Apple on Monday seeded the release candidate of its upcoming watchOS 10.4 update to developers for testing. The new beta comes one week after the fourth beta.
To install the watchOS 10.4 release candidate, developers should open the Apple Watch app, go to the Software Update section under “General” in Settings, and toggle on the watchOS 10 Developer Beta. An Apple ID linked to a developer account is required.
After that, The watchOS 10 release candidate can be installed via the Watch app on the device’s attached iPhone. Go to “General” -> “Software Update” to install the beta. The Watch should have at least 50% battery life, be connected to a charger, and be within range of the iPhone.
Apple’s release notes for the update are below:
watchOS 10.4 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:
– Tap to Show Full Notification setting now allows you to double tap to expand the notification
– Using Apple Pay with Confirm with AssistiveTouch will require a passcode for additional security and will not support double clicking the side button
– Resolves an issue that causes some users to experience false touches on the display
– Fixes an issue that prevents contacts from syncing to Apple Watch for some usersFor information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
watchOS 10.4 will likely see a public release in the near future alongside iOS 17.4.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas or release candidates on their daily driver Apple Watch, especially early versions of new operating systems. Instead, only install betas or release candidates on a device set aside for testing purposes.
