Three days after Apple released the watchOS 3.1.1 update on Monday, the Cupertino-based tech giant pulled it out because the update bricked Apple Watches. Complaints from timepiece owners about the smartwatches becoming useless led to the suspension on Thursday of the software update.
Among the complaints of Apple Watch owners after they had downloaded the watchOS 3.1.1 update is that their device displayed a red exclamation mark. And then they are directed to the Help page of Apple, Fortune reports.
Restarting Procedure
Apple Watch owners who downloaded the watchOS 3.1.1 are advised in the Help page to restart their timepieces. The smartwatch’s side button and crown are pressed and held down for 10 seconds. If it fails, the watch owner must get in touch with customer service.
Based on some threads in Reddit, the suggested restart procedure for Apple Watches with the watchOS 3.1.1 upgrade hardly works. Many frustrated timepiece owners instead brought back the bricked smartwatch to Apple Store for replacement or repair.
According to Arstechnica, most of the complaints came from owners of Apple Watch Series 2. However, not everyone who downloaded the watchOS 3.1.1 upgrade had problems with their smartwatches.
Hold The Update
In view of the complaints, Apple advised owners of Apple Watch who have downloaded the watchOS 3.1.1 upgrade but have not performed the update to hold off until the Cupertino-based giant has fixed the problem. For Apple Watch owners whose devices installed successfully watchOS 3.1.1, they do not need to do anything. Apple assured affected smartwatch owners it is developing a fix on the problem and would release another software update.
While the IDC reports that sales of Apple Watch weakened compared to 2015, with a 71 percent decline based on Q3 sales of 1.1 million units, Apple CEO Tim Cook insisted otherwise. He claimed sales during the initial week of holiday shopping broke any week in the watch’s history although Cook did not provide specific numbers to back his claim.
