watchOS 6 was released to the public on Thursday, September 19, 2020. The watchOS 6 update also requires an iPhone that’s running iOS 13 to work, so those with a newer Apple Watch but an older iPhone that can’t run iOS 13 or later won’t be able to install the software and will need to continue to use iOS 12 or earlier.

What iOS do you need for Apple Watch 6?

Apple Watch Series 6 require an iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14 or later. Features are subject to change.

Can you use watchOS 6 with iOS 14?

The Apple Watch Series 3 and later can install watchOS 7; the original, Series 1 and Series 2 all miss out. You’ll also need an iPhone running iOS 14. The Apple Watch Series 6 and SE will both come with watchOS 7 preinstalled, so you won’t need to worry about this process for those models.