Apple just rolled out the first beta for watchOS 11.4, with a stable version slated to arrive by the end of April. But, as always, installing a beta update comes with pros and cons. If you’re on the fence about updating your Apple Watch to watchOS 11.4 Beta 1, this guide should help you decide.
watchOS 11.4 Beta 1: Pros
As per Apple’s Release Notes, watchOS 11.4 Beta 1 includes several behind-the-scene changes that will enable developers to implement new features. Besides that, this update includes bug fixes and general improvements that allow apps on your Apple Watch to run better. Here’s a closer look at all the changes:
- StoreKit: Changes to StoreKit API that lets developers have more control over in-app purchase offers.
- System Calls: It is now much easier to manage files and share data between different parts of an app.
- SwiftUI: watchOS 11.4 beta 1 makes UI navigation updates work smoothly and resolves issues where button colors in some apps showed up incorrectly and hidden toolbar items didn’t stay hidden.
watchOS 11.4 Beta 1: Cons
There seems to be a glitch in watchOS 11.4 beta 1 that bricks the Apple Watch Series 6. Several Reddit users claim their Apple Watch got stuck in a boot loop after installing the update. While Apple quickly took down the update for affected models, it’s still unclear why this happened and if it will be fixed.
Even if you own a newer Apple Watch that isn’t prone to bricking, watchOS 11.4 beta 1 isn’t life-changing. It’s a fairly minor update that offers basic bug fixes and other general improvements within the operating system. This update doesn’t include any fresh features or watch faces for most users like you and me.
Should I Install watchOS 11.4 Beta 1 on My Apple Watch?
All things considered, I will highly recommend that you don’t update your Apple Watch to watchOS 11.4 beta 1 for now. The risk of bricking your Apple Watch, especially if it’s an older model, far outweighs the benefits this update brings to the table. You should only update your Apple Watch to watchOS 11.4 after it’s out of the beta channel. Apple will resolve the issue before the public release sometime in mid-April.