iOS 26 is imminent and is expected to come to public beta very soon. While we’re happy to see how Apple’s biggest software update will upgrade the iPhone experience, Apple Watches also gets the same treatment when Watcho’s 26 is rolled out and we’re just as excited.
If you own an Apple Watch series 6 or later, an Apple Watch View 2 or any Apple Watch Ultra model, you will be able to reap the benefits of Watchos 26’s exciting new features. However, it comes with some setbacks.
Although the models mentioned above will receive a lot of practical new features, there are four Watchos 26 features that will only be available for use in the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra Models – leaving owners of older models in the dust.
It is best to double control and see what the Watchos 26 contains your current Apple Watch model that supports when the update is rolled out in September. To make the most of more advanced features, take this as your sign of upgrading in time to Watchos 26.
4 Have your older Apple Watch not get
The following features will be available on the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra Models.
1. Wrist flick
By 2023, Apple rolled the double tap movement to Apple Watch, a multifunctional feature that allows you to do things like close smart stack, begin training, silence alarms and timers and reject messages.
Apple’s wrist flick feature is a new hands-free gesture designed to perform similar features that sound much more reliable than double pressure, but only the Apple Watch models mentioned above will be able to support this.
2. Smart answer updates
While it doesn’t matter which iPhone model you have (as long as it supports the latest version of iOS), you still need one of the newer Apple Watch models to get the most out of the Watcho’s 26’s upgrade to smart answers that offer more precise and contextually relevant message suggestions.
3. Automatic volume adjustment
Just as the wrist flick, automatic volume adjustment does not come to models released until 2023. This is a bit disappointing as it sounds like it would be a very practical feature when it comes to controlling noisy messages.
With this new Watchos 26 feature, your Apple Watch will have the ability to ‘automatically adjust the speaker volume based on the surrounding noise in a user’s surroundings for messages, timers, alarms, incoming calls and Siri’ – as it says in Apple’s press release.
4. Live translation
One of the largest iOS 26 upgrades announced on WWDC 2025 was the addition of Apple Intelligence’s Live translation feature for iPhone, and now some Apple Watch models are getting the same treatment.
With the arrival of Watchos 26 you can see these right from your wrist – that’s if you own an Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10 or an Apple Watch Ultra 2.
5 Has your older Apple Watch Receiver
If you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer, or an Apple Watch see 2, look for these new features when the Watchos 26 rolls out.
1. Liquid glass
Liquid glass is one of the biggest upgrades that comes with Watchos 26 – a huge upgrade of operating system design that will be rolled across Apple’s hardware. Not only will it give your interface a transparent and glossy look, but will make the use of small spaces by using expanding widgets.
The best part of this? You don’t have to worry about upgrading to a newer Apple Watch model for this new look as it comes to the Apple Watch Series 6 or newer, Apple Watch Watch 2 and all Apple Watch Ultra models.
2. Apple Intelligence Workout Buddy
Watchos 26 also gets some upgrades on the fitness front, where the most important new addition is the training mate feature. Powered by Apple Intelligence, Workout Buddy is a new experience in the training app that has access to the user’s fitness, health and training history to provide spoken motivation and personalized fitness listings.
You should note that in order to take advantage of the training buddy, you also need an iPhone capable of supporting Apple Intelligence – those that are models that support iOS 18.4 and later.
3. Notes on wrist
One of the most asked features is the addition of the Notes app to Watchos, and if you have an Apple Watch Series 6 or above, you will soon be able to use notes right from your wrist like nature intended.
Not only will you be able to access existing notes made on your iPhone, Watchos 26 allows you to create new ones from your Apple Watch using Siri, dictation and keyboard feature – and even complete checklists. Your grocery list can now live on your wrist!
4. See face ‘tip’ in the smart stack
With Watchos 26, new visual requests called ‘Tip’ for Watch Face Smart Stack will appear when you use the digital crown on the side of your watch to roll.
Apple says tips are designed to make your daily interactions more practical and offer the following examples of what to expect from its new addition: ‘A backtrack tip can be displayed when a user is in a remote place without connection, or a tip for a Pilates training can emerge when a user arrives at a studio site at their usual time’.
5. Third -party control functions
The last new feature that comes to the wider group of Watcho’s 26-compatible models is new third-party controls that allow developers to create their own custom checks that Apple Watch users can add to their Control Center, Smart Stack Widget or Action Button.
When you edit your control center, your Apple Watch also shows a ‘From Your iPhone’ section, which then allows you to add third -party controls found in your iPhone.
