watchOS 26 announced — Workout Buddy and all the new features for your Apple Watch
As with Apple's other operating systems, WatchOS received the "WatchOS 26" moniker, rather than WatchOS 12, as would have been the case had Apple not changed its naming conventions.
More than just a new name, WatchOS 26 will incorporate Apple's new "Liquid Glass" aesthetic, which has more rounded icons, transparencies, and more interactive icons.
The biggest change looks to be Workout Buddy, which uses Apple Intelligence, coupled with your training and health data, to provide up-to-the-minute information, stats, and motivation during your workouts.
For example, your Apple Watch might tell you "Great job! You're crushing it" as you hit various milestones. If you're on a run, it will also provide you information such as average page, heart rate, and elapsed distance in a tone that sounds more conversational than what you can get on some of the best fitness trackers.
WatchOS 26 brings with it improvements to Smart Stacks, an existing feature that's designed to automatically surface apps and notifications based on your location. Now, for instance, Smart Stacks will bring up your flight and gate information when you get to an airport, or bring up a suggested workout if your Apple Watch senses you're arriving at your gym.
Rumors strongly suggested that Apple was going to introduce a blood pressure monitoring tool in the next generation of Apple Watches with possible hypertension detection warnings. However, this was not announced at WWDC; Apple may be saving this for the fall with the launch of the Apple Watch 11.
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