Release record
Release notes
Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.
watchOS 4.2 was released on December 5, 2017 with Apple Pay Cash in the United States, new HomeKit accessory support, a downhill-snow-sports workout interface for third-party apps, three targeted fixes, and security repairs.[1][2][3]
Source ledger
Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.
Apple Support · Apple · 2017-12-05T00:00:00.000Z · Released December 5, 2017
Apple Support · Apple · 2023-11-06T00:00:00.000Z · watchOS 4.2 — 5 Dec 2017
Apple Support · Apple · 2017-12-05T00:00:00.000Z · No impact — Kernel (Meltdown)
Documented & observed
Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.
Release changes
Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.
bugFix · fixed
Two targeted corrections repaired navigation within Heart Rate and independent handling of concurrently active timing alerts.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
The release activated person-to-person payments on Apple Watch in the United States, subject to Apple's regional service availability.
Recorded at Public
security · fixed
Apple's advisory documents code-execution, privilege, information-disclosure, and web-spoofing risks, while distinguishing which Apple Watch generations received the multicast Wi-Fi correction in 4.2.
Recorded at Public
bugFix · fixed
The update addressed a reliability failure triggered by a specific voice-assistant weather request.
Recorded at Public
developerApi · introduced
The new workout type exposed a hardware-specific metric set for skiing and snowboarding applications.
Recorded at Public
feature · introduced
watchOS extended its smart-home control surface to two additional accessory categories.
Recorded at Public
Milestones
Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Developer beta
Public release
watchOS 4.2 reached the public channel on December 5, 2017 with US Apple Pay Cash, HomeKit and snow-sports support, Siri, Heart Rate, timer and alarm corrections, and security repairs.
Historical context
Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.
Historical avg for .2 releases
47 days, 5.4 milestones
Based on 10 previous watchOS .2 releases
Cycle vs. platform average
36d (avg: 58d)
22 days shorter than the watchOS average
Duration ranking
#40 of 49
Middle of the pack watchOS beta cycles
Longest gap in this cycle
18 days
Between Beta 4 and Public
| Version | Year | Cycle | Milestones | Avg. Interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| watchOS 7.2 | 2020 | 32d | 5 | 8d |
| watchOS 6.2 | 2020 | 48d | 7 | 8d |
| watchOS 6.1.2 | 2020 | 42d | 4 | 14d |
| watchOS 5.2 | 2019 | 62d | 7 | 10d |
| watchOS 5.1.2 | 2018 | 29d | 3 | 15d |
| watchOS 4.2.2 | 2018 | 41d | 6 | 8d |
Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.