Following the update to watchOS 26, the Apple Watch not only has a fresh user interface, but also exciting new features, including high blood pressure detection, Workout Buddy, third-party apps in the quick settings, and configurable widgets.
Hannes Brecher (translated by Jacob Fisher), Published 🇩🇪
Apple has just released its biggest updates of the year. Along with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 Tahoe, there is also watchOS 26, a comprehensive update for the Apple Watch. The update is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6, the Apple Watch Ultra, the second-generation Apple Watch SE and all newer models. The Apple Watch Series 11 already ships with watchOS 26.
Like the other updates, the Apple Watch also gets a fresh new user interface based on the new Liquid Glass design – widgets, buttons, and quick settings are partially transparent, and many animations and apps have been fundamentally redesigned. The Control Center now has an API so that third-party apps can now add quick settings.
A new gesture allows you to mute calls or alarms or delete notifications by turning your wrist away, but this only works on the Apple Watch Series 9, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and newer models. Also exclusive to these models are hypertension detection and Sleep Score, which are not yet available to all users but are expected to be rolled out to all compatible models before the end of September.
Apple’s Workout Buddy is designed to verbally encourage users during a workout as long as headphones are worn. The Workout app gets a new design and integrated Apple Music playlists. The Smart Stack is set to become more intelligent and now allows you to create your own widgets that act as shortcuts to open various apps. Lastly, Apple has finally added the Notes app to the Apple Watch and allows the syncing of Notes with the iPhone.
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Editor of the original article: Hannes Brecher – Senior Tech Writer – 18699 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018
Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industry.
Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 2210 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022
Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.
Hannes Brecher, 2025-09-15 (Update: 2025-09-15)
