In the opening speech opening of the last WWDC, Apple presented the new update of Software for the Apple Watch: watchOS 9. Some of the new features were introduced, and on that same June 6, the first developer beta became available.
If you’ve installed the beta of watchOS 9, you’ve tested its features, you’ve tested Software you’ve needed and usually boast about having the latest in your smart watchyou may be looking to revert to a stable release.
In this article, we walk you through your options for removing a beta version of watchOS and performing a demote to revert to a previous version.
How to leave the watchOS beta program
Like the installation process, the removal process happens on the iPhone paired with the Apple Watch running the watchOS 9 beta. We’ll start by removing the beta profile from the iPhone, which will allow us to “put updated” to the latest public version.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone.
2. Make sure you’re in the “My watch” tab (tap the icon at the bottom left if you’re not).
3. Scroll down and tap “General”, followed by “Profiles”. Keep in mind that this option only appears if you have a profile to delete, of course.
4. Select the watchOS beta profile.
5. Tap on ‘Delete profile’ and enter your password if required.
How to remove a beta version of watchOS from Apple Watch
The above step will only allow you to remove the beta profile from your Apple Watch, preventing you from receiving future beta updates, but the trial version you installed will still be there.
We haven’t tried the method below to permanently remove the beta, but now that Apple Watch has added a recovery mode (since watchOS 8.5 and iOS 15.4), you can probably follow the same process as in Apple Watch on other systems such as iOS. or macOS.
On iPhone and iPad, for example, you need to plug the device into a Mac and put it into recovery mode. With the Apple Watch, this is done by double-clicking the side button (under the digital crown) while plugged in and following the steps on the paired iPhone.
If this happens like on other Apple devices, you should now see the “Restore” option in iTunes, although this will erase all your settings and anything you have saved on your device. smart watch. Also the beta, of course.
Once the restore is complete and the latest non-beta version of watchOS is installed, you should be able to retrieve a backup that you made before installing the beta version of watchOS.
How to reinstall watchOS 8 (or another previous version)
When most people (i.e. those not in the beta program) update an Apple Watch, they automatically receive the latest public version of watchOS. Now that the beta profile has been removed, the same thing should happen.
So the challenge now is to update a public version of watchOS. Feel free to check for updates in the usual way:
1. Open the Watch app on the paired iPhone.
2. Under the ‘My Watch’ tab, select ‘General’, followed by ‘Software Update’. Wait for the app to check if there is an update to install.
We understand that you will have to wait for a (public) update equal or superior to the beta version you are using. So if you’re using the beta version of watchOS 9, you’ll have to remove the beta profile and wait until the fall when the public version of watchOS 5.0 is released.
At this point, you should receive an update notification or ask the Watch app to manually check for an update.
When the update appears, click “Install”. As usual, you need to make sure the Apple Watch is plugged into a charger and connected to Wi-Fi, and that it has at least 50% power. Wait for the process to complete (this may take some time) before removing the watch from the charger.
But what if you don’t want to wait? then you should do demote by downloading the installer from the ipsw.me website. There you need to select the exact model of your Apple Watch, as well as the version of watchOS you want to install.
As we explained in the previous section, you can now put the Apple Watch into recovery mode. Click on ‘Restore’ and select the corresponding ipsw.me file. Confirm all changes and wait for watchOS to finish installing.
