Apple yanks watchOS 3.1.1 update following user complaints

AppleInsider · December 14, 2016 12:39AM

Apple on Tuesday pulled the latest Apple Watch operating system update, watchOS 3.1.1, from circulation after a launch earlier this week that rendered an unknown number of consumer units unusable.

Image Credit: jayt_94 on Reddit

Apple Watch owners attempting to upgrade to watchOS 3.1.1 through the dedicated Watch app on iOS will find watchOS 3.1 as the current version, meaning Apple has temporarily disabled the point update after its release on Monday.

For reasons as yet unknown, yesterday's software update appears to have bricked some Apple Watch Series 2 units. Customers impacted by the faulty code reported seeing a recovery screen with a red exclamation mark after attempting to install watchOS 3.1.1. The foreboding prompt urged users to visit www.apple.com/help/watch, a landing page that ultimately leads to a Support Document covering frozen Apple Watch hardware.

Apple's support page, which was most recently updated in November and as such does not directly address watchOS 3.1.1 specific concerns, suggests users perform a force restart by pressing down and holding both the side button and Digital Crown for at least 10 seconds. As noted by those affected, a hard reset does not solve the issue presented with watchOS 3.1.1.

According to impacted Apple Watch owners who visited an Apple store, the company is collecting affected units and sending them out for service. The recovery process supposedly requires access to the Apple Watch diagnostics port, something which retail store Geniuses lack at this time.

The root cause of Apple's watchOS 3.1.1 problems is unknown, but the issue appears to predominantly affect Apple Watch Series 2 devices. Ironically, the point update was released alongside iOS 10.2 and tvOS 10.1 with a variety of bug fixes and performance improvements.

outdoorappdeveloper · December 14, 2016 12:48AM

Sure OK but here is the thing: Apple has yanked a LOT of updates lately for this exact reason. It points to a systemic problem in their quality control and testing. Apple may need to go to a slow rollout rather than an all at once update system. They are just not good enough to make that kind of update reliable.

goodbyeranch · December 14, 2016 1:08AM

Trust gone. Goodwill revoked. Wallet less loose.

lkrupp · December 14, 2016 1:17AM

goodbyeranch said:

Trust gone. Goodwill revoked. Wallet less loose.

Have fun with your Samsung Gear then.

james john said:

Is this even a surprise? Apple updates are all junk now. They can't do anything right. They are however very good at bricking your apple products. Apple used to be good. Those days are gone, along with Steve Jobs. Now it's just garbage in, garbage out.

Funny. All four updates went without a hitch for me. iOS 10.2, watchOS 3.1.1, macOS 10.12.2, tvOS 10.1 all performing nominally. I guess we live in different universes. Have fun in your screwed up time-space continuum.

edited December 2016

rogifan_new · December 14, 2016 1:29AM

Man Apple and software these days. And people think it's a good idea for them to get in the autonomous/self driving car software space. Good grief.

goodbyeranch · December 14, 2016 1:31AM

lkrupp said:

goodbyeranch said:

Trust gone. Goodwill revoked. Wallet less loose.

Have fun with your Samsung Gear then.

james john said:

Is this even a surprise? Apple updates are all junk now. They can't do anything right. They are however very good at bricking your apple products. Apple used to be good. Those days are gone, along with Steve Jobs. Now it's just garbage in, garbage out.

Funny. All four updates went without a hitch for me. iOS 10.2, watchOS 3.1.1, macOS 10.12.2, tvOS 10.1 all performing nominally. I guess we live in different universes. Have fun in your screwed up time-space continuum.

No thanks. I can be critical of apple and still be a customer, a reasonable person and fun at parties. All at the same time.

twa440 · December 14, 2016 1:33AM

macxpress said:

james john said:

Is this even a surprise? Apple updates are all junk now. They can't do anything right. They are however very good at bricking your apple products. Apple used to be good. Those days are gone, along with Steve Jobs. Now it's just garbage in, garbage out.

Yes, because there were NEVER bad updates with Steve were here... Right! Nice troll post BTW!

I can't recall any products being bricked when Steve was around but, maybe so. I know I've never seen six updates in two years that caused products to be bricked.

ericthehalfbee · December 14, 2016 1:37AM

grangerfx said:

Sure OK but here is the thing: Apple has yanked a LOT of updates lately for this exact reason. It points to a systemic problem in their quality control and testing. Apple may need to go to a slow rollout rather than an all at once update system. They are just not good enough to make that kind of update reliable.

