Apple Explains Why watchOS 27 Drops Support for So Many Models

[polyphenol]

Yea it’s interesting they didn’t roll out the base OS to the rest of the lineup but limit Siri AI to these specific models

I agree.

It isn't lack of new features from 27 that annoys me. It is lack of any possibility of any fixes whatsoever. Easy to imagine a change in, say, iOS 27 affecting how the watch works with a phone. If that causes a problem, and stops the watch working, that might be the end of a relationship.

If my 8 is not supported, does that also mean no map updates?

Does it also mean that any app support has to understand they have to support watches on 26 and 27?

(OK - security updates but they are not fixes in the sense I mean.)

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

My Seiko Alpinist has a lifetime support. Have you heard it Apple?

 

[kizuati]

This just makes no sense - Siri constantly queries the iPhone anyway? It’s not like it’s any faster than it was before on 27….

 

[Godspeed8230]

My Seiko Alpinist has a lifetime support. Have you heard it Apple?

Comparing Apples to Non-Apples.

 

[zkap]

Or, “buy a normal watch that never needs updates and you never need to dispose of”

I remember with nostalgia when my wife informed me that my analog watch was 15 minutes late. I looked at it and I couldn't see anything wrong, only to realize the battery had gotten weak just enough for the watch hands to run slightly late without it being noticeable with the naked eye. Brilliant stuff.

Switching back to that because Apple dropped a few models in an update?

Not to mention on these analog watches you have the one band, most likely cannot change bands or find any alternatives, and you don't get any info on it other than the time, which may or may not be accurate.

 

[Flood4]

I’m currently 5 hours of phone calls deep
With Apple. I’ve bought four Apple Watch Hermes models since Series 0.

You lost me at « Hermes ».

 

[crsh1976]

It seems that Apple decided that since the chips inside those older watch models can't support much, if any, of watchOS 27's on-device Siri AI workload, which would then have required a nearby Siri AI-capable iPhone to handle these tasks, that there was little point in allowing watchOS 27 to run on them, but I'm also guessing that there are nice-to-have, non-Siri AI features in 27 that would work fine on these older watches, so Apple did indeed decide on some forced obsolescence. I'm now stuck with my Series 7.

It seems a large part of Apple's explanation is that they didn't want to "bifurcate the new Siri AI experience" between people with both an older Apple Watch that could have relied on a nearby iPhone that can run Siri AI, and those with older iPhones or no iPhone at all, or who don't carry their iPhones with them when doing a workout, hike, etc., but who do wear their Apple Watches. But many Apple owners will still have that bifurcated experience since they own a mix of older and newer hardware.

The Watch is already largely a second screen for one’s iPhone and there is no getting away from that.

I’m sure SoC generation comes into play as these lightweight chips have steep limitations, the impact on the limited battery duration with the additional processing may be a point of concern in the event it would ruin the overall usage/experience as well.

It still feels like a burn when your 3 year-old watch gets left behind, tho.

 

[ChamomileTea]

Apple today detailed why five Apple Watch models will miss out on watchOS 27 and the new Siri AI features that come with it.

The Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and the original Apple Watch Ultra will not receive watchOS 27, and will only get basic security updates going forward. With the update, Apple is effectively dropping three years' worth of device support in a single software update, which is unprecedented for the product line.

Speaking to TechRadar, Cait Dooley, Apple Watch and Health product marketing manager, said performance requirements were behind the cutoff:



Dooley added that older watches paired with an iPhone running the latest software will keep working and will continue to receive security updates.

David Clark, senior director of watchOS software engineering, said one of the goals of watchOS 27 was to "expand the intelligence story on Apple Watch and make it a true co-partner to Apple Intelligence." He described the watch as often "the most convenient way to interact with Siri," since it's on the wrist all day and useful for quick questions when hands are full:



Clark used the example of asking Siri on Apple Watch for a recipe's ingredients while grocery shopping with both hands full, then later pulling up the same list on the iPhone in an easier-to-read format. He called that handoff a "superpower."

watchOS 27 is currently available in beta to developers, with a public beta expected next month ahead of official release in the fall.

Article Link: Apple Explains Why watchOS 27 Drops Support for So Many Models

Whatever, my AW is gathering dust.

What operating system?

 

[Abazigal]

My Seiko Alpinist has a lifetime support. Have you heard it Apple?

And how much are you paying to have it serviced?

I have friends with luxury watches, and the amount of money they pay every few years to service it is equivalent to buying an apple watch each time. 😳

I can’t help but feel a little ripped off and a little foolish.

I bought an Ultra 1 about a year after they came out thinking since I was shelling out for Apple’s top of the line product it would receive regular updates for at least 5 or 6 years.

We live and learn.

2020 - S6
2021 - S7 (same processor)
2022 - S8, Apple Watch Ultra (same processor)
2023 - you purchased a smartwatch with a 3-year old processor at that point instead of the S9 with a brand new chip (maybe you bought it before the annual refresh announcement?) which would have future-proofed you for another 2 years at least.

