How to fix the blank Control Center bug in watchOS 26.

If you’re having the blank Control Center icons issue, simply enter Low Power Mode via Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode. Launch the Control Center to see your icon labels back in place. Now exit Low Power Mode.

You can also do this through the Control Center itself by tapping the invisible battery percentage logo and selecting Low Power Mode. Dismiss the Control Center and then relaunch it to see your icon labels. Now you can exit Low Power Mode.

You will have to do this every time you reboot the watch.

A sleeper update that only the staunchest Apple Watch user will notice.

If you’re one of the cool kids who knows how to swipe to switch watch faces, watchOS 26 beta 6 fixes a pet peeve that even Apple developers were getting tired of.

The large widget size on the Modular watch face would always be triggered when swiping from either side, constantly opening up that app even though all you wanted to do was switch to the next watch face. This happened about 90% of the time, but now it happens 0% of the time. This is more of an issue with Apple Watches that have slimmer bezels (think Apple Watch Series 7 and later).

It took them a while to fix this issue, and hopefully they can start fixing another glaring issue that made Apple hide the ability to swipe to switch watch faces in the first place.

Blood Oxygen feature returns on Apple Watch - what this could mean for future health metrics.

Apple Newsroom:

Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users through an iPhone and Apple Watch software update coming later today.

Users with these models in the U.S. who currently do not have the Blood Oxygen feature will have access to the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature by updating their paired iPhone to iOS 18.6.1 and their Apple Watch to watchOS 11.6.1. Following this update, sensor data from the Blood Oxygen app on Apple Watch will be measured and calculated on the paired iPhone, and results can be viewed in the Respiratory section of the Health app. This update was enabled by a recent U.S. Customs ruling.

There will be no impact to Apple Watch units previously purchased that include the original Blood Oxygen feature, nor to Apple Watch units purchased outside of the U.S.

You won’t get measurements directly on your watch; you will have to go to your iPhone’s Health app to view the data. Still better than nothing, but it begs the question:

Is this a precursor to improved health features in the near future?

For one, sleep apnea detection could be more accurate with this new information. From a post I wrote back in January:

If you look at Apple’s study, sensitivity for severe sleep apnea had a sensitivity of 89.1%, while sensitivity for moderate sleep apnea was 43.4%, giving an average score of 66.3%. What that actually means is the Apple Watch is best at detecting severe sleep apnea 89% of the time. It is not that great at determining moderate sleep apnea at only 43%.

Apple would rather underdiagnose people than give false positives, which is still better than no diagnosis at all. They were able to get this far with just the accelerometer sensor:

“The Sleep Apnea Notification Feature is a software-based medical device that analyzes Breathing Disturbance data collected nightly by the Apple Watch accelerometer sensor.”

I wonder how much better the Apple Watch could have been at detecting Sleep Apnea if they included Blood Oxygen data, which is another key component in diagnosing sleep apnea. To perform another study at this scale would take years, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple’s sleep apnea detection gets better sensitivity with more crucial data points like blood oxygen levels once the battle with Masimo ends.

Who knows, maybe Apple has two sets of data when they did the study, one with just the accelerometer and one with both the accelerometer and blood oxygen sensor.

Small but helpful update to Smart Stack in watchOS 26 - now gone.

Me a few days ago:

New quality of life update - you can click on the date in Smart Stack to enter your calendar. Now you can free up a widget if you had a dedicated “Your Schedule” widget set up.

Yesterday, Developer beta 6 got rid of this feature. Hopefully it’s a bug and we get it back. It adds more utility and is a no-brainer to keep that function.

Small but helpful update to Smart Stack in watchOS 26.

New quality of life update - you can click on the date in Smart Stack to enter your calendar. Now you can free up a widget if you had a dedicated “Your Schedule” widget set up.

You can also click on the time to go back to your watch face.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 regains its title (barely) for the biggest Apple Watch display size.

Juli Clover from MacRumors:

The latest iOS 26 beta includes imagery that confirms Apple's work on a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra, which is set to come out this fall. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris found an Apple Watch image with a resolution that does not correspond to any current Apple Watch models.

The image suggests that the upcoming Apple Watch Ultra 3 could have a slightly larger display size, with a display resolution of 422 x 514. The current Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a 410 x 502 resolution.

Apple Watch Series 10 in 46mm has a resolution of 416 x 496, making it the current king of displays.

