One day after Apple released watchOS 3.1.1, the company appears to have paused the update.
Ever since watchOS 3.1.1 began rolling out yesterday, there have been reports of Apple Watch Series 2 owners whose devices have bricked. After installing the update, these owners would be greeted by a red exclamation mark urging them to go to www.apple.com/help/watch, which explains that the Apple Watch should be force restarted. If that doesn’t work, the Apple Watch will need to be serviced.
Apple hasn’t officially commented on the matter, but it does look like the company has paused the watchOS 3.1.1 rollout for now. I updated one Apple Watch to watchOS 3.1.1 yesterday after the rollout began, but was told that watchOS 3.1 is the latest version when trying to update a second Apple Watch tonight.
While Apple hasn’t confirmed that watchOS 3.1.1 has been paused, it would make sense for Apple to do so. An update bricking an Apple Watch is a big deal, especially since the devices can’t be repaired at an Apple Store and must be sent in for service. It’s unclear when Apple might begin pushing a new, non-bricking update, but stay tuned and we’ll share more info as it becomes available.
