watchOS 10 Compatibility: Will Your Apple Watch Get It? 

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watchOS 10 is rumored to be the biggest software update ever for the Apple Watch. But will your Apple Watch get it?

Apple’s WWDC23 is just around the corner, where it is expected to launch a number of new hardware and software products. The hardware products include the Reality One AR headset and the 15-inch MacBook Air. As for the software products – the usual ones apply: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, tvOS 17, and macOS 14.

But it’s also rumored that the Apple Watch’s updated software – watchOS 10 – will be the biggest software update to the Apple Watch ever.

Here’s what we know about watchOS 10 so far and which Apple Watches are likely to support the new operating system.

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watchOS 10: What Is It?

watchOS 10 is the next version of the Apple Watch’s operating system that Apple is expected to unveil at WWDC23 before it ships to the public later this year.

watchOS 10 is also rumored to be one of the biggest software updates to the Apple Watch ever.

That’s because watchOS 10 is rumored to feature a new home screen layout. The rumors come to us from an anonymous leaker on Twitter under the handle @analyst941. For those of you who don’t get the “941” reference: if you look at the screenshot mockups Apple uses for the iPhone on its website and in its advertising, you’ll see that the time on the iPhone’s screen is nearly always 9:41.

This easter egg represents the time that Steve Jobs announced the first iPhone back in 2007.

As for what @analyst941 says, the leaker said the redesigned home screen is “going to be much easier to use, move, & act more familiar to iOS, including folders.”

Folders on the Apple Watch are pretty wild, if true. We won’t know for sure until Apple officially unveils watchOS 10 at WWDC23 in June.

Besides the new home screen changes, little else is known about what watchOS 10 will offer.

watchOS 9 Apple Watch Compatibility

Before we look at what Apple Watches will support watchOS 10, let’s look at the Apple Watches that support watchOS 9. They are:

However, there is reason to believe that ALL watchOS 9 Apple Watches may not support watchOS 10…

watchOS 10 Apple Watch Compatibility

Given that watchOS 10 is rumored to be the biggest redesign to watchOS in years, it’s reasonable to wonder if the operating system will require more processing power. If that is the case, it’s reasonable to believe that Apple may drop support for the Apple Watch Series 4 in watchOS 10.

Why? Because the Apple Watch Series 4 uses the S4 chipset while all later Apple Watches use the S5 chipset or above.

Now, one argument against Apple dropping support for the Apple Watch Series 4 with its S4 chipset in watchOS 10 is that the S4 chip isn’t that different than the S5 chipset. Architecturally, the S4 and the S5 are very similar. The S5 does add a magnetometer, however.

But if Apple does drop support for the Apple Watch Series 4 and the S4 chip from watchOS 10, then these are the Apple Watches that are likely to support watchOS 10:

However, we’re on the fence as to whether Apple will drop support for the Series 4. If it does make the cut and support watchOS 10, though, it could be that watchOS 10 will be the last operating system the Apple Watch Series 4 supports.

Michael Grothaus

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.