This week, Apple announced the new iPhone 17 lineup at its ‘Awe Dropping’ event, but its new range of Apple Watches – which includes the new Apple Watch Series 11 – got a lot of attention too. Since the event, Apple has revealed that watchOS 26 will be coming September 15, and the wait will soon be over.
Apple’s latest OS update will be rolling out to hardware across the Apple ecosystem. It’s a bit of a task to keep up with all the new features, but there are a handful of functions that we’re excited to see come to watchOS 26 and switch up the Apple Watch experience.
1. Advanced health features
With watchOS 26, Apple is bringing a plethora of new advanced fitness tracking features, the main star being Workout Buddy, which is essentially an AI personal trainer on your wrist.
During your workout, Workout Buddy will analyze your fitness data and history such as heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, and more to deliver personalized and spoken motivation. You should note that Workout Buddy is powered by Apple Intelligence, and will therefore require an iPhone that’s compatible with Apple Intelligence, so that’s the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, or later.
Aside from Apple’s new personal trainer, the company announced its new Sleep Score feature and Hypertension alerts function at its hardware event extending Apple Watch’s fitness tracking capabilities. To use Sleep Score you’ll need an Apple Watch Series 6 or above, the Apple Watch SE 2, or any Apple Watch Ultra. To use Hypertension alerts, you'll need an Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later.
2. New watch faces
A new software revamp calls for a fresh design upgrade, and Apple’s new Liquid Glass look is taking over its range of wearables. As well as its new glossy finish, there are four new faces coming to Apple Watch.
Exactograph is a modern revamp of a traditional watch face that separates the hours, minutes, and seconds. Apple is also introducing Flow, a watch face that uses Liquid Glass to ‘refract swirls of color’ and responds to the movement of your wrist.
3. Wrist flick
The double tap gesture has been part of Apple Watch since 2023, and it’s about to get a new friend. Wrist flick is a new, quick way for you to dismiss notifications, silence alarms, and stop timers when your other hand is busy.
4. Hold Assist and Call Screening
Much like iOS 26, Hold Assist and Call Screening is also coming to watchOS 26.
Hold Assist takes the daunting task of waiting on hold, and instead waits for you. It then notifies you when a live agent is available and prompts you to return to the call, while Call Screening aims to manage incoming calls from unknown numbers, displaying a name and possible reason for their calling.
5. Live translation
At its huge hardware event, Apple unveiled Live Translation for the AirPods Pro 3, and it’s reassuring to know that Apple Watch won’t be left out of this neat function.
Live Translation is coming to Messages for Apple Watch as well as iPhone, which automatically translates incoming texts into your preferred language allowing you to smoothly communicate regardless of language barriers.
This is another feature that requires an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone, so it’s best to keep that in mind.
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