As the core system of Apple’s ecosystem and the “hub on the wrist,” every update of watchOS captures the attention of hundreds of millions of users. In today’s sharing, I will break down the over 50 new features of watchOS 26 based on my experience with the beta version, covering four major dimensions: interaction, visuals, intelligent services, and personalized customization—these changes may redefine your understanding of “smartwatches.”
1. Interaction Innovation: From “Reachable” to “Enjoyable”
In the small-screen interaction of smartwatches, “operational efficiency” has always been a core pain point. watchOS 26 first introduces a “counterintuitive yet super practical” swipe gesture: without entering an app, simply swipe on the watch face or app interface to quickly return to the lock screen; within an app, a double-tap replaces the traditional scrolling method. This design directly addresses users’ daily scenarios—such as operating with one hand while walking a dog, not being able to free a finger while drinking coffee, or the awkward situation of having to poke the screen with my nose, which can now be resolved with a more natural “swipe.” Apple clearly understands the essence of “invisible interaction”: it’s not about making users adapt to the system, but rather letting the system actively adapt to user habits.
2. Visual Reconstruction: Liquid Glass Aesthetics Sweep the Entire Interface
If interaction is the foundation of “enjoyable use,” then visual design is the key to “comfortable use.” watchOS 26 brings a full-scene liquid glass design—from the main screen icons to the control center, notification center, and even the time display, everything is enveloped in a soft “glass texture.” This design is not just a simple visual effect: the layout of switches in the control center is more compact, the card hierarchy in the notification center is clearer, and the main screen icons are enhanced with light and shadow changes to increase depth. Even more surprisingly, all system app icons (Mail, Timer, Fitness, Photos, etc.) have been redesigned, and the unified “liquid feel” makes the entire system interface more refined, as if giving the Apple Watch a layer of “flowing skin.”
3. Intelligent Upgrade: From “Passive Response” to “Proactively Understanding You”
The “intelligent” attributes of watchOS 26 are vividly reflected in multiple features.
Smart Stacking upgrades are a typical example: in the past, it only stacked small widgets based on usage habits, but now it has evolved into a “context-aware engine.” For instance, when you open the camera, it will proactively recommend the “Camera Remote” widget; when it detects you are in a scenario without cellular data, it will pop up a suggestion for the “Rewind” feature (quickly reviewing recently taken photos). This “contextual recommendation” transforms smart stacking from a “tool” into an “assistant,” truly achieving “what you need is what you get.”
The evolution of the control center is even more thorough: the new plus icon allows users to freely add third-party controls (such as Tesla door control, Dark Noise white noise, home automation scenes), and even supports custom complex functions (like a one-click switch for “movie mode” to turn off lights and start the robot vacuum). I found that after adding the “studio lighting” control, I could quickly turn devices on and off with a light press of the crown; this “wrist control center” experience is almost equivalent to wearing a “smart home panel” on my wrist. Apple has also opened up more system-level permissions, and as developers catch up, the potential of the control center may exceed expectations.
4. Fitness and Life: From “Recorder” to “Companion”
As a “fitness companion,” the upgrades to fitness features in watchOS 26 are truly “thoughtful to the core.”
The newly added Fitness Partner feature injects “emotional motivation” into workouts through generative audio and the voice library of Fitness+ coaches: when running 10 kilometers, it will say, “Great job, you just completed 10 kilometers!”; when completing the 100th workout of the year, it will cheer, “Congratulations!” This kind of “personalized feedback” is more motivating than simple numerical statistics, especially suitable for psychological reinforcement during solo workouts.
The fitness app interface has also been completely redesigned: it supports customizing the content displayed in the four corners (such as pace, heart rate, cadence), deeply linked with the double-tap gesture; the voice type and reminder frequency of the fitness partner can be adjusted, and even the voice can be turned off (which is very friendly for users like me who have “social anxiety”). Additionally, the music feature has added “fitness type matching playlists”—automatically recommending upbeat music while running, switching to soothing tracks during meditation, and intelligently recommending based on historical listening preferences, completely eliminating the hassle of “finding songs during workouts.”
5. Detail Refinement: From “Usable” to “User-Friendly” in the “Last Mile”
In addition to the major features mentioned above, the detail optimizations in watchOS 26 are also commendable:
- Sound and Touch: New “automatic volume adjustment” adjusts ringer volume based on environmental noise (lower in libraries, louder in restaurants), completely solving the pain point of “abrupt ringtones in public places”;
- iMessage: Supports message “pause and vote” (for example, automatically summarizing voting results in group chats when selecting a restaurant), synchronizing iPhone wallpapers (displaying more refined on Apple Watch), and real-time translation (foreign messages instantly converted to Chinese);
- Apple Notes: Finally available on Apple Watch! Supports quickly creating notes, dictation input, pinning frequently used notes, and can jump to complex functions with one click (like “recently edited notes”), making it easy to jot down ideas and create to-do lists without pulling out the phone;
- Watch Face Gallery: Categories are clearer (health, photos, simplicity, tools, etc.), but unfortunately, classic watch faces like flame, water, and Toy Story have been removed (possibly due to low usage, but long-time users may feel nostalgic);
- iPhone Apple Watch App: Synchronizes the liquid glass design, making the watch face gallery more intuitive and the process of adding new watch faces more convenient.
watchOS 26 Redefines “Smart on the Wrist”
From interaction to visuals, from fitness to life, every change in watchOS 26 revolves around one core:making the Apple Watch better understand users. The swipe gesture addresses operational pain points, the liquid glass design enhances the visual experience, the evolution of smart stacking and the control center transforms the watch from a “tool” into an “assistant,” while the addition of features like Fitness Partner and Apple Notes truly integrates the watch into users’ daily emotions and life scenarios.
Of course, it is still in the beta phase, and regular users will have to wait for the official release (later this year). However, it is foreseeable that watchOS 26 will push the Apple Watch further from a “smart wearable device” to a “personal smart hub”—after all, when a watch can help you control your home, motivate your workouts, translate messages, and even “understand your feelings,” it has long surpassed the category of a “tool” and become our “closest smart companion” in life.
If you still feel uncomfortable, it means that this sadness has not yet ended. Forcing yourself to turn the page at this time is just suppressing your emotions. Take a moment to quietly be with your unhappiness; when the sadness passes, your heart will feel it.