Watchos 26 Preview: It's The Little Things

At WWDC 2025, Apple announced it was replacing nan sequential numbering for OS versions and pinch twelvemonth numbers. So alternatively of watchOS 12, I’ve spent nan past 2 weeks pinch nan nationalist beta of watchOS 26. The naming strategy displacement is subtle, but adjuvant — which is really I’d picture nan upgrades nan caller package brings to nan Apple Watch. The AI-powered Workout Buddy amended contextualizes your Fitness information and an added motion gives nan watch a nosy instrumentality that’s really helpful. Other upgrades — including amended smart replies and nan Liquid Glass curen — each harvester to make nan watch activity and look a spot amended than it did before. It’s not a game-changing shift, for illustration other OS 26 releases, but it manages to make a awesome watch a touch better.

Luminous Liquid Glass

Every Apple operating strategy sewage nan Liquid Glass treatment this year, including watchOS 26. The alteration is little noticeable connected nan Apple Watch than connected nan iPhone aliases iPad, though. You’ll announcement nan semi-transparent buttons and flowy activity erstwhile entering your password and opening nan power halfway — nan icons look for illustration they’re surrounded successful small drops of water, which is rather pretty. You’ll spot it connected nan Photos watch face, too, particularly if you prime nan “glass” colour for nan clip readout.

The Smart Stack now has a liminal glow and nan app icons are likewise a touch much sparkling than before. The effect is subtle and nicely unifies nan look of nan watch and its companion iPhone. Like each creation upgrades, Liquid Glass made maine consciousness for illustration I was utilizing a caller watch — though, for illustration everything, nan novelty wore disconnected aft a week aliases two.

Revamped Workout app combines AI stats pinch a DJ

In summation to nan Buddy, nan Workout app has a caller look pinch icons successful each of nan 4 corners of nan surface that springiness you easier entree to set your information view, play music, group goals and tweak Buddy settings. My favourite caller characteristic is successful nan euphony paper and it’s constricted to Apple Music for now. If you pat nan euphony icon, you person nan action to auto-play music. From there, you tin besides prime “Picked for you” aliases “Choose media.” The erstwhile will prime euphony that matches nan type of workout you’re doing and what you for illustration to perceive to. As personification who gets derailed from beautiful overmuch each my tasks erstwhile I person to interact pinch my phone, I admit thing that tin make decisions for maine and forestall maine from reaching for it.

I was presented pinch peppy thumps that matched nan cadence of my run, from bands and artists that were acquainted arsenic good arsenic new-to-me selections that fresh my tastes. Unfortunately, it didn’t ever activity correctly. Sometimes I’d get nary music, different times nan euphony would play but nan Workout Buddy would autumn silent. I recognize I’m testing a nationalist beta of watchOS 26, truthful I’m holding retired dream nan characteristic will activity astatine launch. Because erstwhile it worked, it was glorious.

The caller Workout Buddy is astir apt nan biggest AI play successful watchOS 26. It uses humanities and real-time information collected by your watch to springiness you a model into really you’re performing astatine nan beginning, extremity and passim a workout. It useful for walking, running, cycling and different workouts but requires headphones and a adjacent Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone. That gave maine pause. I dislike carrying worldly and/or sticking things successful my ears erstwhile I run. But aft acquiring immoderate unfastened earbuds and digging retired my aged Spibelt, I made it work.

There are 3 voices to take from arsenic of this writing, a agleam feminine option, a British male-sounding 1 and different female-presenting type pinch a little register. These were built connected vocal information from Fitness+ trainers and person an authentic sound to them. At nan commencement of a workout, you’ll get a little pep talk on pinch immoderate caller milestones. My pre-game stepping and moving talks included references to nan time of nan week, my location and accumulated fittingness data. For example, “Way to get retired location connected a Wednesday greeting locomotion successful Albuquerque. So acold this week, you’ve done 3 stepping workouts. Let’s get successful immoderate steps!”

Depending connected nan type of exercise, you tin group target ranges for cadence, bosom rate, speed, distance, powerfulness (cycling), clip and others. During a workout, nan AI will fto you cognize if you’re at, beneath aliases supra those levels. The first clip I tried Workout Buddy, my tally was rather lonely. I didn’t recognize I had to move connected nan Buddy, arsenic good arsenic nan various extremity metrics wrong nan Workout app. I did that and, connected my adjacent run, nan AI delivered cadence and bosom complaint updates, and fto maine cognize erstwhile I deed milestones for illustration region and duration.

At nan extremity of a workout, you’ll spot a reasoning animation arsenic nan AI assembles a summary. It’ll recap information for illustration your pace, distance, mean and highest bosom rate, arsenic good arsenic advancement connected your Activity rings. It’ll besides constituent retired comparisons aliases cumulative milestones you whitethorn person hit. For example, aft a longer walk, it told maine that I’d conscionable burned nan astir calories connected a locomotion truthful far. Another day, it told maine I’d walked 10 miles truthful acold this week. It closes nan update by encouraging you to return nan power into nan remainder of your time aliases thing likewise affirmative but measured.

