watchOS 26: All The New Features

We may earn compensation from reviewed products. Learn about our editorial policies.

Need-To-Knows

• Developer beta out now; public beta coming soon; full release expected fall 2025.
• Liquid Glass UI refreshes watchOS’ design
• New wrist-flick gesture to dismiss notifications
• AI-driven Workout Buddy

watchOS 26 is Apple’s latest refresh to the Apple Watch’s software. Like all the other operating software released by Apple in 2025, the naming system has been overhauled to reflect the year following their release.

watchOS 26 brings some modest updates, dominated mostly by the Liquid Glass UI redesign that features across Apple’s range of devices. There are some other new features too, such as an AI‑powered fitness coach and a wrist flick gesture to dismiss notifications.

Whilst this isn’t the most significant update to watchOS, we’re still going to run through everything you need to know, so let’s get to it!

Device Compatibility & Release

• watchOS 26 pairs with iPhone 11 or later on iOS 26.
• Developer beta out now; public beta coming soon; full release expected fall 2025.

At A Glance

1. Liquid Glass UI

• A translucent, frosted‑glass aesthetic across Control Center, Smart Stack, widgets, notifications, and in‑app controls. For example, buttons to turn on Do Not Disturb or controls for music are now slightly see-through with an embossed look to add a 3D element.

• The Photos watch face now shows Liquid Glass numerals that dynamically adapt to the amount of dead space left by the photo you choose as a background.

Related: Get the low-down on all the new iPadOS 26 features

2. Workout Buddy

• A personal trainer/cheerleader in audio form, driven by Apple Intelligence.
• Gives real‑time pep‑talks like “You’ve run 5km, keep it up!”—and post‑workout recaps, highlighting milestones like 500 miles/year. The Workout Buddy responds to your workouts and can set goals for you to achieve. The voice is entirely AI-generated.

• The Workout app itself gets a new layout: four corner shortcuts for Pacer, Custom Workout, Music, and Workout Buddy.
• Songs and podcasts are automatically suggested based on workout type and your Apple Music habits.

Related: Read Mark’s full Apple Watch Series 10 review

3. Wrist‑Flick Gesture

• On Apple Watch Series  9, 10, and Ultra 2, you can now flick your wrist in a twisting motion to dismiss notifications, incoming calls, alarms, and timers.

Still worth it? Read Mark’s full Apple Watch Ultra 2 review

• Volume now auto‑adjusts to ambient noise.

4. Smart Stack Hints

• Smart Stack, the place you see your currently opened apps and notifications, is now contextually aware of your habits and routine. This means your Apple Watch can now suggest apps or widgets when it thinks you need them. For example, opening fitness tracking when at the gym.

• You can also customise Smart Stack to feature your most important widgets.

5. Control Center (Third‑Party & iPhone Toggles)

• Customise your Control Center to rearrange it, add third‑party app toggles, and control iPhone’s Wi‑Fi, flashlight and battery from your wrist.

More info: All the new iOS 26 features

6. Messages & Communication Enhancements

• Smart actions: watchOS will suggest quick actions such as sharing your location when asked by a friend through Messages or send Cash when context allows.

• Live Translation: incoming texts can be auto‑translated when paired with an Apple Intelligence‑capable iPhone.

• Call Screening & Hold Assist: filter unknown callers and keep your queue while working hands‑free, just like in iOS 26.

7. Notes App

• The Notes app comes to Apple Watch. You can view existing notes or create new ones from the Watch itself, with Siri compatibility integrated too.

Top Tips: How to set a custom ringtone on iPhone

8. Live Listen Transcriptions

• Live Listen on iPhone now sends a real‑time transcription to your Watch of whatever you are recording.

9. Privacy: Show Data When Locked

• A hidden beta feature hints at a “complication privacy” toggle that could keep widget data (like Weather or Calendar) hidden until your Apple Watch is unlocked.
• Health data remains hidden on locked screens at all times.

10. TV Faces, Widgets & Photos

• Featured Photos face now shuffles your best shots each time you raise your wrist.
• Watch Face Gallery is recategorised around themes: Fitness, Data‑rich, Photos, etc.
• Configurable widgets: choose which smart widget appears where.

Top Tips: How to tell if an iPhone is locked to a network

Final Thoughts

Our verdict: It’s a solid, thoughtful update without a huge amount to shout about. Liquid Glass is controversially see-through, which could turn people of, but the Wrist Flick feature feels genuinely useful. The Workout Buddy might be a sleeper hit, but at the moment it feels a lot like something nobody asked for.

The rest of the updates are fairly minor quality-of-life tweaks that are nice, even if most people won’t notice them. Live Translations are a very handy thing to have on your wrist though!