Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 108926
Update your Apple Watch - Apple Support
Tap General > Software Update. Download the update. If asked for your iPhone passcode or Apple Watch passcode, enter it. Wait for the progress wheel to appear on your Apple Watch. It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applewatch › still with applewatch se 1st gen
r/AppleWatch on Reddit: Still with AppleWatch SE 1st Gen
October 30, 2024 -
I'm still using my AppleWatch SE 1st generation I mean it's fully covers all my needs so I guess the main reason to upgrade is new more solid design of Series 10.
Users who updated give your feedback.
Top answer 1 of 4
17
I miss the Siri face so much. 😢
2 of 4
8
I still have the first SE too! Just visited the Apple Store today and tried out the new S10, was really looking forward to putting it on and see how it feels, but unfortunately it was a truly meh-experience. Put it on my wrist and flicked it around a bit, really couldn’t tell a difference to my old SE. Such a shame, I had high hopes. Gonna stop updating my SE and buy the next gen SE whenever it releases.
Videos
01:31
Apple Watch SE 1st Gen Update & 3rd Charge Test - YouTube
39:54
Apple Watch SE 1st Gen Full Review - YouTube
Apple Watch SE 1st Gen Update & 2nd Charged Test
How to update your Apple Watch | Apple Support - YouTube
08:05
watchOS 11.4 RC is Out! - What's New? - YouTube
Apple Watch SE vs Apple Watch SE 2 - Apple
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255096396
Apple watch SE 1st Gen will not complete software update
On your watch, open the Settings app. Tap General > Software Update.
Apple
support.apple.com › en-eg › docs › watch › pl290
Apple Watch SE (1st generation) Manuals and Downloads - Apple Support (EG)
Apple Watch SE - Info · About watchOS 3 Updates · Apple Watch OS 1.0.1 ·
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 255278980
Watch SE, iPhone 7, iOS 15 - Apple Community
No, you are apparently unaware: the watch update is required upon setup as I wrote, unless Apple allows iOS 15 exception? The 1st generation SE (still being sold) is not latest OS out of box.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 254555640
My apple watch 1st gen's last update was … - Apple Community
2. Tap My Watch, go to General > Software Update, then, if an update is available, tap Download and Install. If that isn't helpful, contact Apple Support directly for additional assistance. Have a great day! ... This thread has been closed by the system or the community team.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applewatch › apple watch se 1st generation operation on ios 26
Apple Watch SE 1st generation operation on iOS 26 : r/AppleWatch
August 11, 2025 - Can’t update to watchOS 11 or 26. Series. 6 or se2 or higher needed for watchOS 26. ... Why do you give stupid answers? If you don't know, don't answer... ... If you now the answer then why do you ask? And also they are correct. SE 1 doesn't support ios26 Continue this thread Continue this thread Continue this thread Continue this thread · I repurpose my old Apple Watch into nano ipod.
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 254773049
How would one go about updating a 1st gen… - Apple Community
You're going to find out it's almost impossible to update a series 1 watch. In theory, they should work with just about any iPhone, but an 8 + year old watch, with such outdated internals and extremely limited memory is going to be a difficult thing to update at best.
AppleDB
appledb.dev › device › Apple-Watch-SE-(1st-generation).html
Apple Watch SE (1st generation)
Released on Sep 18, 2020
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applewatch › apple watch se (1st gen) software support
r/AppleWatch on Reddit: Apple Watch SE (1st gen) software support
February 7, 2023 -
How long would the SE 1st gen would ne supported? Would the series 5 and SE be unsupported at the same time?
Top answer 1 of 2
4
My guess is that the Apple Watch SE will be supported for two more years (maybe three). Probably the AW SE would be unsupported at the same time of the AW Series 5 since both watches have the same processor.
2 of 2
2
Based on pure speculation and past experience with ending support for earlier generations, they will be supported until 2024-25. Apple can always suprise us. Logically support should end for both at the same time because of the common chipset but business strategy has overcome logic in the past with Apple. Apple has the numbers about how many active users each generation has on what software, and since they are profit oriented, they may end support earlier than we assume is “necessary”. Even though you’ll see most of the posts on the sub are about the latest generation, because new is always naturally more popular, in reality many users are planning on only upgrading after 3-4+ years. There have been some polls about this. Apple is also well aware of this fluctuation. If sales happens to underperform significantly for the new models, they will step up. Personally I was suprised by the amount of new features that watchOS 9 brought last year even for Series 4-5 (low power mode, international roaming, etc.), I was almost ready to upgarde, but eventually I haven’t seen anything that made me rush to get Series 8. Upgraded other Apple product instead.