The math doesn’t lie:

Series 10 in 46mm: 416 by 496 pixels; 1220 sq mm display area; 331 PPI

Ultra 2 49mm: 410 by 502 pixels; 1185 sq mm display area; 335 PPI

Ultra 3 (rumored resolution): 422 x 514 pixels; 1246 sq mm display area; 335 PPI

It’s no surprise that Apple Watch Ultra 3 should have the biggest display, and it will if this rumor is true. Not by much, but it’s perfect for the marketing team:

“Ultra Watch, Ultra display. The biggest display ever on Apple Watch, in an all-new 50mm titanium case.”

Apple Watch needs to have Continuity with iPad, but iPadOS is holding it back.

I love running on my treadmill and watching videos on my iPad, and that setup is perfect to project my Apple Watch metrics onto the iPad. It makes perfect sense, and would allow me to be more intentional with my running instead of repeatedly looking at my watch.

This feature already exists on the iPhone when I noticed my biking workouts project real-time metrics onto the Lock Screen and the Fitness app. Gym equipment also connects with Apple Watch, giving you more accurate information.

There is a general lack of compatibility (or Continuity per Apple lingo), between iPad and Apple Watch, even at this turning point where all of Apple’s platforms have now unified their naming scheme. Apple Watch is already intimately linked to the iPhone, and provides crucially convenient features for Mac users such as Apple Pay and Auto Unlock with Apple Watch. I use both of these Mac features on my 12-year-old, 2013 MacBook Pro, and it still works flawlessly.

The iPad doesn’t have a true clamshell mode, so it would need to be updated before Auto Unlock with Apple Watch and Apple Pay could be a feature. Hopefully we can see an update in iPadOS 27 for more Continuity features starting with these two, and yes, projecting workout metrics to the iPad screen.

Does AppleCare+ or AppleCare One cover damage, theft, or loss to Hermés bands?

I’ve got bad news for you.

If you damage your expensive, overpriced Hermés watch band, don’t expect Apple to replace it for you under AppleCare (per the fine print):

For Apple Watch, the band that is covered for accidental damage and defects in material or workmanship under your plan is the band that came in the same box as the covered Apple Watch. Apple Watch Hermès bands, other than the Hermès Sport Band supplied in the same box as the covered Apple Watch, are not covered. Any replacement band will be an Apple-branded band in a style, material, and color that is subject to Apple’s discretion.

What if someone steals your watch, or the more likely scenario, you lose it?

For any covered Apple Watch theft or loss incidents, including those involving Nike and Hermès watch bands, the replacement band will be an Apple-branded band, which may differ in band style, material, and/or color from the band lost with the covered Apple Watch, subject to Apple’s discretion. Theft or loss claims cannot be made for watch bands only; bands are covered only when the Apple Watch is lost or stolen.

Even though Apple will replace the band at their discretion, you could still end up on top and negotiate your replacement band. Talking to Apple customer service over the phone is the best way to negotiate, and they might be able to slide you a Titanium Milanese or Link Bracelet since the cheapest Hermés band you could lose is $349.

I was able to return my Vision Pro after the 14 day period, and even got them to refund me for my Jet Black Apple Watch since the replacement they sent was worse.

Just do yourself a (huge) favor - don’t lose your $999 Grand H band.

Workout Buddy in watchOS 26 is too nice.

She needs to have a more serious attitude and just tell it to you like it is. I did a couple of 15 minute workouts this week, and she was being passive-aggressive about my progress. We don’t need full Samuel L. Jackson mode, but something in the middle or at least the option to be more aggressive.

She needs more of a “GOYA” attitude.

That won’t happen of course, but as a healthcare provider, one of the best ways to motivate people to be more conscious and intentional about their health is to put their life into perspective. Think of things they want to do, and how their health could impact their ability to do that thing.

For example:

1. If you don’t start eating right and exercising more, don’t expect to be there when your daughter walks down the aisle.

2. If you want to go hiking with your grandkids, you need to lose weight and get your physical therapy sessions done regularly.

It would be crazy (but effective) if Workout Buddy starts telling you to keep running, or else you’ll never make it to enjoy retirement.

Apple Watch Double Tap and Wrist Flick gestures only work on newer watch models for a reason.

Tim Hardwick from MacRumors:

You may have missed it, but select Apple Watch models are gaining a new Wrist Flick gesture in watchOS 26 that allows users to dismiss notifications and return to their watch face with a simple wrist movement.

