At WWDC 25, Apple introduced watchOS 26, rolling out this fall with AI-driven personalization and a visual overhaul. The star is Workout Buddy, a generative AI feature that offers real-time fitness coaching with motivational prompts tailored to your performance history—like having a virtual trainer on your wrist.
Apple also brings the Liquid Glass UI, seen across iOS and macOS, to the Apple Watch. It reshapes the entire interface—Smart Stack widgets, notifications, the Control Center, and even watch faces—into fluid, translucent elements that interact with on-screen content. The Workout app gains new corner buttons, plus automatic Apple Music or podcast playback based on your activity and taste.
watchOS 26 expands utility with Live Translation, contextual Smart Replies, ambient volume adjustment, and a new Notes app for checklists and dictation. Users can now respond to polls, silence alerts with a wrist flick, and access Live Listen with real-time captions. A redesigned watch face gallery and iPhone-synced custom backgrounds round out this robust update.
