watchOS 10.5 is undoubtedly a minor update by Apple’s standards, but release notes show why it’s worth downloading and installing on your Apple Watch.
Apple released the watchOS 10.5 update on Monday, May 13, 2024. To download and install it, venture into Settings > General > Software Update on your Apple Watch and follow the instructions. Or, launch the Watch app on your iPhone, select the My Watch tab and navigate to General > Software Update.
The biggest news is a new Pride Radiance watch face available via the Watch app, the Apple Store app or apple.com. It brings a spectrum of colors representing the vibrancy and diversity of LGBTQ+ communities. The colors trace each numeral and react in real time to wrist movement based on input from the gyroscope.
Release notes: What’s new in watchOS 10.5?
Neither the watchOS 10.5 changelog available in the Software Update section nor this Apple page which details changes in watchOS 10 updates is very revealing:
watchOS 10.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including a new Pride Radiance watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.
If you don’t care about the new watch face, install watchOS 10.5 to stay on top of the latest online threats. According to the Apple page which details security fixes in its software, watchOS 10.5 patches half a dozen bugs and security vulnerabilities.
Apple wants you to celebrate Pride in style
The Pride Radiance watch face is one of the ways Apple is honoring this year’s Pride. There are also all-new Pride Radiance dynamic wallpapers in iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5, which animate when you swipe up from the Lock Screen.
On May 22, the Cupertino tech giant will launch the special-edition Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop in the United States and Canada. It features a laser-etched lug reading “PRIDE 2024.” The limited-time strap will hit other regions on May 23.