The gesture works by turning your wrist over and back, using the accelerometer and gyroscope to detect the motion. With the gesture, you can dismiss incoming notifications, mute calls, silence alarms and alerts, and return to the watch face without needing to use your other hand.

Wrist Flick joins the existing Double Tap gesture as another one-handed control option for Apple Watch users. The feature can be toggled on or off in Settings ➝ Gestures ➝ Wrist Flick.

The new gesture is only available on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 – the same models that support the Double Tap gesture.

Apple doesn't say exactly why older models don't support the feature, despite having the same sensors, but it does use a new machine learning model, suggesting that only the newer chips found in recent Apple Watch models are powerful enough to handle it.

Apple explained how Double Tap works on Apple Watch Series 9 (S9 SiP) in their Fall 2023 Keynote, and I’m assuming the same reasoning applies to the new Wrist Flick feature:

This new gesture is enabled by the powerful neural engine in Series 9, which processes data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and optical heart sensor in a completely new way.

It uses a machine learning algorithm to detect the unique signature of tiny movements and changes in blood flow when your hand and fingers perform a Double Tap.

Apple is usually good at backporting software features, but this time it’s hardware related.

watchOS 26 lets you enter Control Center without clicking the Side Button.

If you have Do Not Disturb or any other Focus enabled on your Apple Watch, you can tap the Focus icon at the top of the Apple Watch and you’ll enter Control Center right away.

My assumption is this is a new feature to help you get in and out of Focus modes easily, but if your Focus button is further down in the Control Center, you will still have to scroll to get to it.

You may never see every Snoopy animation on Apple Watch.

Robert Leedham from GQ magazine:

That first meeting at the Charles M Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, was the Watch team’s first in-person meet-up after the pandemic, and what started as a two-hour drive north from Mountain View ultimately ended with plans for 148 unique animations that would be contextual depending on the time of day, local weather and activities. When you go for a swim, Snoopy dons his scuba gear and floats through your watch screen. When night arrives he'll howl at the moon, and when you’re not up to much at all you can find him draped over his iconic red doghouse in a series of panels that are a direct lift from the comics. It all amounts to over 12 minutes of animation work that stemmed from an unexpectedly chaotic tête-à-tête.

I thought there were maybe a dozen or two, but that explains why whenever I try to cycle through the Snoopy watch faces, I get a glimpse of one that I either have never seen before, or I could swear is a new animation.

It’s all about timing to see all the animations since the positioning of the hour and minute hands also play a role:

This is one of the things that might mean you find yourself checking the time more than you actually need to. One time, he’ll peep out from behind the minute hand, his body magically hidden. Next, he’ll be skating and bounce off the minute hand because it’s in just the wrong place. Another time, a flying Woodstock will drop a bone for a recumbent Snoopy, which will bounce off the minute hand into his mouth. Then… look, you’re going to have to discover these things for yourself. […]

Sometimes the rotation only needs to affect certain frames of the animation. If Snoopy is standing on the minute hand, he’s affected only when he’s up top, and his free fall into leaves below is unchanged and he falls naturally downwards, otherwise he’d shoot off sideways. “Each animation is only five seconds long, but by looping the whole animation or even just a few frames at the end, We’re able to keep certain scenes alive for much longer,” Butcher says.

The closest thing to seeing all 148 animations? A reddit post that has 120 animations.

Control Center in watchOS 26 gets more versatile.

One of the best new features of watchOS 26? You can add HomeKit widgets to Control Center, controlling any HomeKit device with just a click and a tap. I have one main light that I need to turn ON and OFF frequently throughout the day, and this just makes it a lot easier instead of having to summon Siri all the time.

A huge benefit for a small device.

With watchOS 26, it’s still “too hard” to tell if your iPhone is connected to your Apple Watch.

It used to be a lot easier.

I accidentally tested a feature that I forgot about when I purposely left my personal phone at home and decided to just carry my work phone since it’s too hot outside to be carrying two phones in two pockets. My Series 10 watch on watchOS 26 still doesn’t give me any indication that I left my phone behind, until I click the Control Center and see the crossed-out red iPhone on top.

As I said earlier, it used to be a lot easier. I lamentingly ranted about this about six months ago, when I was testing my Series 3 watch:

You remember back to a time, a simpler time, where Apple used to let you know right on your watch face, that your iPhone is missing. It didn’t matter what watch face you had, but that red iPhone with a slash right through it would show up immediately, letting you know before you get too far that you need to grab your iPhone.

My Series 3 on watchOS 8 lets me know every time without fail. 

