Something’s wrong with the Hermes Apple Watch and watchOS 26
The issues that the second dev beta of watchOS 26 causes include crashes, overheating, and pairing problems, so they’re quite serious. Apple has confirmed the issue in the official release notes and is asking Hermes users to skip this beta.
The bugs are specific to Hermes edition Apple Watches that feature exclusive faces and styling. Persistent crashing, overheating, inability to charge the device, and other issues have been reported by users. Users are now urged to avoid the beta at least until a fix is released.
WatchOS 26 is pretty cool, but still in beta, so it can be buggy. | Image Credit – Apple
Problems with the Apple Watch app in these timepieces have also been reported. Unpairing the watch makes the app functional, but then re-pairing fails.
The beta is not pulled from circulation, but Apple is advising developers with a Hermes edition Apple Watch not to install the beta 2. The Cupertino tech giant has not given a timeline for a fix. This once again highlights the fact that a beta version is a beta version. Meaning, it is not a finalized OS and sometimes can be quite buggy and even unpredictable. Developer betas are meant to showcase new features and for developers to prepare for the new OS launch, but can introduce major issues on devices.
Developers can follow the Apple Developer Center page to see if there will be any formal rollback or announcement of patches aimed at fixing the issue. The tech giant is likely to release a targeted fix before the public beta begins rollout – which is sometime next month.
The stable version of watchOS 26 is expected to come in the fall together with iOS 26 and the new iPhone 17 series.
