iOS 15 and watchOS 8: much less space to update

New operating systems will be released this fall for all your Apple devices and are currently being tested through beta versions. The latest iOS 15 beta reveals something striking: you need less storage space to update. And that solves a big problem, especially for Apple Watch Series 3 users.

iOS 15 & watchOS 8: Less Storage Needed

If you want to install iOS 15 and watchOS 8 later, you only need a maximum of 500 MB of free space. That is what Apple claims in the release notes for the third and latest beta. That’s particularly good news for those with limited storage space, especially those with an Apple Watch Series 3. The Series 3 is the oldest Apple Watch model still on sale from Apple, but owners have walked every last year. watchOS update encounters the same problem again: space shortage.

Mainly a solution for Apple Watch Series 3

The Apple Watch Series 3 only has 8 GB of internal memory and when updating the message appeared that you had to free up space on your Watch. Apple recently acknowledged the problem, but offered unsatisfactory advice: You should disconnect your Apple Watch completely with every update. Very annoying, and we advised in our buying advice to ignore the Apple Watch Series 3 if you were still planning to buy it. Even with some older iPhones, updating was always a stumbling block.

But in the future, only 500 MB will be needed to be able to update, so the process should run smoothly again. It’s not yet clear how Apple managed this technically, but we’re sure to hear more about that soon.

iOS 15 and watchOS 8

In early June, Apple announced major updates for all of its Apple devices this fall. For the iPhone, this is iOS 15, for the Apple Watch watchOS 8. The operating systems will probably be available in September, but you can already try the beta now.