watchOS 11 Drops Support for These Apple Watch Models

As was rumored, watchOS 11 drops support for the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5, and first-generation Apple Watch SE, according to Apple's website.

apple watch series 4 flames
The update is compatible with all other models, including the Apple Watch Series 6 and beyond:

  • Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)

  • Apple Watch Series 6
  • Apple Watch Series 7
  • Apple Watch Series 8
  • Apple Watch Series 9
  • Apple Watch Ultra
  • Apple Watch Ultra 2

Even though the Series 5 has an S5 chip, it has the same processor as the S4 chip in the Series 4, so it is not too surprising that Apple dropped support for these models simultaneously. Key changes with the Series 5 compared to the Series 4 included an always-on display option, increased storage, and a compass.

watchOS 11 continues to work with a paired iPhone XS or newer. A developer beta is available starting today, and a public beta will follow in July.

The general public can expect watchOS 11 to be released in September.

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Resolutions Leak With Under-Screen Camera Tipped

Monday April 14, 2025 3:12 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold") will feature two screens as part of its book-style design, and a Chinese leaker claims to know the resolutions for both of them. According to the Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station, the inner display, which is approximately 7.76 inches, will use a 2,713 x 1,920 resolution and feature "under-screen camera technology." Meanwhile, the...
iPad Pro iPadOS

iPadOS 19 Will Be 'More Like macOS' in Three Ways

Sunday April 13, 2025 6:43 am PDT by
A common complaint about the iPad Pro is that the iPadOS software platform fails to fully take advantage of the device's powerful hardware. That could soon change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS." Gurman said that iPadOS 19 will be "more like a Mac" in three ways:Improved productivity Improved multitasking Improved app window management...
Apple Vision Pro with battery Feature Blue Magenta

Vision Pro 2 Rumored to Have Two Key Advantages Over Current Model

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:15 am PDT by
Apple is working on a new version of the Vision Pro with two key advantages over the current model, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Specifically, in his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is developing a new headset that is both lighter and less expensive than the current Vision Pro, which starts at $3,499 in the U.S. and weighs up to 1.5 pounds. Gurman said Apple is also...
Apple Bristol Current

An Apple Store in the UK is Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday April 14, 2025 7:33 am PDT by
Apple has confirmed that it will be permanently closing its retail store in the heart of Bristol, England, and there is no replacement in sight. Apple Bristol in 2023 Apple Bristol will be closing its doors on Saturday, August 9, due to redevelopment plans at the Cabot Circus Shopping Centre, and the adjacent Bristol Shopping Quarter. According to news reports, and a building application, the ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Waiting for the Perfect MacBook Pro? 2026 Might Be the Year

Thursday April 10, 2025 4:19 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the MacBook Pro is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small...

Top Rated Comments

rotvaldi Avatar
11 months ago
What a ******** to kill watches at 4 years… dude the SE 1st gen came out same as S6 like forreal
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roguedaemon Avatar
11 months ago
sad that my only reason to upgrade is my series 4 is no longer supported...
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
b251 Avatar
11 months ago
I bought my SE 2020 shortly before the 2022 came out. I’m very disappointed that I got less than 2 years of software updates for it. This it the last Apple Watch I’ve bought. I don’t think Apple will provide security updates to it for long.

I don’t understand why the $149 Apple TV HD gets support for 10 years whilst the $399 Apple Watch only gets 4 years.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
b251 Avatar
11 months ago
The new features in watchOS 11 are not overwhelming for me too but the point is that watchOS 10 won’t get security updates for long so it quickly gets unsafe.

Technically there’s no reason why the SE (as well Series 4 and 5) get dropped with watchOS 11. It’s does not have any major changes which require a more powerful processor.

The Apple TV HD which has the Apple A8 in it will get the iOS 18 based tvOS 18.

If Apple wants to force the customers to replace their perfectly working watches (mine has 97% battery life left) my clear answer is that I will never buy one again. I understand when they drop devices if they can simply not handle the new software version but this is a kind of planned obsolescence.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Blackstick Avatar
11 months ago
One thing I've seen with the Apple Watch is that, more than any other device, if it's even a few generations old -- it's painfully slow to sync/unsync, upgrade, erase, etc.

I know they're miniature compared to phones and the constraints on the wrist are enormous because of size and cooling considerations alone, but they really gotta make that a lot less painful.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dandyryan Avatar
11 months ago
literally why cant they just give the series 4/5 watchOS 11? are they really pushing the chip of a damn watch that hard? its just greed. smh
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)