Apple had recently released the watchOS 5.1 update which was meant to introduce new features, fixes, improvements, and more, but we’re sure that Apple did not intend for the update to brick devices because that’s exactly what it did, according to various reports in which quite a few users reported that their Apple Watches were bricked after installing the update.
Apple has since pulled the update so if you had managed to download it, perhaps it might not be a good idea to install it. While updates that brick devices aren’t new per se, what makes this slightly more complicated is the fact that the Apple Watch cannot be plugged into a computer to reinstall the software, which means that the only way to get it fixed is to return it to Apple and get them to fix it for you.
Obviously that is a bit more trouble than people would like, especially since the problem apparently mostly affects the Apple Watch Series 4, which we should mention is relatively new so clearly this is going to upset quite a few users who probably did not expect their new smartwatch to be bricked in less than a month after getting it.
In any case like we said, the update has since been pulled which should reduce the chances of users accidentally installing it. No word on when a fixed version of the update will be released, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled for more information.
Filed in . Read more about Apple Watch, Smartwatch, Watchos and Wearable Tech.