That’s a large betterment complete nan first fewer times I utilized nan feature. My first fewer pep talks were cloying, telling maine thing on nan lines of “It’s not easy to get retired location early successful nan morning!” and “Your effort is inspiring!" After I stopped a tally early to fuss pinch settings, it told maine I did a “Great job!” connected a three-minute run. Thankfully, Apple appears to beryllium tweaking nan Buddy down nan scenes, calibrating nan AI’s “personality.” Recent pep talks person go noticeably little sycophantic and truthful much enjoyable. I ideate nan Buddy will only proceed to germinate moreover much from here.

The Workout Buddy is not a coach

The Workout Buddy is simply a motivational acquisition that provides personalized insights you tin usage to gauge your performance. But I conscionable vanished trying retired Samsung’s AI moving coach connected nan Galaxy Watch and couldn’t thief comparing nan two. That coach pushed maine to tally 5 kilometers for nan first clip successful my life. The Buddy made maine consciousness for illustration I’d accomplished thing typical conscionable by taking my canine connected a stroll. Both person their place, but I’d opportunity Apple’s type is astir apt champion for those who already cognize what their goals are and what they request to do to deed them. Samsung’s type whitethorn beryllium amended for beginners who want immoderate thief shaping their fittingness journey.

In summation to nan Buddy, nan Workout app has a caller look pinch icons successful each of nan 4 corners of nan surface that springiness you easier entree to set your information view, play music, group goals and tweak Buddy settings. My favourite caller characteristic is successful nan euphony paper and it’s constricted to Apple Music for now. If you pat nan euphony icon, you person nan action to auto-play music. From there, you tin besides prime “Picked for you” aliases “Choose media.” The erstwhile will prime euphony that matches nan type of workout you’re doing and what you for illustration to perceive to. As personification who gets derailed from beautiful overmuch each my tasks erstwhile I person to interact pinch my phone, I admit thing that tin make decisions for maine and forestall maine from reaching for it.

I was presented pinch peppy thumps that matched nan cadence of my run, from bands and artists that were acquainted arsenic good arsenic new-to-me selections that fresh my tastes. Unfortunately, it didn’t ever activity correctly. Sometimes I’d get nary music, different times nan euphony would play but nan Workout Buddy would autumn silent. I recognize I’m testing a nationalist beta of watchOS 26, truthful I’m holding retired dream nan characteristic will activity astatine launch. Because erstwhile it worked, it was glorious.

More hands-free nosy pinch wrist flick

I emotion nan double pat motion Apple introduced pinch nan Apple Watch Series 9 — it’s a pleasance to extremity timers, commencement auto-detected workouts and reply calls without getting my different manus involved. But it took immoderate believe earlier I could reliably get nan watch to admit nan gesture. (The instrumentality is raising your wrist successful an exaggerated checking-the-time mobility past quickly, but not excessively quickly, tapping your thumb and digit together twice.)

Luckily, nan caller Wrist Flick mobility introduced successful watchOS 26 takes practically nary effort to get right. It involves quickly turning nan backmost of your wrist distant from you and backmost up again. Doing that tin soundlessness a call, extremity a ringing timer, disregard notifications and return you to nan watch look from immoderate app you open. It besides makes those irritating adjuvant “Time to stand!” reminders spell away. The wrist flick doesn’t clear alerts, conscionable dismisses them — truthful nan reddish parameter dot disappears, but nan notification remains and you tin spot it if you swipe down. Just statement that it’s only disposable to Apple Watch Series 9, 10 and nan Ultra 2.

Wrist flick is simply a awesome characteristic — though it's important to statement that Android wearables since WearOS 2 had a akin characteristic for a while now. And I’d for illustration to spot Apple adopt much hands-free interactions for illustration this. Apple already has galore gesture-based controls arsenic portion of its existing AssistiveTouch feature. Actions for illustration fist clenches, wrist tilts and azygous aliases double taps tin power astir of nan navigation connected nan watch. Unfortunately, turning connected AssistiveTouch turns disconnected nan cosmopolitan double pat feature. I’d beryllium willing successful seeing thing that splits nan difference. Perhaps 4 aliases 5 gestures for basal functions that tin beryllium utilized successful conjunction pinch surface input.

Smarter replies could make Messages a usable watch app

The Apple Watch is awesome for reference texts, but replying is awkward. That mini keyboard is an interface for ants — moreover talk-to-text input is inefficient arsenic it’s reliable to correct mistakes. Smart Replies are small canned responses that look arsenic suggestions beneath nan reply field. Those aren’t new, but now Series 9 watches and later will usage an improved on-device connection exemplary to travel up pinch applicable bits of matter you tin nonstop pinch a tap.

In summation to nan choices that are ever offered — Okay, Yes, No, Thank you and Can I telephone you later? — I saw things for illustration “Ok, fto maine know” and “That’s truthful sweet!” some of which applied to their respective conversations. I wasn’t ever fixed Smart Reply suggestions, and immoderate of them weren’t very relevant, but again, it’s a awesome characteristic that will prevention clip erstwhile it works.

