Apple is preparing to release a new version of the platform for its smartwatch watchOS 11. The OS is currently being tested and many were unpleasantly surprised by the fact that watchOS 11 will stop releasing updates for many Apple watch models. As the thematic resource AndroidAuthority noted, with the release of watchOS 11, Apple will set a kind of anti-record.
In the past, Apple has discontinued support for one or two models every two years:
- watchOS 5 has stopped supporting the original Apple Watch.
- watchOS 7 has stopped supporting Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2.
- watchOS 9 has stopped supporting the Apple Watch Series 3.
However, watchOS 11 immediately stops supporting Apple Watch Series 4 (2018), Apple Watch Series 5 (2019) and Apple Watch SE 1 (2020).
The Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE 1 both use the same Apple S5 hardware platform, which explains their joint retirement.
This also suggests that Apple will eventually also simultaneously discontinue support for the newer Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra 1, and Apple Watch SE 2, as they also use the same foundation.
