Apple released watchOS 3.1.1 this week. After only a few hours of availability, the company disabled the download links yesterday after users complained of the new Apple Watch Series 2 ending up in a bricked state after rebooting.
Affected devices display a red exclamation mark on their display. A website address directs owners to Apple’s support pages. According to the company’s advice, force restarting the Watch by pressing the side button and Digital Crown simultaneously could restore it to life. The procedure isn’t working for people whose devices were bricked by the update.
The issue only seems to affect the Apple Watch Series 2 launched earlier this year. It has not been determined why only some devices were bricked by the patch. The update installation succeeded on many watches, leaving a single group of users to experience the problems. There’s currently no indication of how many watches were bricked by the update.
Apple hasn’t publicly commented on the reports. It acknowledged an “issue” with the update procedure was experienced by some owners in a statement to Ars Technica today. The company said customers should contact it directly if their Watch has been bricked.
“A very small number of Apple Watch customers experienced an issue while installing watchOS 3.1.1, so as a precaution we’ve pulled back the software update,” the company said. “Any customers impacted should contact AppleCare, but no action is required if the update installed successfully. We are working on a fix for an upcoming software update.”
The faulty software release, watchOS 3.1.1, has now effectively vanished. It’s no longer offered for download from the Watch’s companion iPhone app. The previous version, watchOS 3.1, is being listed as the most recent release.
Apple may be forced to provide replacement devices to customers with bricked watches. The Apple Watch communicates wirelessly so a functioning software release cannot easily be installed on it. With the restart procedure unable to cure the fault, there’s nothing consumers can do to restore their Watch to health.
Apple retail stores do not service the Watch on-site because access to the diagnostic port is required. Owners may be forced to send their devices away for a firmware update or accept a replacement. With Apple staying quiet on the issue, customers have been left to wait for further news.
Reports in a Reddit thread about the issue suggest Apple is already granting customers replacements on request. One poster said the company’s support staff are being “very lenient” about exchanges and have “already heard a number of similar reports.” Affected Apple Watch owners should contact AppleCare for advice on how to proceed.
