Apple releases watchOS 27.0.1 to fix random restarts on Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4

ZDNet said its writer experienced two random restarts since picking up a Series 12 last week, both while adjusting a setting on the watch. Other owners have reported similar behavior. In a thread on Apple’s Support Community, one user said they checked diagnostic logs after a sudden restart and found an entry for a panic-full file referring to a timeout in the Neural Engine. The Neural Engine is hardware on the watch designed to process tasks related to AI, security and other features; when it times out, the watch automatically restarts, according to the thread described by ZDNet.

Apple’s watchOS 27.0.1 update is intended to resolve the issue. ZDNet said it installed the update and that it was too soon to tell whether it fixes the problem, though Apple usually gets such fixes right. Apple’s support page for watchOS 27.0.1 refers to bug fixes in the plural, suggesting the update may include other fixes. For now, the restart issue apparently appears limited to the Series 12 and Ultra 4.

Users who want to check whether their watch has logged the problem can open the Watch app on their iPhone, go to General, scroll down and select Diagnostics Logs, then look for a panic-full entry and select it to view results. To update the watch, users can open the Watch app on the iPhone, go to General, select Software Update and download 27.0.1. They can also update directly on the watch by going to Settings, selecting General, tapping Software Update and choosing the download and install option.

ZDNet said the patch follows reports from Series 12 and Ultra 4 owners, and that Apple’s response came relatively quickly. The support page for watchOS 27.0.1 cites bug fixes, so the update may address more than the restart problem.