Apple watchOS 7.1 has landed, and here's what it brings to your Apple Watch
Help for your hearing
It’s a big day for Apple fans, as not only are iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-orders opening, but software updates are also rolling out, with iPhone users getting iOS 14.2, while Apple Watch users get watchOS 7.1.
While this Apple Watch update is ultimately quite small, it includes some things that could prove very useful to select users. First up, there’s a new feature in the form of alerts when your headphone audio level could impact your hearing.
There’s also a fix for a bug that prevented some users from unlocking a Mac with an Apple Watch, and another bug that caused the screen to be dark on wrist raise for some Apple Watch 6 users.
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Big in Russia
But watchOS 7.1 is a really big update for users in South Korea and Russia, as it finally brings ECG support to the Apple Watch 4 and above in those countries, as well as adding support for irregular heart rhythm notifications.
To download the watchOS 7.1 update, make sure your Apple Watch is near your iPhone, and that the latter is connected to Wi-Fi, then head to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap General > Software Update. Assuming the update is found, just tap ‘Download and Install’ – though you’ll want to make sure you have at least 50% charge on your Apple Watch first.
The watchOS 7.1 update should be available now, but it might not have hit all watches quite yet, so if you don’t see it make sure to check again soon.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.