watchOS 5 Officially Released with Walkie-Talkie, New Workouts and More

Apple on Monday, Sept. 17 officially rolled out its watchOS 5 update, which brings a slew of new features and improvements to the wearable platform.

Originally unveiled at WWDC ’18 in June, watchOS 5 should now be available as a free over-the-air update for all users with compatible devices. We've compiled everything you need to know, so continue reading to learn about watchOS 5's new features and benefits, compatible devices and how to install it.

3 New Features & Benefits

While the Apple Watch Series 4 introduced several exclusive new features, watchOS 5 is packed with improvements that can make any supported Apple Watch device feel like a new wearable.

Among the more notable additions to watchOS 5 is a new Walkie-Talkie feature that does exactly what it sounds like — you can talk to your contacts in real-time with the app.

There are new workout types like Hiking, automatic exercise-tracking, and other major health and fitness improvements. In addition, Siri can now be activated with a new Raise to Speak capability.

watchOS 5 also adds support for podcast listening and offline playlists.

2 Compatible Devices

watchOS 5 update is available for nearly all available Apple Watch models, with one notable exception.

At launch, watchOS 5 will be supported by the Apple Watch Series 1, Apple Watch Series 2 and Apple Watch Series 3. It'll come preinstalled on Apple Watch Series 4.

But the new update is not supported by the original Apple Watch released in 2015 (often called the Apple Watch Series 0 or first-generation), however.

To download and use watchOS 5, you’ll also need an iPhone 5s or later running at least iOS 12.

1 How to Install watchOS 5

Downloading and installing watchOS 5 is a simple process. You'll just need your iPhone and your Apple Watch.

But you should also ensure that your Apple Watch is on its wireless charging puck during the update. The wearable will also need to be within Bluetooth range of your iPhone and/or connected to a Wi-Fi network to continue.

watchOS 5 should be rolling out as of the writing of this article. If you don’t see it yet, just try again later. To download watchOS 5, use the following steps.

1. Open the Watch app on your connected iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on General.
3. Tap on Software Update.
4. The update will download and install. This may take some time, so plan accordingly.