Apple Watch hit by major bugs after watchOS 8.8.2 update

Around three weeks ago, Apple released watchOS 26.4 alongside iOS 26.4 and macOS 26.4. At the same time, the company quietly released updates for watchOS 5 and watchOS 8, two older versions of the Apple Watch’s operating system. These renewed security certificates and enabled iMessage and FaceTime to carry on working.

Unfortunately, users are now reporting across various channels that the watchOS 8.8.2 update is causing problems with their Apple Watches. The most common issue appears to be an inability to install apps. Even Apple’s own apps, such as Maps and Weather, are not immune.

Other users report random crashing and pairing errors. One affected Apple Watch shut down despite being almost fully charged; after a forced restart, it showed a battery level of 80%. A common tip for problems with the Apple Watch is to unpair it from the companion iPhone and then pair them again, but even during this step, affected users report that the connection sometimes fails.

So far, there appears to be no permanent solution to either the crashes or the app installation problem. Several commenters on Reddit and Apple Community say they’ve already contacted Apple Support, but this hasn’t yet led to a fix, or even an explanation of what’s going on. To make matters worse, there is no easy way to revert to the previous version of watchOS. And while watchOS 8 might sound like an ancient OS, it’s compatible with some Apple Watch models which remain popular, such as the Series 6 and SE.

If you’ve been affected by the issues with watchOS 8.8.2, please get in touch with us using the form below. The more user feedback Apple receives, the more likely it is that the developers in Cupertino will investigate the issue and (potentially) find a fix.