These Apple Watch models will not support watchOS 11

Apple Watch

Three Apple Watch models aren’t getting watchOS 11, as per a report by MacRumors, based on details sourced from a private account on X.  They are the Apple Watch Series 5, Apple Watch Series 4 and the Apple Watch SE 1st generation. As Apple won’t update them with watchOS 11, the three Apple Watch models will be left out of the advanced features watchOS 11 brings.

Apple detailed the watchOS 11 features during the recently concluded World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024. One of the most notable additions to watchOS 11 is a new app called Vitals that “surfaces key health metrics and context to help users make more informed day-to-day decisions”. Then, there are other features like training load measurement, customisation options for Activity Rings and individualising your Apple Watch through Smart Stack and Photos face data.

Apple’s watchOS also comes with additional support for pregnant women. The Apple Watch user logs in the pregnancy in the Health app on iPhone or iPad, after which the Cycle Tracking app on Apple Watch will show their gestational age. The Cycle Tracking app will also allow them to log “symptoms for things frequently experienced during pregnancy”.

The list of watchOS features doesn’t end yet, and the gist is that Apple’s watchOS will only become more advanced with watchOS 11 and future versions. The older Apple Watch models are going to be left behind someday.

When the OS is getting regular upgrades, the hardware must match steps with it or get left behind, which is the case with the three Apple Watch models: Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE 1st generation.

The Apple Watch Series 5 and the Apple Watch SE 1st generation work on the S5 chip while the Watch Series 4 works on the S4 chip. The long and short of it is that the processing power of each is not enough to handle the new watchOS 11. Apple will keep releasing security updates for their software but it is highly unlikely that the OS will move beyond watchOS 10.

On the other hand, Apple Watches powered with the S6 chip will be ready for watchOS 11. They include the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 6 and the second-generation Apple Watch SE.

Also read: Apple watchOS 11: New vitals app, pregnancy tracking and more