Apple introduced a Quite radical change in its names to name the operating system this year. What would have been Watchos 12 is now Watchos 26, because the company has decided to stop labeling its sequentially operating systems and appointing them instead of the exercise they are released. Each operating system now, from iOS 26 to macOS 26, also has a new revised display aesthetic called Liquid Glass, which means that certain applications, icons, pimples and pop-ups resemble frosted glass and other features look like rain drops.
Watchos 26 has new features from Apple Intelligence, which are small and measured rather than large and sweetening – but for Apple Watch fans, the fact that there is now an Apple intelligence on your wrist may be sufficient. Here, I will browse some of the new tips and tricks that you can now see on your Apple Watch. (If you want to read Apple directly, you can do it here.)
Updated on September 15, 2025: Watchos 26 has now been released. We have changed the language of this story to reflect this, added details on how to download it and add more information on new features.
Is your Apple Watch compatible?
How to install Watchos 26
First, check that your phone and watch are fully loaded and connected to Wi-Fi. Go to Watch Application on your iPhone and click Settings> General> Software update. Select Watchos 26 (if it has not already been automatically updated!). You are done!
Watchos 26 features
Liquid glass
Apple graciousness
Most liquid glass overhangs have been optimized for the largest screens of the Mac, the iPhone and the iPad. But hey, look, the figures on the clock face now have a translucent gel! You can also see slight specular reflections around the edges of the pimples when you look closely. Smart Stack – Apple layer widget system – will also use liquid glass so as not to obscure the screen.
Training
Apple graciousness
Workout Buddy uses all the exercise data accumulated by the Apple Watch – Heart rate, rhythm, distance, etc. – and uses it to offer personalized and optimistic encouragement (“You crushed it!”) During your exercise session. Apple Intelligence analyzes your data to provide this information and use vocal encouragement derived from fitness + trainers. It can also mark key moments, such as running a mile particularly quickly. It is available for a few exercises, such as walking or racing or indoor and outdoor race, external cycling, functional and traditional strength training, and HIIT – and yes, you can turn it off if the idea of a cheerleader in the ear is also for you.
The training application itself has also been overhauled, with four buttons in the four corners of the watch to facilitate the pressing on each feature. Users can configure music and podcasts in the training application, and Apple Music can select music or provide suggestions for an appropriate reading list.
Sleep and hypertension score
Apple graciousness
Watchos 26 now offers two new health features. The first is a new sleep score, which takes into account the time that you have set yourself, the duration of your sleep and the number of interruptions to classify your sleep on a five -point scale, excellent, high, ok, low or very low. When you click Sleep score in the Health application, you can also see your heart rate and your respiratory frequency during sleep.
The update also adds the possibility of following the possible signs of hypertension. Unheeded hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects approximately a third of all adults and can cause kidney disease, heart attacks or stroke. The watch now uses data from the optical heart rate monitor to check your data over 30 days for possible hypertension signs and will inform the user. Studies have been developed with studies of more than 100,000 people, and the characteristic is now authorized by the FDA.
Intelligent battery
Apple graciousness
Smart Stack now incorporates more contextual data, such as the user’s location and routine to provide more useful advice. For example, if you arrive at the gymnasium at your usual time, your Apple Watch can mark your location and slide a drive routine up of your smart battery.
Messages and notifications
Apple graciousness
If you have a Watch series 9 series, Watch Series 10 or Apple Watch Ultra 2, you can now use a new wrist gesture (a bit like double tap) to reject notifications or incoming calls, mining of silence and return to the face of the clock. An automatic learning model uses accelerometer and gyroscope data to catch the user’s wrist movement.
The Apple Watch is now supporting the translation live in messages (once again, you will need an Apple Intelligence compatible iPhone). If your language is defined on English, the watch will offer prompts in messages, such as suggesting Apple Cash if the user is invited to a donation. Call screening and Hold Assist will also come to the telephone application on the watch, allowing users to decide to take or refuse calls or request more information.
New watch vacises
Apple graciousness
There are new watch faces to choose. The flow is the new face of the watch which takes advantage of the liquid glass, with colored spots which swirl through the transparent glass numbers. The exactography looks a bit like the Waypoint face which has been available on Apple Watch Ultra for some time, but which is actually a reinterpretation of a traditional clock face. It separates the hours, minutes and seconds, and you can also see the second hand on other faces of the watch.
Finally, you can use the Notes on the watch application, which can be more important for some of us than others.
