Users of Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch 7, and older models are reporting buggy devices after downloading the latest OS.

Apple has recently issued software updates to its smartwatches. Along with iOS 26.4, the company also released updates for older Apple Watches, introducing watchOS 5 and watchOS 8.

Users who updated their devices to watchOS 8.8.2 are now reporting multiple issues that apparently began in March.

Apple Watch owners reported they’re unable to install apps, including those issued by Apple, such as Maps and Weather, reports MacWorld.

Multiple users also flooded Apple's support page, reporting that they were unable to pair their watches with their other devices.

While some users reported success in bringing their watch back by unpairing and re-pairing or restarting, not all were successful.

“I contacted Apple Support on 4/14, and they said this is a bug in the software and the engineers are currently looking into a fix for it,” wrote one community member.

“Expect a software update or fix within the next week. [...] Don't waste your time trying to reset, unpair, etc.,” concluded the Apple Watch owner.

In this case, users who have already tried to unpair and restart their smartwatch can’t do much, since they can’t return to the previous OS.

The company hasn’t yet officially addressed the issue.

The buggy Apple Watch OS comes after the company faced issues with its smartphone software updates.

Recently, the company was forced to provide iOS 18 users with an additional security patch due to their smartphones being at serious risk of hacking.

Researchers uncovered iPhone spyware called DarkSword, capable of taking over smartphones running older Apple software.

What made this situation even trickier was users’ unwillingness to download the latest Apple software update, iOS 26.

The reason was that iPhone owners saw multiple issues with the new OS, including its design, Apple Intelligence, and battery life.

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