Starting later this month, Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs) will be able to perform software recovery for Apple Watch directly in-store, eliminating the need to send the device to an Apple repair center. Currently, any Apple Watch with software failure that cannot be restored through the iPhone must be mailed to a repair center for processing. Users must wait for the round-trip transportation and repair of the device to be completed, which takes a long time.
After the new process is implemented, Apple retail stores and AASPs will be equipped with an Apple Watch repair dock that can be connected to a Mac for in-store software recovery of Apple Watch, thereby significantly shortening the repair time for software issues. Apple has launched an iPhone-based wireless recovery feature in watchOS 8.5 and iOS 15.4, but this solution has a limited scope of application and can only be used when a specific recovery prompt appears on the Apple Watch screen.
For situations that cannot be restored through the iPhone, such as a failed system update, a "bricked" device, or serious software issues such as being stuck in repeated reboots, you still need to rely on a specialized repair process that was not previously available in retail stores. Early Apple Watch models were equipped with a diagnostic interface that allowed Apple to perform software repairs in-store, but since Apple Watch Series 7, this interface has been eliminated and Apple has switched to wireless recovery methods. With this, all such software repairs need to be sent to repair centers, increasing the inconvenience faced by users in the event of software failure.