update appears to have bricked an unknown number of Apple Watch Series 2 devices. Customers impacted by the faulty code reported seeing a recovery screen with a red exclamation mark after attempting to install watchOS 3.1.1. The foreboding prompt urged users to visit www.apple.com/help/watch, a landing page that ultimately leads to a Support Document covering frozen Apple Watch hardware.
The support page, which was last updated in November, does not address concerns related to watchOS 3.1.1 and suggests that users perform a hard reset by pressing and holding the Digital Crown and side button for at least 10 seconds. The hard reset does not resolve the issue.
According to impacted Apple Watch owners who visited an Apple store, the company is collecting affected units and sending them out for service. The recovery process supposedly requires access to the Apple Watch diagnostics port, something which retail store Geniuses lack at this time.
As of now, the root cause for the issue remains unknown, although the issue seems to predominantly affects Apple Watch Series 2 units.
If you’ve seen this issue on your end and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.
Via AppleInsider