Apple Officially Released watchOS 5.3 with These Bug Fixes and Updates

Apple on Monday officially released watchOS 5.3, a relatively minor update that’s likely to be one of the last to watchOS 5. watchOS 5.3 should now be available to all users of supported Apple Watch models. Here’s what’s new in the software update.

Walkie Talkie Bug Fix

If you’ve been missing the Walkie-Talkie feature on your Apple Watch this month, don’t worry. Walkie-Talkie is now back in watchOS 5.3.

Earlier this month, Apple disabled the Walkie-Talkie feature after it discovered a vulnerability that could allow for users to eavesdrop on someone else’s device without their knowledge.

The company noted that it wasn’t aware of any incidents of the exploit being used in the wild, although it still took down Walkie-Talkie as a precaution.

As soon as you update your Apple Watch to watchOS 5.3 (and your iPhone to iOS 12.4), you should be able to use the Walkie-Talkie app as you usually would.

ECG Support Expansion

Apple has also expanded its electrocardiogram (ECG) and irregular heart rhythm notification features to Canada and Singapore.

Notably, the launch of the ECG feature in Canada comes just a couple months after Apple said it was working to implement it “as quickly as possible.” Health Canada officially approved the feature for consumer use back in May.

It’s worth noting that some users in Canada report not seeing the ECG app even after they’ve updated to watchOS 5.3. You may need to update your iPhone to iOS 12.4 and set up the feature in the Health app.

Currently, the ECG app is available in more than 25 countries across the globe. Earlier this year, the cardio health feature rolled out to a handful of European countries, including France, the UK, Spain and Germany.

How to Download watchOS 5.3

Make sure that your Apple Watch is charged to at least 50 percent, placed on a charger, and in range of your iPhone before proceeding with the update.

watchOS 5.3 should now be available to download as an over-the-air update through the iOS Watch app. You can find it by going to General> Software Update in the app.

As mentioned earlier, watchOS 5.3 is likely one of the last updates to the watchOS 5 platform. Apple is currently in the midst of beta testing watchOS 6, the next major upgrade with a slew of new features that’s due to launch in the fall.