watchOS 5.1 Release Date, News & Update: Apple Temporarily Pulls Update Due to Reports of Bricking

Looks like the watchOS 5.1 update has encountered an unexpected glitch that has forced Apple to pull back the software. “Due to a small number of Apple Watch customers experiencing an issue while installing watchOS 5.1 today, we've pulled back the software update as a precaution,” Apple announced in a statement, via CNET.

The company started rolling out the watchOS 5.1 alongside the iOS 12.1 on Oct. 30, but it didn’t take long for Apple Watch Series 4 users to discover that the software update has caused their devices to stop working. CNET’s Scott Stein managed to update his watch to watchOS 5.1 without encountering any problems, but 9to5Mac’s Guilherme Rambo has reported that his watch has bricked and is now unusable.

The bug seems to have affected only a small number of users, but this is still a pretty serious problem nonetheless and the company has to address this right away. At the moment, there is no known fix for the problem. Restarting doesn’t seem to work, and users are advised to contact Apple support and wait for them to come up with a fix.

“Serious issues with the Apple Watch can be more complicated to resolve than with iPhones or other devices, because there’s no way to plug the device into a computer and reinstall the software yourself. The only recourse tends to be contacting Apple for service. The issue seems limited to the brand new Apple Watch Series 4, too, which is likely to compound frustration for affected users,” Sam Byford said in his report for The Verge.

Meanwhile, Apple Watch Series 4 users who have not yet updated their devices are advised to refrain from doing so until the issue with the watchOS 5.1 update is resolved. Right now, users will have to be patient because Apple is still working on a fix.