Yet hundreds of millions of iPhones are updating to 10.2 without any issue. So much for "not good enough" to do updates.

twa440 · December 14, 2016 1:41AM

ericthehalfbee said:

SpamSandwich said:

james john said:

Is this even a surprise? Apple updates are all junk now. They can't do anything right. They are however very good at bricking your apple products. Apple used to be good. Those days are gone, along with Steve Jobs. Now it's just garbage in, garbage out.

And this is why I disagree with the decision to eliminate the 'down vote' icon.

This x10. I'd like a Troll button too, but you can't have everything.

So anyone that exposes things that Apple does wrong is a troll? Apple can do no wrong, correct? Keep on praising them no matter what, you'll deserve the products you get.

slurpy · December 14, 2016 1:49AM

My Apple Watch Series 1 updated just fine.
So did my iPhone.
So did my Apple TV.
So did my Macbook.

Just like every single other update I've done in the past several years.

But, I'm sure the 0.1% of people having issues is "evidence" that Apple is in a downward spiral, SJ is rolling in his grave, and doom is at hand.

jfc1138 · December 14, 2016 2:16AM

I prefer to wait a day or two. Not for cleaner code but just so the servers aren't wobbling under the pressure of all the must have NOW types.

edited December 2016

robin huber · December 14, 2016 2:21AM

No problem updating my series 2.

felixer · December 14, 2016 2:28AM

Hahah.... mine is fine. For now..... same day stock peaks.... hmmmmmm

larrya · December 14, 2016 2:45AM

slurpy said:

My Apple Watch Series 1 updated just fine.
So did my iPhone.
So did my Apple TV.
So did my Macbook.

Just like every single other update I've done in the past several years.

But, I'm sure the 0.1% of people having issues is "evidence" that Apple is in a downward spiral, SJ is rolling in his grave, and doom is at hand.

And yet, the fact remains that Apple pulled the update. Maybe you should defer to their expertise?

larrya · December 14, 2016 2:48AM

lkrupp said:

goodbyeranch said:

Trust gone. Goodwill revoked. Wallet less loose.

Have fun with your Samsung Gear then.

james john said:

Is this even a surprise? Apple updates are all junk now. They can't do anything right. They are however very good at bricking your apple products. Apple used to be good. Those days are gone, along with Steve Jobs. Now it's just garbage in, garbage out.

Funny. All four updates went without a hitch for me. iOS 10.2, watchOS 3.1.1, macOS 10.12.2, tvOS 10.1 all performing nominally. I guess we live in different universes. Have fun in your screwed up time-space continuum.

He'll be there with Apple, who thought the problem was real enough to pull the update.

anantksundaram · December 14, 2016 2:53AM

lkrupp said:

goodbyeranch said:

Trust gone. Goodwill revoked. Wallet less loose.

Have fun with your Samsung Gear then.

What a ridiculous response. Just because the choice is viewed by the poster as being between something not top-tier and something second-tier, he should opt for the latter because he's unhappy the former I s not top-tier like it used to be?

How lame. Hold Apple to higher standards. It's not like they're not capable of it. You really want to settle for Apple being mediocre because the competition is crap?

edited December 2016

razormaid · December 14, 2016 2:57AM

slurpy said:

My Apple Watch Series 1 updated just fine.
So did my iPhone.
So did my Apple TV.
So did my Macbook.

Just like every single other update I've done in the past several years.

But, I'm sure the 0.1% of people having issues is "evidence" that Apple is in a downward spiral, SJ is rolling in his grave, and doom is at hand.

Mine too. All of them. And no issues during any of the betas. I don't know what is causing it.

plankton · December 14, 2016 4:09AM

macOSx and iOS have fairy large external seed and public beta test teams who do report hundreds of bugs during the OS development cycle. Even so a few bugs still get through, which is the nature of software.
tvOS and watchOS have no such external seed and beta test teams—there is only internal testing and a little testing by people with developer accounts. Consequently, it is not surprising there are a few more problems with tvOS and watchOS. The problem will be fixed but that is little consolation for those who got bit this time.

lonestar88 · December 14, 2016 4:39AM

My Apple Watch Series 0 updated without incident.

kjellbrell · December 14, 2016 6:03AM

From around the world in Sweden everything is great, with the Apple updates at least.
10.12.2 check
10.2 check
3.1.1 check

However I think it's good that Apple act on the feedback they get.

doggone · December 14, 2016 6:13AM

Hey. I have 3.1.1 queued up to install on my phone. If I charge my watch tonight it will update. I can't find a way to disable or remove the update on the phone? Anyone got any ideas. I may put the watch in airplane mode whilst charging.

Apple yanks watchOS 3.1.1 update following user complaints

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