Apple WatchOS 8.1 Update Rolling Out With SharePlay, COVID-19 Vaccine Card Support

Apple Watches have come a long way compared to the first-generation wearable. The first edition of the Apple Watch would just show time, measure heart rate, and daily activities. Now, the latest ones have become more advanced and are capable of SpO2 (Blood oxygen levels), ECG (Electrocardiogram), high/low heart rate, fall detection, and more. Also, Apple keeps frequently updating features on Apple Watches via software updates.

Now, the company is rolling out the watchOS 8.1 update. This update comes a month after the release of the watchOS 8.0 update and brings some minor feature updates. Apple Watch Series 3, Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5, Apple Watch Series 6, and Apple Watch SE users can update their smartwatches to watchOS ‌8.1 via the dedicated Apple Watch app on their iPhone. Navigate to General > Software Update and the update will show up. However, bear in mind that the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50% battery charge left, needs to be placed on a charger, and needs to be in the range of the ‌‌‌‌connected iPhone during the update process‌‌‌‌.

Apple watchOS 8.1 Update: List Of Compatible Apple Watches

The watchOS 8.1 update is compatible with all Apple Watches released after the Apple Watch Series 2. Here is the complete list of Apple Watches that are compatible with the watchOS 8.1 update.

1. Apple Watch Series 3
2. Apple Watch Series 4
3. Apple Watch Series 5
4. Apple Watch SE
5. Apple Watch Series 6
6. Apple Watch Series 7

Apple watchOS 8.1 Features

The Apple watchOS 8.1 brings the essential COVID-19 vaccination card support. It allows you to store your COVID-19 vaccination reports in Apple Wallet to be accessed while on the go. However, the feature is only available in the US. The Apple Fitness+ feature now supports SharePlay, which enables users to invite up to 32 people to exercise together over a FaceTime video call. Apart from these little changes, it’s mostly a maintenance and support release update. The previous update, which was watchOS 8.0, was much more extensive and brought a lot of features.

Apple watchOS 8.0 Features

The watchOS 8.0 update had brought two new watch faces. It also included Pilates and Tai Chi workouts along with a new ‘Mindfulness’ app. It also brought Respiratory Rate support during sleepy tracking. It also brought a redesigned Weather app, which notifies about the weather on an hourly basis. The update also lets you search for and access images in iMessage via the App Shelf. The Photos app was reworked too, which displays Highlights and Memories. Images can be shared right from the Apple Watch via Messages or Mail. It also brings music sharing via Messages. watchOS 8.0 also brought support for multiple timers on the Apple Watch.