Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 get fix for frustrating reboot issue

Apple has released watchOS 27.0.1, a small fix aimed solely at the Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, targeting a problem that emerged almost as soon as the watches shipped: unexpected restarts. Apple's release notes are minimal, simply confirming the update addresses random reboots without elaborating on the underlying cause.

The problem itself had no single trigger, which made it harder to pin down. Owners reported crashes while using Siri, Maps, the App Store and watch faces, as well as during workouts, and some devices rebooted while seemingly idle. Diagnostic logs shared by several users pointed to an Apple Neural Engine timeout, followed by a watchdog-triggered kernel panic.

Apple's response was notably fast. The watches only launched on September 18, and the respective patch arrived less than a week later. This turnaround, along with reports that resets and even a replacement unit didn't solve the problem, indicates a software or firmware fault rather than defective hardware. Still, Apple's silence on the technical specifics leaves questions unanswered. For now, affected owners are simply advised to install the update via My Watch > General > Software Update or the paired iPhone's Watch app, ensuring at least 50% battery beforehand.