watchOS 26 is here - Apple watch is now even smarter
Apple previewed watchOS 26, bringing a fresh design with Liquid Glass that updates the look of the Smart Stack, Control Center, Photos watch face, and app navigation—while keeping watchOS familiar. Fitness gets smarter with Workout Buddy, offering personalized spoken motivation, a new Workout app layout, and music tailored to your activity and tastes. Everyday use is simpler with Smart Stack hints, improved Messages, and a new one-handed wrist flick to dismiss notifications quickly.
New Design
watchOS 26 introduces a fresh Liquid Glass design that adds depth and vibrancy across apps by reflecting and refracting content in real time. This new look brings more focus to what matters, enhancing widgets like Smart Stack, notifications, Control Center, and in-app navigation. The Photos watch face is updated too, featuring Liquid Glass numerals that show more of your photo.
Apple Intelligence
watchOS 26 introduces Workout Buddy, a new fitness feature powered by Apple Intelligence. It uses your workout and fitness history—like heart rate, pace, distance, and Activity rings—to deliver real-time, personalized motivation.
As you begin a session, it might highlight your progress for the week or how close you are to closing your rings. During workouts, it can call out milestones, pace updates, or achievements like crossing a total yearly distance offering encouragement that’s both relevant and timely.
At the end of a workout, Workout Buddy gives a personalized recap highlighting stats like distance, pace, heart rate, and milestones along with encouraging feedback.
It uses on-device Apple Intelligence to analyze your data privately and turns those insights into dynamic spoken feedback, powered by a new text-to-speech model built from Fitness+ trainer voices.
Workout Buddy works with Bluetooth headphones and requires a nearby iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. It launches in English and supports popular workouts like running, walking, cycling, HIIT, and strength training.
Workout Experience
watchOS 26 brings the biggest redesign yet to the Workout app. Four new corner buttons make it quicker to access key features like Workout Views, Custom Workouts, Pacer, and Race Route, streamlining navigation and personalization during workouts.
watchOS 26 lets users set music or podcasts to start automatically with their workouts. Apple Music can suggest playlists tailored to the workout type and personal listening habits, or surface recent favorites based on past sessions.
Smartstack
In watchOS 26, Smart Stack becomes more proactive by using contextual, sensor, and routine data to offer Smart Stack hints—timely, actionable prompts that appear subtly in the new Liquid Glass design. For instance, it might suggest starting a Pilates workout when you arrive at the studio, or show a Backtrack hint if you're in a remote area without connectivity.
Translation in messaging
watchOS 26 makes Messages more intuitive for users with English set as their device language. It can now suggest actions like starting a Check In or sending Apple Cash based on conversation context. Customizable iPhone chat backgrounds sync to Apple Watch, making chats feel more personal, and users can reply to polls directly from their wrist. Smart Replies also improve, with more accurate suggestions powered by an enhanced on-device language model.
Notification New
watchOS 26 adds a new wrist flick gesture for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2, making it easier to manage notifications one-handed. A quick flick of the wrist can dismiss notifications or calls, silence timers or alarms, and return to the watch face. Powered by motion sensors and machine learning, it complements the double tap gesture—ideal for moments when your other hand is busy.
watchOS 26: Additional Updates
New Design
watchOS 26 introduces a fresh Liquid Glass design that adds depth and vibrancy across apps by reflecting and refracting content in real time. This new look brings more focus to what matters, enhancing widgets like Smart Stack, notifications, Control Center, and in-app navigation. The Photos watch face is updated too, featuring Liquid Glass numerals that show more of your photo.
Apple Intelligence
watchOS 26 introduces Workout Buddy, a new fitness feature powered by Apple Intelligence. It uses your workout and fitness history—like heart rate, pace, distance, and Activity rings—to deliver real-time, personalized motivation.
As you begin a session, it might highlight your progress for the week or how close you are to closing your rings. During workouts, it can call out milestones, pace updates, or achievements like crossing a total yearly distance offering encouragement that’s both relevant and timely.
At the end of a workout, Workout Buddy gives a personalized recap highlighting stats like distance, pace, heart rate, and milestones along with encouraging feedback.
It uses on-device Apple Intelligence to analyze your data privately and turns those insights into dynamic spoken feedback, powered by a new text-to-speech model built from Fitness+ trainer voices.
Workout Buddy works with Bluetooth headphones and requires a nearby iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence. It launches in English and supports popular workouts like running, walking, cycling, HIIT, and strength training.
Workout Experience
watchOS 26 brings the biggest redesign yet to the Workout app. Four new corner buttons make it quicker to access key features like Workout Views, Custom Workouts, Pacer, and Race Route, streamlining navigation and personalization during workouts.
watchOS 26 lets users set music or podcasts to start automatically with their workouts. Apple Music can suggest playlists tailored to the workout type and personal listening habits, or surface recent favorites based on past sessions.
Smartstack
In watchOS 26, Smart Stack becomes more proactive by using contextual, sensor, and routine data to offer Smart Stack hints—timely, actionable prompts that appear subtly in the new Liquid Glass design. For instance, it might suggest starting a Pilates workout when you arrive at the studio, or show a Backtrack hint if you're in a remote area without connectivity.
Translation in messaging
watchOS 26 makes Messages more intuitive for users with English set as their device language. It can now suggest actions like starting a Check In or sending Apple Cash based on conversation context. Customizable iPhone chat backgrounds sync to Apple Watch, making chats feel more personal, and users can reply to polls directly from their wrist. Smart Replies also improve, with more accurate suggestions powered by an enhanced on-device language model.
Notification New
watchOS 26 adds a new wrist flick gesture for Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2, making it easier to manage notifications one-handed. A quick flick of the wrist can dismiss notifications or calls, silence timers or alarms, and return to the watch face. Powered by motion sensors and machine learning, it complements the double tap gesture—ideal for moments when your other hand is busy.
watchOS 26: Additional Updates
- Notes App: Now on Apple Watch—view, pin, unlock, and check off items from notes, or create new ones using Siri, dictation, or the keyboard.
- Phone App Features: With iPhone nearby, Hold Assist alerts you when a live agent joins the call, and Call Screening lets unknown callers share their name and purpose before the phone rings.
- Accessibility: Live Listen now includes real-time Live Captions from iPhone audio, and Apple Watch can start or control these sessions remotely.
- Photos Watch Face: Now rotates Featured images from your photo library, showing meaningful moments with every glance.
- Watch Face Gallery: Redesigned to help users browse and discover faces more easily, with new collections on both the watch and iPhone.
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