iOS 15 and watchOS 8 beta 3 allow users to update devices with just 500MB free storage

With the newest iOS 15 and watchOS 8 beta 3, Apple has shipped a minor but extremely useful change that allows users to update their devices even when they have low storage available. As per the release notes for these new beta updates, users can update their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch even if less than 500 MB of storage is available. This might make Apple Watch Series 3 usable again users.

watchOS 8 beta might fix Apple Watch Series 3 update issue

The release notes accompanying the new iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and watchOS 8 beta updates explain the change:

Software Update

Resolved in watchOS 8/iOS 15 beta 3: You can now update your device using Software Update if less than 500 MB of storage is available. (78474912)

Apple Watch Series 3 users might be the biggest beneficiaries of this update, while users with older iPhone and iPad models with 64GB storage would also be happy to know about this change. Previously, users had to delete data to create space to download and install updates. iOS software updates are usually in the range of a few gigabytes so it has been a painful process for users with low storage.

Recently, Apple Watch Series 3 users have been complaining that they are unable to install the newest watchOS 8 updates, as the GPS model only has 8GB of storage. Even if the Watch had not data, users have been unable to install updates. Note that this is an Apple Watch model that the company currently sells so the issue has been bizarre, to say the least. As a workaround, Apple recommended that users restore and re-pair their Apple Watch Series 3 to get it to install the latest watchOS updates, which is obviously not a permanent solution.

So far, we have been unable to confirm whether this has a positive impact for Apple Watch Series 3 users with watchOS 8 beta, but we will update this post as soon as we receive some reports. The final version of watchOS 8 and iOS 15 will be available this fall for all users, so if you have an Apple Watch Series 3 and do not want to use a beta, hold on for a little longer.