watchOS 3.1.3 requires an iPhone device with iOS 10.2.1

Jan 23, 2017 23:09 GMT  ·  By

After announcing the release of iOS 10.2.1 and macOS 10.12.3 Sierra security and bugfix updates, Apple today introduced new maintenance versions of its other operating systems and software, including tvOS and watchOS.

That's right, you can also update your Apple Watch Series 1 or Series 2 device to the newly released watchOS 3.1.3 maintenance update, your 4th generation Apple TV to the first point release of tvOS 10.1, and if you are an application developer, the Xcode IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to version 8.2.1.

Unfortunately, Apple did not yet reveal the changes implemented in tvOS 10.1.1, watchOS 3.1.3, and Xcode 8.2.1, so we can only believe that they introduce various patches for some recently discovered security issues, as well as bug fixes to improve the out-of-the-box user experience on Apple Watch and Apple TV devices.

However, this does not mean you should not update your devices. We always recommend keeping your operating systems and software applications, especially those you use every single day, up to date. Installing watchOS 3.1.3 on your Apple Watch requires you to first update your iPhone to iOS 10.2.1.

On the other hand, installing tvOS 10.1.1 on Apple TV 4th generation devices is done through the Settings app. Simply go to System, access the Software Update panel and install tvOS 10.1.1. Of course, Xcode 8.2.1 can be downloaded through the application itself or from your Apple developer account, from the downloads section.

We remind you that tvOS 10.1 introduced the new TV app, unifying your video content on all your devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch if you're using at least iOS 10.2. The new iOS 10.2.1 update just made it possible for users to restore the TV app if it is deleted, so using this latest version on your devices is highly recommended.