Apple to automatically update some watchOS apps ahead of watchOS 27 launch

Apple is notifying developers that it will automatically update some watchOS apps ahead of the public release of watchOS 27 this fall.

In an email sent to developers and seen by The Apple Post, Apple says it has identified a compatibility issue affecting the arm64 slice of some watchOS apps running the watchOS 27 beta. To make sure affected apps continue working as expected when watchOS 27 launches, Apple says it will automatically reprocess the impacted app binaries.

The company says developers do not need to take any action. Apple will not change the app’s content or functionality, but affected apps will appear to users as a new version on the App Store.

According to the email, the App Store release notes for affected updates will say: “This app has been updated by Apple to prepare for watchOS 27 compatibility. No new features are included.”

Apple says the reprocessing should be completed no later than August 31, giving the company time to update affected apps before watchOS 27 is released to the public later this fall.

The issue appears to be related to the app binary itself rather than anything developers have added to their apps. An app binary can contain different “slices” for different processor architectures, and Apple’s reference to the arm64 slice suggests the fix is designed to make sure the affected watchOS apps run properly on Apple Watch hardware under watchOS 27.

This is not the first time Apple has issued app updates on behalf of developers. Earlier this year, some iPhone apps received App Store updates with release notes saying the update came from Apple and included no new features, though it was unclear at the time exactly what Apple had changed.

Apple has also done something similar for Apple Watch apps before. In 2021, App Store listings for some apps showed release notes stating that they had been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon, following an issue affecting icons on Apple Watch Series 7.

Apple is currently testing watchOS 27 with developers, with beta 7 released earlier this week. The update is expected to launch publicly this fall, bringing new Apple Watch features alongside Apple’s wider iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 releases.