Apple Watch Gets Over-the-Air Software Update Mechanism, But iPhone Still Required For NowApple appears to be in the process of decoupling the iPhone from the watchOS update process on the
Apple Watch.
![" width="538" height="451" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-698322](http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2019/06/apple_watch_software_update.jpg)
In the
first beta of watchOS 6, the <!---->Apple Watch<!----> gained its own over-the-air software update mechanism under Settings > General > Software Update. As on the iPhone, the mechanism checks for any available watchOS update and, if prompted, downloads the update directly to the <!---->Apple Watch<!---->.
The mechanism became functional on Monday when Apple seeded the second beta of
watchOS 6 to developers.
As
noted by Jeremy Horwitz, however, users still must review and accept the watchOS terms and conditions using an iPhone. Hopefully this is a temporary step that Apple removes before <!---->watchOS 6<!----> is publicly released in September.
<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sure seems like the stage is being set for direct-to-Apple Watch software updates in <!---->watchOS 6<!---->, though it hasn’t been fully freed quite yet from the need to approve things on the iPhone.
pic.twitter.com/pf3wBC3vU5</p>— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz)
June 17, 2019<script async src="
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>
Updating an <!---->Apple Watch<!---->'s software previously required using the <!---->Apple Watch<!----> app on an iPhone for the entire process.
This change is in line with the <!---->Apple Watch<!----> gradually becoming more independent from the iPhone. In 2017, for example, <!---->Apple Watch<!----> Series 3 models launched with cellular capabilities for making phone calls and more without an iPhone. And in <!---->watchOS 6<!---->, the
Apple Watch received its own on-wrist App Store.
<div class="linkback">Related Roundups:
Apple Watch,
watchOS 5,
watchOS 6</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide:
Apple Watch (Caution)</div>
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Apple Watch Gets Over-the-Air Software Update Mechanism, But iPhone Still Required For Now