Quora
quora.com › Is-the-Apple-Watch-1st-generation-still-supported
Is the Apple Watch 1st generation still supported? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): From Apple no, it is no longer supported. The Watch 3 is still though. watchOS 8 compatibility. * watchOS 8 requires iPhone 6s or later with iOS 15 or later and one of the following Apple Watch models: * Apple Watch Series 3 ...
Apple Community
discussions.apple.com › thread › 252847127
Can i update my apple watch 1 gen past 4.… - Apple Community
Can my first generation Apple Watch be updated to iOS 6 how do I update my first generation Apple Watch to iOS 6 update? 414 1 ... Depending on the version of iOS on your iPhone, you should be able to update a series 1 to watchOS 6.X.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/applewatch › ios 18 won't work at all with apple watch se (1st gen)
r/AppleWatch on Reddit: iOS 18 won't work at all with Apple Watch SE (1st Gen)
September 19, 2024 -
I just upgraded from the iPhone 13 Pro Max to the 16 Pro Max and found out that the 1st Gen Apple Watch will not even pair with any device running iOS 18. I can totally understand not being able to download to the new WatchOS due to compatibility, but not being able to be used at all is crazy.
Is this a known thing that iOS won't even function with iOS 18? Is my Apple Watch now useless?
Update: The issue that I was having was due to a corrupt iCloud backup. I lost all my data, but I was eventually able to update my watch. Apple continues to tell me that the SE 2nd Gen isn’t compatible with the iPhone 16, but that’s obviously not the case.
Top answer 1 of 5
6
Just an update on this issue for future reference. If you install iOS 18 on an existing phone, unpair the Apple Watch, then try to re-pair to the new phone using any kind of backup, it may fail to restore properly to the new device. I have two Apple Watch SE (2nd Gen) and one was able to be setup on the new iPhone. The other was not. The reason that I was given is that the backup is trying to restore data from iOS 18 that requires WatchOS 11. Since Watch OS 11 is trying to update from a corrupted backup, the backup is failing causing a "loop" and preventing the watch from pairing. None of the watches are even on WatchOS 11 as it hasn't even been downloaded yet on any of the devices. We tried the same thing that u/Striking-Stress723 tried with the other watch (2nd Gen) and it worked fine as far as having the watch functional, but the other watch (2nd Gen) is stuck in a loop and may need to be brought in for service. We were still unable to do anything with the 1st Gen and they advised that I should mention this in the feedback as it wasn't disclosed in the documentation other than it wasn't compatible with WatchOS 11. Thanks for the help guys! Hopefully someone having the same issue will see this.
2 of 5
5
My son uses iOS 18 and his Apple Watch SE 1st gen running watchOS 10 and it works just fine.
Apple Support
support.apple.com › en-us › 111862
Apple Watch SE (1st generation) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support
Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) can use a cellular connection for Emergency SOS. To use Emergency SOS on an Apple Watch without cellular, your iPhone needs to be nearby.
US Mobile
usmobile.com › blog › is-the-apple-watch-se-1st-gen-still-a-smart-buy-in-2024
Is The Apple Watch SE (1st Gen) Still A Smart Buy In 2024? | US Mobile
November 17, 2024 - Even though Apple has discontinued the first-gen SE, it’s still getting software updates. How long will that continue? That’s anyone’s guess. It’s essential to keep this in mind before buying, as support could end, leaving you without updates or new features. So, is the Apple Watch SE (1st ...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › WatchOS
watchOS - Wikipedia
2 days ago - Apple announced watchOS 11 at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, 2024. With this release, Apple drops support for the Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE (1st generation).
Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › wellness › smartwatches
watchOS 11 compatibility — Apple just killed support for 3 watches | Tom's Guide
September 17, 2024 - Apple has just revealed that OS ... bring some exciting new features to Apple Watch, those with Series 4, Series 5 and first-gen SE models will not be eligible to enjoy them....
Apple
apple.com › watch › compare
Apple Watch SE 2 vs Apple Watch SE - Apple
Requires an iPhone and Apple Watch with second-generation Ultra Wideband chip.
End of Life Date
endoflife.date › apple-watch
Apple Watch | endoflife.date
November 9, 2025 - Check end-of-life, release policy and support schedule for Apple Watch.