When I wanted to upgrade from my S5 watch in 2024 (~5 years), I had the option between the S10 sports watch and the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

S10 Watch - S10 chip (same processor as the S9 chip released in 2023)
AWU2 - S9 chip

Given that the Apple Watch is ultimately a wrist computer that you replace every 4-5 years, and given that the most expensive models don't get soup-ed up processors that would enhance their longevity, I see no reason to get anything else other than the cheapest sports model. Also makes the heart ache less when it's time to retire the older model to the drawer. 😛

And in 2025, the SE3, S11 and AW3 sport the same S10 chip, which is already a 2-year old chip by now). 🙃

This means we can next expect the S9, S10 and S11 watches to all lose support at the same period of time in 2028 (estimated). This works out to 4 years of software support for me. Unfortunately, it does not bode well for users who purchased an Apple Watch last year.

Let's see what this year's Apple Watch refresh brings.

 

[Themis]

The actual change one can observe across all these watchOS updates is the watch faces.

 

[NUFC2025]

Whatever, my AW is gathering dust.

View attachment 2639663

What operating system?

Stunning

 

[iHorseHead]

- 5 years new OS updates seems to be fair enough on watches that can cost $800 i.e. as much as a regular iPhone.
- Getting stuck on the battery draining watchOS 26 - probably one of the worst generations of platforms that Apple has ever released - is no joke.

I've had zero issues with 26 anything and you'll still get security updates.
My first Mac cost $1100 and got 3 years of updates. (Bought in 2008 Leopard->Snow Leopard -> Lion). When I was mad about it everybody were like "it's fine. Ubuntu is even supported less", when I complained Apple dropping a Mac too fast and giving only 2 years of security updates.

When I complained about SE 1st gen not getting security updates people told me to buy a new watch. Soo… Just buy a new watch.

 

[ChamomileTea]

Stunning

Thanks!

 

[t0rqx]

Don't forget the S6 could do double tap, they tried to put s9 to the unsupported list, but did not after backlash.

 

[Abazigal]

Don't forget the S6 could do double tap, they tried to put s9 to the unsupported list, but did not after backlash.

I believe that was an honest admin error.

 

[scrapesleon]

Apple said its time to open your pockets and get a new watch lol

 

[aliensporebomb]

You lost me at « Hermes ».

Densha Otoko has left the chat.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Don't forget the S6 could do double tap, they tried to put s9 to the unsupported list, but did not after backlash.

See I had no idea - yet, some of the double tap features seemed weird and off putting seeing some guy in the grocery aisle twitching his fingers to dismiss something.

 

[1ppl3]

What a lovely community, those comments are brilliant

 

[Atog]

I'm maybe too hard on Apple, but this product lineup cut they made with WatchOS 27 makes me reconsider future investment in Apple Watch to buy only the cheapest Aluminum versions since it looks like these are just glorified sport bands which will get obsolete in 3-4 years no mater ho much "ultra" they are. Weird move by Apple considering they want to be e-waste friendly and Mother nature friendly company... also have heard from them talking about ecology much in recent year or so?

 

[Unami]

That's one of the many times when Apple's excuse with it's vague "we only want the best for you, so you can't have it"-BS feels more annoying than the thing it's excusing. I got a Model 6 and everytime they released a new model with the exact same chip, I was happy, because it meant that it would probably get support a little longer. But it also meant that they would drop support for them all at the same time, which now, unsurprisingly, happened.

I got the AW0 and then the 6. On the first one the back dropped out because of the glue, on the 6, EEG stopped working reliably after some time and the gasket at the digital crown became not watertight, so every time I went swimming, it tried to make an emergency call because it registered a long press. I'm not really impressed with the build quality, probably going to get a SE next time.

 

[carrrrrlos]

I’ve owned two apple watches since they came out, and over the years i’ve used them less and less. Currently all annoytifications are off. Now Snoopy tells me the time, and that’s about it. Workouts were great before 26, now I barely use that app. Looking at Garmin.

 

[sduck]

"The great new features in watchOS, including the capabilities of Siri AI and the new tap gesture, work best with the processing power that is in Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Ultra 2 and later, and SE 3."
That is saying that they could have made it at least work to some extent on the older hardware, but chose not to. Why? To sell more watches.

They should at the very least offer really great trade in allowances for those of us who bought Ultra Watches, the first version, who thought we were getting the latest and greatest thing, and thought that like most products we would have a reasonable lifespan of complete support.

 

[Tagbert]

My iPhone 17 Pro has been building its Spotlight index for over 10 days now. There is no possible way that index will be running on the Apple Watch. The watch can probably stream results from Siri on my iPhone, but the watch can't possibly hold that context.

It would be an index of the content and apps available on your phone, so not your full content. Siri may offload most of the processing to your phone, though. We’ll have to wait a few months before we really get the full story.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

And how much are you paying to have it serviced?

I have friends with luxury watches, and the amount of money they pay every few years to service it is equivalent to buying an apple watch each time. 😳

Well Seiko Alpinist is not really a luxury watch. Its movement is cheap to service in my local and trusted 2nd hand watch dealer. £200 per service, every 5-6 years.

People who buy true luxury watches can afford to service them in ADs.