Anchored by a vibrant new Liquid Glass design and a more intelligent Smart Stack, the update focuses on delivering deeply personal, context-aware experiences that elevate fitness, communication, and everyday interactions.
With Apple Intelligence now powering key features, watchOS 26 solidifies the Apple Watch’s role as a health and lifestyle hub—designed to be more proactive, intuitive, and assistive.
Refined Interface with Liquid Glass
watchOS 26 introduces a unified visual design using Liquid Glass, Apple’s dynamic new UI material. The effect subtly refracts light and movement to bring depth and clarity to system components including Control Center, Smart Stack widgets, in-app navigation, and the Photos watch face.
The updated design makes information more legible, gestures more responsive, and the overall experience more visually immersive—without disrupting the familiar feel of watchOS.
Workout Buddy: AI Motivation in Real Time
One of the standout features is Workout Buddy, a new fitness experience built with Apple Intelligence. It delivers real-time, spoken motivation during workouts using users’ heart rate, pace, activity history, milestones, and more.
The voice—generated using Fitness+ trainer voice data—gives context-aware encouragement, such as noting when users hit weekly milestones, close activity rings, or achieve personal bests. Apple ensures all data is processed privately and securely, with all insights delivered locally on device.
Workout Buddy launches with support for popular workout types, including outdoor/indoor running, walking, cycling, HIIT, and strength training, and works with Bluetooth headphones for hands-free feedback.
Workout App Gets More Customisable and Personal
The Workout app also receives its biggest redesign to date. Four new corner buttons provide quick access to advanced features like Race Route, Pacer, and Custom Workouts. Users can now auto-play music or podcasts tailored to their tastes and workout type, with personalised playlists suggested by Apple Music.
Smarter Smart Stack, Now With Hints
The Smart Stack widget system becomes more intelligent with Smart Stack hints—contextual prompts surfaced based on user habits, location, or sensor data. Whether it’s suggesting a Pilates workout upon arriving at a studio or showing a Backtrack reminder in a remote area, the Smart Stack proactively adjusts to fit the moment.
These hints are rendered in Liquid Glass, blending form and function in a way that fits the Apple Watch’s quick-glance utility.
Messaging Upgrades and Live Translation on the Wrist
watchOS 26 now supports Live Translation in Messages. Users can receive incoming texts in their preferred language and send responses that are automatically translated—right from their wrist. Apple also introduces intelligent suggestions for Apple Cash, Check In, and other actions based on message context.
Smart Replies are now more accurate and personalised thanks to an upgraded on-device language model.
Gesture Control Expands with Wrist Flick
A new wrist flick gesture joins double tap as a one-handed control mechanism. With a flick of the wrist, users can dismiss notifications, silence alarms, or end calls—ideal for when one hand is busy. The feature uses machine learning to distinguish intentional flicks from casual motion, enhancing control without added friction.
Volume controls for Siri and alerts are also now dynamic, adjusting automatically to ambient noise for a more seamless experience.
New Apps and Accessibility Tools
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Notes comes to Apple Watch, enabling users to create, pin, and unlock notes, checklists, and journal entries via dictation, keyboard, or Siri.
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Hold Assist and Call Screening now function on Watch when an iPhone is nearby, helping users manage calls efficiently by gathering caller info or alerting them when a live agent picks up.
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Live Listen with Live Captions provides real-time transcription of iPhone audio directly on Apple Watch, adding a critical tool for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Photos, Faces, and Developer Tools
The Photos watch face now shuffles images using Featured Photos, making sentimental moments more present. A redesigned watch face gallery groups faces into collections, improving discovery and personalisation.
For developers, watchOS 26 introduces:
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SwiftUI support for Liquid Glass elements.
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Smart Stack Relevance API to contextually surface third-party widgets.
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Control Widget API for building custom controls accessible via Control Center or the Action Button.
watchOS 26 delivers not just surface-level polish, but substantial enhancements to how Apple Watch helps users move, connect, and respond. With Workout Buddy, intelligent messaging, and advanced gesture control, Apple Watch becomes a more perceptive and assistive device—while remaining secure and user-driven.
The developer beta is available now, with a public beta arriving next month. watchOS 26 will officially launch this autumn for Apple Watch Series 6 and later.