Whether you use the Simple watch face, or are admiring the peaceful serenity of Mack Lake with a Timelapse, Apple didn’t hesitate to interrupt you with their passive aggressive way of letting you know:

“Hey genius, you forgot your iPhone.” […]

Just literally put the disconnected iPhone logo where the red notification dot goes (like it used to!), and call it a day. 

Don’t think different with this one, just do it.

Here is what it looks like on a Series 3 just for reference. Clear as day.

Forget about a ring, Apple should make a WHOOP competitor to further expand its wearable market.

Mark Gurman on X:

Apple should seriously consider developing a smart ring to give its fitness-tracking wearables push new momentum and widen its market.

I think Apple should take a different approach.

Imagine an Apple Watch, but you take away the screen, buttons, speaker, and microphones, and you fill up that extra space with a higher capacity battery while making the device thinner. Currently the smallest, most modern Apple Watch (42mm Series 10) is 36mm wide, excluding the Digital Crown. With all those components removed, the form factor could morph back in time and be shrunken down just a bit to the size of the Series 3 Apple Watch at 33.3mm wide. This would still allow the small watch bands to fit (think 38mm, 40mm, 41mm, and the new 42mm bands).

You would only need one size since it’s a passive device with no screen. A thin device like that could act as a fashion piece like the WHOOP tries to do. Turn the front of the device into a polished steel surface with Apple’s classic trio of Silver, Slate, and Gold, and you have a piece of jewelry that can be swapped with any band of your choosing. If placed on an alternate site on the body, the smaller form factor would be easy to conceal.

Every single Apple Watch has been slightly taller than wide. To change the look of this new product, they can make it a perfect square at 33mm x 33mm, still leaving plenty of room to charge the device with the same Apple Watch charging puck. The device would have longer battery life, be more fashionable, and would not get banned from weddings.

Another critical feature? Giving it the ability to be worn on other parts of the body, such as your bicep, ankle, near your waist, etc. People are already doing it anyway, so why not make it more marketable (and accurate) for those of us who can’t wear a health device on our wrists all the time?

For my line of work in preparing sterile radioactive medications for patients, I’m not allowed to wear any jewelry in the lab, making the Apple Watch unusable for a decent portion of an 8-hour shift. It would be a huge deal for others in the healthcare field like myself who can track their health while working. This would apply to other occupations as well where the wrist is just too risky to put a $400 plus device.

The biggest hurdles to this form factor? Making sure the health data is accurate on alternate sites on the body, which could take years just based on how thorough Apple is when doing these health studies. They should pick alternative body sites that make the most sense and go all-in, even if it is just one additional body part like the upper arm or near your waist.

I think a WHOOP competitor that piggybacks off of the Apple Watch’s accessory lineup and distribution process gives Apple an advantage. It might seem redundant, but Apple has multiple form factors for each of its signature product categories, and this wouldn’t be any different. They should lean into their iconic squircle form factor instead of trying to start a whole new category.

The vivo X Fold5 - tell me you want an iPhone, without telling me you want an iPhone.

Hadlee Simmons from Android Authority about the vivo X Fold5:

For starters, the company says it’s the first Android phone that can connect to the Apple Watch, supporting phone calls, texts, notification mirroring, synchronization of health/fitness data, and more. However, there are a couple of caveats to this integration. Your Apple Watch needs to be paired with an iPhone first. Furthermore, vivo says this functionality will come via a system update.

Let’s look at the fine print translation at the bottom of Vivo’s main landing page referring to the Apple Watch:

The relevant functions may change due to third-party services. vivo will update the description on the function publicity page according to the actual situation. Please refer to the actual use.

Looks like vivo is taking one out of Apple’s own playbook, but at least they’re letting you know in advance they might change the information on the product page website “according to the actual situation,” because these features might not work as intended and won’t ship out of the box.

Sound familiar?

Once again, don’t buy a device with the promise of new features that are not already baked into the device.

Let’s continue.

Seamless AirPods compatibility with - shoddy translation - “full-link native experience?” Let’s read the fine print once again:

All native function experiences of AirPods pairing with iPhone are not supported for the time being. Please refer to actual use.

I wouldn’t bet on getting all the advanced AirPods functions such as Adaptive Audio and Hearing Aid functionality.

Of course, there’s also “full-compatibility” with the iPhone, with chatGPT translating this quote from this image with two alternate translations:

"Perfectly in sync with Apple, Seamlessly across ecosystems."

