Apple’s new watchOS 26 brings sleek design upgrades and smart new features to the Apple Watch — here’s which models will see all the updates.
On Monday, Apple unveiled its anticipated updates coming to its Apple devices this fall. Among the updates was watchOS 26.
While not the largest update ever, watchOS will be getting a few notable additions. This includes updated Smart Stack prediction algorithms, a new Workout Buddy mode, and a more intuitive design for the Workout app.
And, of course, it will also get the sleek new “Liquid Glass” interface overhaul, bringing it in line with the rest of Apple’s devices.
You might be wondering if your Apple Watch will be making the leap to the newest OS, and that’s fair. This year it’s a little more complicated, as many features are dependent on the device your Apple Watch is connected to, just as much as the Apple Watch hardware itself.
Apple says watchOS 26 will roll out this fall as a free update for the Apple Watch Series 6 or later, the second-generation Apple Watch SE, and all Apple Watch Ultra models. Apple Watch models will need to be paired with iPhone 11 or later, and the device must be running iOS 26.
However, Apple Intelligence features will require a compatible iPhone, which currently includes the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all iPhone 16 models. The iPhone must also have Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and the device language set to the same supported language.
There are a few other notable exceptions, too. The new “wrist flick” gesture, which can be used to silence notifications and calls, will require the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, or Apple Watch Ultra 2.
