watchOS 26 hands-on: 5 cool new features to try on your Apple Watch right now
To access the latest Apple Watch beta software, you'll first need to download and install the iOS 26 public beta on your iPhone. Then, you can install and run the watchOS 26 public beta on your compatible device. The process took me about 45 minutes.
If you've got an Apple Watch Series 6 or newer, Apple Watch SE (2022), or one of the Apple Watch Ultra models, you're eligible to take watchOS 26 beta for a spin.
In addition to new personalized workout coaching tools, gesture controls, and apps, watchOS 26 also introduces a new 'Liquid Glass' aesthetic and a handful of AI-backed features.
I've been experimenting with watchOS 26 beta on the Apple Watch Series 10 for about a week, and my initial impressions are largely positive. Moreover, these are the five new features I'm most impressed by (in no particular order).
Apple's new Wrist Flick gesture lets you quickly and easily dismiss notifications and alerts by simply flicking the watch face down and back upward… and I'm already loving it. In fact, I'm somewhat surprised it took Apple over 10 years to implement such a gesture on the Apple Watch, as it seems so natural in practice.
When you dismiss a notification via a wrist flick, a gentle vibration confirms the action.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Like the Double Tap gesture rolled out in 2023 — which has you press your index finger and thumb together on your watch-worn hand to execute tasks like accepting an incoming call — Wrist Flick makes interacting with the Apple Watch all the more seamless.
Many folks, myself included, have been asking Apple to add the Notes app to watchOS for a long time. Well, it's here, and the implementation is good but not great.
First, the positive: All of your existing notes automatically sync to the app for easy viewing. This means that if I make a grocery list on my phone, go for a jog (sans-phone), and stop off at the grocery store on my way home, I can still view what I need in just a few taps via the wrist.
Now the bad: You can't edit any of those notes, only view them. You can, however, start a new note using the tiny keyboard or audio dictation to fill it in. That note will then be synced across all of your Apple devices.
Workout Buddy is Apple's new personalized exercise coach designed to help you make the most out of your workouts with training tips, analysis and encouragement. Here's how to enable Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.
This feature uses Apple Intelligence to analyze your workout stats and deliver advice via a friendly voice, both during and after your session. It also calls milestones, like your 50th run, and other achievements, like your fastest pace yet.
It's worth noting that you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or later with support for Apple Intelligence paired with your Apple Watch to access Workout Buddy. For now, it's also limited to only the following activities: outdoor and indoor walks, outdoor and indoor runs, outdoor bike rides, traditional and functional strength training, and HIIT.
This is admittedly more of a design change than a new feature, but Liquid Glass — inherited from visionOS — brings a semi-transparent, bubble-like vibe to the watchOS 26 aesthetic. The change is much more subtle than the move to Liquid Glass within iOS 26 (IMHO), and I'm still undecided as to whether I'm onboard with it or not.
While the main watch face and app views remain unchanged, Liquid Glass shows up when you swipe into your notifications, check your Smart Stack or enter the Control Center. Meant to give the feeling of real glass, Icons in Liquid Glass feature white outlines and semi-transparent backgrounds.
Last year, Apple Watch gained on-wrist language translations. Now, your Apple Watch can translate incoming texts in real time.
Similar to Workout Buddy, you'll need to have one of the latest iPhones with Apple Intelligence to access live message translations. But for folks who regularly encounter language barriers, it could be a total game-changer.
Let's say I'm chatting with my pal Michell in France. A native English speaker and former U.S. resident, she now prefers to communicate in French. With live message translations switched on, Michell can text me in French, and I'll receive both her original, untranslated message along with the English version below it.
Not only is this an awesome tool for connecting with others, but it could also have the unintended consequence of helping users pick up a foreign language, too.
Which watchOS 26 features are you most excited to try? Let me know in the comments below.
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