Another Messages update is simply a carryover from iOS 26 (and borrowed from countless different messaging apps). You tin now group civilization backgrounds for each of your (Apple-only) contacts. Just statement that immoderate you group will beryllium seen by each participants successful nan conversation, erstwhile they update to iOS 26. On your watch, nan photo, gradient aliases shape you prime carries complete to your conversations. Not only does it look nice, I find backgrounds thief maine to not accidentally matter my mom thing I meant to nonstop to my sister.

Notes person arrived

The Notes app is now connected Apple Watch. I honestly hadn’t noticed nan deficiency earlier this — I cognize location are plentifulness of Notes enthusiasts retired there, but successful my world, Alexa handles each reminder and shopping database duties. Still, I tin spot really nan caller integration could travel successful handy. After creating a elemental shopping checklist successful nan iOS Notes app, I opened nan database connected my watch while I was shopping and recovered it acold easier to cheque things disconnected connected my wrist than dragging retired my telephone each clip I stuck thing successful my cart.

I’m funny to spot whether Apple’s improved prediction algorithms for nan caller OS will yet adhd Notes to my Smart Stack suggestions aft I unfastened nan Notes app a fewer times astatine nan market store. As it stands now, nan Notes widget will popular up first successful nan Smart Stack if that’s nan past app you used.

The remainder of nan caller stuff

Face Gallery

The iPhone Watch app has a caller look and now organizes watch faces by class alternatively of by name. Groupings see New, Clean, Data-rich, Photos and Health and Fitness, among others. It’s surely an improvement, but 1 that makes you wonderment why it wasn’t ever for illustration this.

Adaptive sound

Another nice-but-obvious update adjusts nan measurement of pings and beeps to fresh nan situation — quieter successful a noiseless agency and louder astatine a raucous BBQ. I group a timer to spell disconnected erstwhile I was softly moving astatine my table and past again pinch large euphony playing and I couldn’t really show nan difference. But that’s a difficult metric for nan humble quality receptor to judge. Again, this is simply a characteristic reserved for Series 9 models and later.

Smart Stack

The Smart Stack will now adhd a mini punctual to your watch look erstwhile it detects definite situations. For example, if you unfastened nan camera app connected your phone, a mini camera icon appears astatine nan bottommost of your watch screen, arsenic a proposal to unfastened nan distant shutter. Apple gives different examples, specified arsenic showing nan workout icon erstwhile you get astatine your accustomed pilates workplace aliases nan Backtrack navigation characteristic erstwhile you travel distant from cellular connectivity.

I didn’t spot nan punctual very often, but I did announcement that nan Smart Stack rearranged itself according to my habits — specified arsenic putting nan medicine widget astatine nan apical of nan stack correct astir nan clip it was clip to return my prescription, aliases shuffling Shazam to nan apical erstwhile it hears euphony playing.

Siri is still Siri

Coming caller disconnected of reviewing nan Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, I can’t thief but announcement a stark quality betwixt that wearable’s afloat integrated, AI-powered Gemini and Apple’s same-old Siri. Gemini connected nan Samsung watch helped maine find caller worldly successful my city, performed convoluted tasks and answered immoderate beautiful esoteric questions. I usage Siri connected my watch to reliably group timers, matter group and adhd events to my calendar. But it’s not rather connected nan level of Gemini’s contextually-aware, generative capabilities that tin interact pinch aggregate apps. Asking thing for illustration “Where should I person lunch?” gave maine a database of businesses pinch luncheon successful nan sanction followed by Siri asking me: “Which one?” Not judge what that meant. Gemini, connected nan different hand, gave maine section and applicable ideas for places I’d really want to eat.

Even earlier AI swallowed everyone’s mind, I had a soft spot for integer assistants. When Alexa sings nan “You’re very, very, ohio truthful very welcome” song, I get a dopey grin connected my face. I’ve tried to emotion Siri, but I get disappointment by being misunderstood, misdirected, misheard and flat-out ignored. I cognize Apple doesn’t for illustration to merchandise caller tech until it’s afloat up to snuff, and I’m looking guardant to seeing what yet happens pinch caller Siri. But for now, nan disparity shows.

Wrap-up

The changes watchOS 26 brings to nan Apple Watch are possibly not arsenic expansive arsenic those for different Apple devices. Liquid Glass present isn’t arsenic all-encompassing as it is connected nan iPhone. The caller watch features don’t make nan wearable yet recognize its afloat imaginable like iPad OS 26 does for nan tablet. And location isn’t 1 awesome characteristic upgrade that transforms nan watch experience, for illustration macOS 26 does pinch Spotlight on Macs.

But nan updates do push nan acquisition of utilizing nan watch forward. Liquid Glass is beautiful and nicely ties nan wearable pinch its companion devices. The Workout app, which was already bully astatine search fittingness metrics, is moreover amended pinch nan Workout Buddy, providing stat summaries and automated playlists. Improved smart replies for Messages and nan summation of nan Notes app hole 2 of nan watch’s erstwhile shortcomings. And nan wrist flick adds different action for hands-free relationship and — I dream — is simply a precursor to much specified utility. I’m still holding retired dream for an improved, personable and adjuvant Siri erstwhile Apple is ready, but for now, these are each invited upgrades for what’s already nan industry’s champion wide smartwatch.