watchOS 27 Beta Thread

[goldmac2006]

Hey Apple Watch wearers! It’s WWDC 26!

Get ready for some exciting news: Dub Dub means new betas this summer beta testing season, Siri AI + Apple Intelligence full-on on Apple Watch, and a refreshed version of the Apple Watch's software.

Will we get any new watch faces? Any major updates or cool features? Let’s dive into it!

 

[cigz]

Damn, looks like my Series 8 (with pathetic battery life after updating to watchOS 26) is already obsolete lol

 

[Ethan.Albano]

This CANNOT be right. No way they drop the S9 after 3 years of support. Absolute garbage if true.

 

[PatrickNSF]

All I want is to be able to enter my treadmill mileage after a run and have the Workout app reflect that.

And to have the Modular Ultra watch face available on Series watches.

 

[curnalpanic]

Dropping support for series 6 to 9 in one version? What? That can’t be right.

Maybe an intern was handed a note saying "drop series 6" but he held it upside down?

 

[GMShadow]

That's a major cutoff of support - Ultra 1 and Series 9 were the current models less than 3 years ago.

They just obsoleted Series 6-9, SE2, and Ultra 1 in one go.

 

[Cobalt Blizzard]

That’s crazy 🫪

 

[Biggie Robs]

Wellthatsucks

 

[Diopter]

Why the heck is the Series 9 not supported when the Ultra 2 is? They use the same CPU!

 

[goldmac2006]

Damn, looks like my Series 8 (with pathetic battery life after updating to watchOS 26) is already obsolete lol

View attachment 2636021
This CANNOT be right. No way they drop the S9 after 3 years of support. Absolute garbage if true.

All I want is to be able to enter my treadmill mileage after a run and have the Workout app reflect that.

And to have the Modular Ultra watch face available on Series watches.

Dropping support for series 6 to 9 in one version? What? That can’t be right.

Maybe an intern was handed a note saying "drop series 6" but he held it upside down?

That's a major cutoff of support - Ultra 1 and Series 9 were the current models less than 3 years ago.

They just obsoleted Series 6-9, SE2, and Ultra 1 in one go.

That’s crazy 🫪

Wellthatsucks

Why the heck is the Series 9 not supported when the Ultra 2 is? They use the same CPU!

I’ve noticed this too.

It’s correct, and it’s a bit puzzling, especially since I’m an Apple Watch Series 6 user. So, I’m also impacted by this.

It seems like all stainless steel Apple Watches have been affected by this compatibility issue, and even the series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 1 didn’t make the cut. The S9 is only 2 years old, so it’s strange how Apple decided to remove compatibility with so many Apple Watch models! Now, we’re stuck with needing to upgrade to the latest and greatest models up to the generation before the series 11.

This would also mean we’d lose a lot of money.

If you’re fortunate enough to own these models in this limited set of supported watches, give Siri AI a try. See how Liquid Glass has changed and keep us in the loop about it.

 

[weather34]

commented elsewhere but shocking glad i dumped my apple watches a month or so ago . my question at this point will a watch with os26 work with a iphone on ios27 as my wife still has a S9 with a 16pm

 

[goldmac2006]

commented elsewhere but shocking glad i dumped my apple watches a month or so ago . my question at this point will a watch with os26 work with a iphone on ios27 as my wife still has a S9

Older versions of watchOS will work with iPhone with newer iOS versions.

But if you downgrade an iPhone to an older iOS version but the watch is on watchOS 27, it’s a no go. You’ll need to get the Apple Watch downgraded at the Genius Bar.

 

[johnl1275]

All I want is to be able to enter my treadmill mileage after a run and have the Workout app reflect that.

And to have the Modular Ultra watch face available on Series watches.

YES!! That would be great!!

 

[gigapocket1]

This is wild... has to be a patent reason.. That's the only thing that makes sense..

 

[weather34]

Older versions of watchOS will work with iPhone with newer iOS versions.

But if you downgrade an iPhone to an older iOS version but the watch is on watchOS 27, it’s a no go. You’ll need to get the Apple Watch downgraded at the Genius Bar.

thanks that will be great has it’s unmarked 93% battery health would have been a big shame to throw it in the draw

 

[RRC]

Absolutely gutted that my AW Ultra 1 has been dropped! It’s not even that old… plus they were being sold by Apple on their refurbished site last year!!

 

[hyperreal]

What are the odds of non-supported watch models getting a separate watchOS 26 update with liquid glass refinements, some optimizations and bug fixes?

Because I have a Series 8 with a perfectly fine battery and I'm not willing to upgrade unless this year's hardware is something truly special.

I think the last time I've been this disappointed was the "New iPad" in 2012 being "new" for 7 months.

 

[JPack]

What are the odds of non-supported watch models getting a separate watchOS 26 update with liquid glass refinements, some optimizations and bug fixes?

Because I have a Series 8 with a perfectly fine battery and I'm not willing to upgrade unless this year's hardware is something truly special.

I think the last time I've been this disappointed was the "New iPad" in 2012 being "new" for 7 months.

Zero, unfortunately. Because that's the whole point of rationing software features to new devices.

 

[iPhonNick]

I have a series 9 connected to a 14Pro and it's downloading WatchOS 27 now.

 

[curnalpanic]

I have a series 9 connected to a 14Pro and it's downloading WatchOS 27 now.

Interesting. Please let us know if it installs successfully.

 

[Hamsterhjulet]

I have a series 9 connected to a 14Pro and it's downloading WatchOS 27 now.

Proof or it didn't happen. Multiple people at Reddit is reporting no update option even after updating their iPhone to iOS 27.

 

[hyperreal]

Zero, unfortunately. Because that's the whole point of rationing software features to new devices.

I get this when the software features are significant, like some of the AI stuff might be, depending on who you ask. But if there are fundamental flaws in the UI, then not backporting fixes for otherwise unsupported models feels really off, unless there's an actual, valid technical reason. It will just drive people away from buying an Apple Watch again.

 

[goldmac2006]

Proof or it didn't happen. Multiple people at Reddit is reporting no update option even after updating their iPhone to iOS 27.

Same here. I did it on my iPhone 15 Pro and still have watchOS 27 beta selected for my series 6. Doomed to pieces!!!!

 

[Hamsterhjulet]

Same here. I did it on my iPhone 15 Pro and still have watchOS 27 beta selected for my series 6. Doomed to pieces!!!!
View attachment 2636186

That settles it then.

 

[iPhonNick]

On the series 9:
Almost finished preparing. I will see what happens after that. I'll keep you posted.