Now available: watchOS 8.1 for the Apple Watch

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Along with iOS 15.1, among others, Apple has now also released watchOS 8.1. Apple has been busy testing the update for the past month, although no major updates have been added. The update therefore mainly revolves around bug fixes, although a few minor adjustments have also been made.

watchOS 8.1 available

In watchOS 8.1, Apple has improved the algorithm for detecting falls during workouts. You can now even indicate in the settings that you only want to use fall detection while doing a workout. This is useful, for example, if you normally never fall, but have an increased chance during a workout due to enthusiastic movement. Wallet's COVID-19 vaccination cards are also supported. However, this only works with certain states in America. Fortunately, there are other ways to make a Wallet card of your vaccinations, such as with the Pass4Wallet app.

Also only for the US and some other countries: Fitness+ now works with SharePlay. This allows you to do a workout with up to 32 others at the same time via FaceTime. You use your iPhone or iPad with iOS 15.1 for the FaceTime call and the Apple TV with tvOS 15.1 to view the workouts. Finally, Apple has also fixed some bugs, including with the always-on screen. In some cases, the time was not correctly displayed while holding your wrist down.

Release notes watchOS 8.1

The following are the full watchOS 8.1 release notes:

watchOS 8.1 includes the following improvements and bug fixes for your Apple Watch:

  • Improved algorithms to detect a fall during workouts and an option to enable fall detection only during workouts (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)
  • With support for COVID-19 vaccination cards you can show verifiable vaccination data from Wallet
  • With ‘Always on’ did not accurately display the time for some users when holding their wrist down (Apple Watch Series 5 and later)

For more information on security aspects of Apple software updates, see the following website: https://support.apple.com/HT201222

Download watchOS 8.1
To perform the update, do the following on the paired iPhone:

  1. Go to My Watch > General.
  2. Tap Software Update and wait for the update to download.
  3. Put the Apple Watch on the charger and wait patiently for the update to install.

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While the Apple Watch is updating, keep the paired iPhone nearby so as not to disrupt the update process. Updating the Apple Watch can take a long time, so be patient. In any case, make sure that the connection to the charger is not broken. To complete the installation, it is required to hang the Apple Watch on the charger, so keep that in mind.

You can also update directly via the Apple Watch itself:

  1. Open the Settings app on the Apple Watch.
  2. Go to General > Software update.
  3. Wait for the Apple Watch to search for the update.
  4. Tap Download.
  5. After downloading, place the Apple Watch on the Charger. The installation will start automatically.

Failed to install? For watchOS installation problems, read our accompanying article.

Note: keep the comments on-topic, concrete and clear for others. Personal status updates on whether your download has started/successfully adds nothing to the discussion. It may also take a little longer before the update is visible. You don't have to report this either. These comments will be deleted.