Apple Introduces a New Workout Buddy in watchOS 26
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There’s little doubt that iOS 26 stole the spotlight at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). While Apple’s first presentation of the event was an overview of its new “Liquid Glass” design, it immediately segued into the iPhone operating system and how it’s taking advantage of the stylish new overhaul.
Still, Apple’s changes are coming to its entire ecosystem. While watchOS 26 has less need for a change — it already underwent a design overhaul two years ago in watchOS 10 — it’s not being completely left out of the party. Liquid glass means more translucent elements on the Smart Stack, but those are far from the most significant changes in this year’s wearable operating system.
The rumors leading up to the debut of watchOS 26, which gets a new unifying number for the next generation of Apple’s operating systems, pointed more to the Apple Watch gaining new AI features. While some dreamed of full Apple Intelligence support, that part always seemed unlikely due to the lack of a sufficiently powerful chip. Other Apple Intelligence devices require nothing less beefy than an Apple M-series or A17 Pro or later, and even the S10 chip in the latest Apple Watch Series 10 is a far cry from that.
However, that doesn’t mean it lacks the power to support some AI features. Two years ago, with the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple introduced a neural engine into its S-series chips to power on-device Siri and privacy-focused health queries. There’s undoubtedly more this chip can do, and Apple showed us some of that today in its watchOS 26 preview.
Workout Buddy: Fitness Gets a Pep Talk
The marquee feature for this year’s watchOS 26 release is what Apple calls “Workout Buddy,” an AI coach intended to motivate users to stay fit.
This is far from the “AI doctor” and full health coaching service we’ve heard rumored. Apple is still reportedly hard at work on that; Workout Buddy seems like a gentle first step toward that goal.
Workout Buddy uses Apple Intelligence to analyze data from your previous workouts and your fitness history. This includes the wealth of data you see in your Health app, such as pace, miles logged, how many times you’ve closed your rings, workout heart rate, VO2 max, and more. It then takes the data from your current workout, rolls it all into Apple Intelligence, and spurs you on using a text-to-speech model trained using voice data from an Apple Fitness+ trainer of your choice.
Essentially, it’s like having a personal trainer on your wrist that knows your goals, remembers your past workouts, and knows exactly when to push you by offering encouragement through your AirPods.
For example, when you start a workout session, you’ll hear a friendly recap of what you’ve done lately with some encouragement, such as “This is your second run this week. You can do it!” It will also cheer you on as you hit new goals and summarize your workout at the end, offering helpful suggestions for improving your performance and striving to meet your objectives.
From watching Apple’s WWDC25 keynote, we suspect people may be divided on whether this is helpful, annoying, or downright creepy. Still, the good news is that we imagine it will be entirely optional.
It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t as “on-device” as you may think. As we mentioned, the S10 chip in the Apple Watch isn’t all that powerful, and this is likely well beyond its capabilities. As a result, you likely won’t be able to use this when you’re running with only your Apple Watch; Apple says in the fine print that it requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby — meaning an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 series or later model. It also only works in English (for now), and you’ll need to be wearing Bluetooth headphones, even if you’re using an Apple Watch Series 10 with its built-in speaker.
Simplified Workouts and Better Music
The Workout app has also been simplified with a cleaner layout, making it easier to create and call up custom workouts.
More significantly, Apple is also helping you find the perfect beats for your run with a mode that automatically chooses an appropriate soundtrack for your workouts. You can let the Workout app surprise you by picking something on its own, or choose from a list of recommended playlists. Of course, you can also still call up your own music.
Smart Stack Gets Smarter
Apple introduced the Smart Stack two years ago in watchOS 10, effectively replacing the Siri watch face (which ultimately disappeared) to let you see information from any watch face at a glance.
In watchOS 26, Apple is taking it one step further by making it even more predictive. Smart Stack already has some contextual awareness, but now it will be able to pull in more on-device data, location information, and trends from your daily routine to offer even more helpful prompts.
For example, a Workout widget will appear at the gym, or if you stray off the beaten path, the Backtrack feature will quietly slide into view. Apple promises the suggestions will be more timely, offering widgets that are immediately useful in whatever moment you’re in.
Do More With a Flick of Your Wrist
If you wear an Apple Watch Series 9 or later, you probably already know how handy the Double Tap gesture can be. Still, there are also times when it feels a bit limited. For instance, a Double Tap from your watch face will call up the Smart Stack and scroll through it, but there’s no way to dismiss it.
Double Tap fans will be happy to know that Apple has come up with another gesture to complement the two-finger tap: a wrist flick. With watchOS 26, you’ll be able to do things like mute incoming calls, silence timers, and dismiss notifications with merely a flick of your wrist.
It’s a small but thoughtful feature that makes it easier to interact with your Watch one-handed, especially when the other hand is full of groceries or gripping a subway pole. It will hopefully address all those confusing moments when you want to use the Double Tap gesture but realize the default option isn’t the one you want to activate.
Translation on Your Wrist
Apple is adding Live Translation to the iPhone in iOS 26, and it’s bringing the Apple Watch along for the ride.
As with the Messages app on the iPhone, the watchOS 26 Message app will automatically translate incoming messages in a foreign language while also letting you reply in your own language and have your outbound messages translated on the fly. Again, this is all handled on-device for privacy, but in this case, the “device” isn’t your Apple Watch; like the Workout Buddy, you’ll need to be using an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone model with your Apple Watch.
Smart Replies in the Messages and Mail apps will also get an AI boost, so you’ll get suggestions that are actually relevant to the conversation, not just “Okay” or “Thanks!”
Finally, a Notes App
It only took a decade, but Apple has finally brought the Notes app to the Apple Watch. You can create new notes, check off items in a checklist, and browse your pinned notes — all from your wrist.
While Reminders has been available on the Apple Watch for years, some folks prefer to create more free-form lists in Notes, so this finally fills that gap. You can also tell Siri to start a new note when you’re on the go — something that only sort of works now and relies entirely on your paired iPhone.
Will My Watch Run watchOS 26?
The good news is that watchOS 26 isn’t leaving any models behind this year. If your wearable runs watchOS 11, you’ll be able to update it to watchOS 26 when it arrives. That means an Apple Watch Series 6 or later, a second-generation Apple Watch SE, or an Apple Watch Ultra model.
Of course, not all features will be available to everyone. Some more advanced features — especially anything powered by Apple Intelligence — require a Series 9 or Watch Ultra 2, paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or later.
When Is watchOS 26 Coming?
Apple is sticking with its typical release cycle this year, which means we can expect to see a public release of watchOS 26 this fall, alongside the Apple Watch Series 11. A developer beta is available today, but we strongly recommend against going anywhere near it unless you have a spare Apple Watch lying around. Unlike other Apple devices, there’s no going back once you update an Apple Watch, and early betas can be notoriously unstable — at the very least, you’ll probably find increased battery drain.
A public beta is expected in July, which is the point at which Apple deems its operating system releases stable enough for general consumption, with the usual caveats that they probably won’t brick your watch, but there are still no guarantees.
