How to Make Your Apple Watch Update Faster
If you own an Apple Watch, you know how long it can take to update your device. Chances are you’ve been putting off updates simply because you haven’t had the time – you have to charge the watch and keep your iPhone next to it, which is inconvenient. This can be a problem, especially if the update is intended to fix a security issue.
Fortunately, there is a way to speed up the Apple Watch update process. Apple doesn’t encourage this method, but it’s safe and superior. Let’s take a look at how to make watchOS update faster.
How Apple Watch updates work
Apple Watch updates work like most software updates for Apple products. The company makes them available over-the-air (OTA), which means you download them over-the-air. This is much better than the previous method where you had to connect your iPhone to a computer and get the update through iTunes.
For the Apple Watch, the default update method is through your iPhone using Bluetooth. This is serviceable, but Bluetooth is notoriously slow. This is intentional, as Bluetooth was designed for short-distance data transfer that doesn’t use a lot of power. However, if you want your Apple Watch to update quickly, it’s not ideal.
How to force your Apple Watch to update faster
If you need to quickly update your Apple Watch, it’s best to do it over Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth. The former is much faster than the latter, although Apple doesn’t recommend using Wi-Fi because it drains the Apple Watch’s battery faster than Bluetooth. Regardless, if you have your charger nearby, don’t worry. So let’s see how you can force your Apple Watch to update over Wi-Fi.
First, make sure your Apple Watch is on the charger and has at least 75% charge. Apple typically asks around 50%, but using Wi-Fi uses a lot more battery. Then connect your iPhone to the charger and hold it close to the watch.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or later, you should ideally connect to a 5GHz network, not 2.4GHz. This will download your update faster. If you don’t have a 5GHz network or are using an older Apple Watch, this process will still work but will be slower. Also, if you’re using watchOS 5 or later, make sure your Apple Watch is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone.
If you have a modern router, you will most likely see two different Wi-Fi networks to connect to, one ending in “5 GHz” or something similar.
Once you’ve done that, unlock your iPhone, open the Watch app, tap the My clock at the bottom left of your screen and go to General > Software update.
After accepting the terms of the update, wait until you see an estimated time. This time depends on various factors, including the size of the update file.
Now go to on your iPhone Settings > Bluetooth and turn it off. Once you’ve done that, go back to the Watch app. You’ll be prompted to turn Bluetooth back on (maybe multiple times), but don’t do it; Press Cancel.
This will force the update to be downloaded over Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth. You should notice that the estimated download time is now drastically reduced. Once the update is complete, you should turn Bluetooth back on, otherwise your Apple Watch will not pair with your iPhone.
Enhance your Apple Watch experience
If you have the time and need to extend your watch’s battery life, it’s better to update via Bluetooth. But if you’re in a hurry and you have your charger handy, this little trick will help you speed up the process. This is one of the many tips to improve your Apple Watch experience.