Apple previewed watchOS 26 at off WWDC 2025. It also gets the same LiquidGlass treatment as all the other new software Apple revealed with the Workout app featuring a new layout, a smart Workout Buddy, and music to listen to based on a user’s tastes and the workout type.
A bunch of new and enhanced widgets and updates to Messages are part of the update. And there’s a new one-handed wrist flick gesture to easily dismiss notifications although that requires Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 or Apple Watch Ultra 2.
As a daily user of the Workout app, I’m looking forward to giving Workout Buddy a try. It uses Apple Intelligence to incorporate a user’s workout data and their fitness history to generate personalized, motivational insights during their session, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more.
Some of the additions to the Workout app seem a little silly to me. For example, as a user starts a run Workout Buddy will give a personalised pep talk that may remind them of their running mileage for the week so far or share how they are doing against their Activity ring goals. During the workout, Workout Buddy can mark key moments like their mile splits, or tell them if they hit a new milestone based on their fitness history. When a user ends a workout, Workout Buddy will recap their workout stats and congratulate them on their achievements.
Workout Buddy analyses data privately and securely with Apple Intelligence. A new text-to-speech model then translates insights into a dynamic generative voice built using voice data from Fitness+ trainers.
Workout Buddy will be available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones and requires an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby. It will be available starting in English, across some of the most popular workout types including Outdoor and Indoor Run, Outdoor and Indoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, and Functional and Traditional Strength Training.
To add inspiration, users can set up music and podcasts right in the Workout app to automatically play when they start a workout. For users’ convenience, Apple Music can now select the best playlist for a user’s workout based on the workout type and their personal tastes.1 Alternatively, users can see suggestions for playlists or podcasts based on what they’ve recently listened to during that particular workout type.
Live Translation, a new feature that’s part of macOS Tahoe 26, iOS 26 and iPadOS26, will be available on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2, as long as an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone is close by.
Additional updates in watchOS 26:
- The Notes app comes to Apple Watch, allowing users to access their notes right on their wrist. Users can also pin and unlock notes, complete checklist items, and create new notes with Siri, dictation, and the keyboard.
- Hold Assist and Call Screening come to the Phone app, when an iPhone is nearby. When a user is waiting for a live agent, Hold Assist recognizes once a live agent is available and notifies the user to return to the call.4 Call Screening helps users manage incoming phone calls from unknown numbers more efficiently by collecting a name and reason for the call before their phone rings, so they can make an informed decision on whether to pick up, decline the call, or ask for more information.5
- For users who are deaf or hard of hearing, Live Listen controls come to Apple Watch with a new set of features, including real-time Live Captions of what their iPhone hears on a paired Apple Watch while listening to the audio.6Apple Watch serves as a remote control to start or stop Live Listen sessions on a paired iPhone, or jump back into a session to capture something that may have been missed.
- The Photos face will now shuffle images based on Featured content from Photos, so users can see images of their most meaningful moments every time they raise their wrist or tap the display.
- Users can now explore and discover watch faces more easily with the redesigned watch face gallery on Apple Watch and in the Watch app on iPhone, with faces grouped into collections.
All of these features are available for testing starting today through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com with a public beta available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com.
watchOS 26 will be available this Spring as a free software update for Apple Watch Series 6 or later, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and all Apple Watch Ultra models, paired with iPhone 11 or later, running iOS 26.
The Apple Intelligence features detailed require supported devices, which include all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max that have Apple Intelligence enabled and Siri and device language set to the same supported language.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.