Apple retail locations and Apple Authorized Service Providers will soon be able to restore Apple Watch software in-store without needing to send an Apple Watch to a service center, according to a retail source that spoke to MacRumors.
Right now, Apple Watches that can’t be restored using an iPhone need to be mailed to an Apple Repair Center for service. There is no in-store repair option, so customers have to wait for the Apple Watch to be shipped to the repair depot, get repaired, and be shipped back.
Starting later this month, Apple Stores and AASPs will be able to use an Apple Watch repair dock that connects to a Mac to restore the software on an Apple Watch. An in-store option for fixing software will make software-based repairs much quicker.
With watchOS 8.5 and iOS 15.4, Apple introduced an iPhone-based wireless restore option, but it is limited. It can only be used when a restore prompt is shown on the Apple Watch. For software issues where the iPhone restore doesn’t work, the Apple Watch needs a specialized repair currently unavailable in retail stores. Failed updates, bricked devices, and boot loops can’t be fixed with an iPhone.
Early Apple Watch models had a diagnostic port that Apple Stores could use for software fixes, but it was removed with the Apple Watch Series 7, and Apple switched to a wireless restoration process. After the port was dropped, Apple Watch software repairs had to be done at Apple Service Centers, making software-based failures a hassle for customers.