Apple WatchOS 26: New Features, UI Refresh, and Workout Buddy Explained

WatchOS 26 Naming and UI Refresh

• 🗓️ Apple has renamed watchOS to watchOS 26 to align with the year 2026, similar to how car models are named for the next model year.
• ✨ A refreshed user interface called "Liquid Glass" is introduced, inspired by Vision Pro, featuring glass-like elements with dynamic reflections that respond to touch and swipes.
• 🔊 Notifications will now dynamically adjust volume based on your location, ensuring they are audible in noisy environments.

Enhanced Interactions and New Apps

• 📍 Smart Stacks are now smarter, dynamically updating based on your location to surface relevant apps like the workout app at the gym or the Backtrack app in areas with no cell service.
• 👆 A new "wrist flick" feature allows for quick actions such as closing Smart Stacks, notifications, muting calls, and silencing alarms, extending the functionality of the double-tap gesture.
• 🗣️ Live translations can now be enabled directly on the Apple Watch by simply raising your wrist, eliminating the need to pull out your phone.
• 📝 The Notes app is coming to Apple Watch, offering greater convenience for jotting down thoughts on the go.

Workout App Overhaul and Workout Buddy

• 🏋️ The workout app features a new full-screen interface with a four-corner layout, organizing workout settings, data pages, experiences, media, and alerts.
• 🎵 Music and media controls are enhanced, suggesting Apple Music playlists based on workout history and offering a "pick for you" option for workout-specific music suggestions.
• 🤝 "Workout Buddy" is a new feature that uses Apple intelligence to provide motivational feedback during workouts, drawing from current activity and workout history.
• 💬 Workout Buddy provides announcements at the beginning, during, and end of workouts, highlighting milestones, progress, and achievements.
• 🎧 Workout Buddy audio feedback can be heard through any Bluetooth headphones, but not through the Apple Watch speaker.
• ⚙️ The Workout Buddy feature is customizable, allowing users to enable or disable it for specific workout types.