"Works flawlessly with Apple, Smooth across ecosystems."

"In perfect harmony with Apple, Effortless cross-ecosystem experience."

In order for your iPhone to work properly, you must do the following “effortless” work (from the same landing page):

It means that the phone on the iPhone can be answered on vivo X Fold5, and the information and notifications on the iPhone can be transferred to vivo X Fold5 for viewing. The conditions of use are as follows:

(1) Download the "vivo mutual transmission" application on the iPhone (iOS system needs to be version 15.0 or above; "vivo mutual transmission" on the iOS terminal needs to be version 5.2.30 or above);

(2) vivo X Fold5 You need to log in to the same vivo account as the iPhone, and there are no other devices at both ends;

(3) The dual-end Bluetooth needs to be paired, and the distance requirement is within 10 meters;

(4) The notification flow needs to turn on the three-party application notification permission and the notification flow switch. iOS needs to turn off the [Filter Unknown Contacts] switch to experience the flow of verification codes.

The interface UI is for reference only, please refer to the actual use. This function needs to be implemented with third-party services. The relevant functions may change due to third-party services. vivo will update the description on the function publicity page according to the actual situation. Please refer to the actual use.

I think I now how to solve all these compatibility issues and how to avoid all these hoops and hurdles:

Get an iPhone.

watchOS 26 doesn’t come with new watch faces, for now at least.

The only “new” watch face in watchOS 26 is an enhanced Photos watch face:

The popular Photos watch face is enhanced with numerals made of Liquid Glass, allowing users to see even more of their photo.

That’s it. Unless you’re a Series 10 user who is obsessive about the fine details, that’s the only benefit you’re getting from a watch face point of view. Series 10 users get to enjoy an always-on display with ticking seconds hand for many older watch faces. To make things even worse for non-Series 10 users, Apple got rid of five watch faces, but I honestly won’t miss them.

In the past, Apple did debut new watch faces in June for the beta releases, but they saved the bulk of their newer watch faces for the public watchOS release in September. Some of those watch faces were exclusive to a newly designed Apple Watch, and some were back ported to older watches. You can see the (rough) history of what watch faces were revealed at what time frame below:

• watchOS 2 beta - Photo Albums, Timelapse

• watchOS 3 beta - Minnie Mouse, Activity and Numerals

• watchOS 4 beta - Siri, Toy Story, Kaleidoscope

• watchOS 4 public release - Explorer (debuted with the Series 3)

• watchOS 5 beta - Pride

• watchOS 5 public release - Infograph, Infograph Modular, Liquid Metal, Vapor, Fire and Water (all debuted with the Series 4 and its bigger display)

• watchOS 6 beta - Numerals Mono, Numerals Duo, Modular Compact, Gradient, Solar Dial, California

• watchOS 6 public release - no new watch faces, but they debuted the Always-On Display for the Series 5.

• watchOS 7 beta - Chronograph Pro

• watchOS 7 public release - GMT, Count Up, Typograph, Memoji, Stripes, Artist

• watchOS 8 beta - Portraits

• watchOS 8 public release - Modular Duo, Contour, World Timer

• watchOS 9 beta - Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, Astronomy

• watchOS 9 public release - no additional watch faces, but the Apple Watch Ultra is debuted with the exclusive Wayfinder watch face

• watchOS 10 beta - Palette, Snoopy

• watchOS 10 public release - Solar Analog (debuted with the Series 9)

• watchOS 11 beta - Photos (a redesign more than an actual new watch face)

• watchOS 11 - Flux, Reflections (both debuted with the Series 10), and Unity Rhythm debuted months later with a software update.

• watchOS 26 beta - Liquid Glass on the Photos watch face.

• watchOS 26 public release - ???

This isn’t an exhaustive list of every single watch face that has debuted, but I think I got most of them. There is no fixed pattern here either, but a minimum of two new watch faces isn’t a lot to ask for.

I’m thinking since the Series 11 is a minimal upgrade over the Series 10, we will get a few new watch faces to make the Series 11 more relevant. I’m fully expecting Apple to release at least two different Liquid Glass watch faces in the Fall - an analog variant that resembles a modern version of the Color watch face, and some sort of playful, bubbly digital face.

An exclusive new Ultra watch face is also a given.

Why didn’t I know about this weather complication before?

I thought this was definitely a watchOS 26 complication, but it is not. It’s been on watchOS 11 (and maybe earlier?) for God knows how long, but for some reason I’m just discovering it.

In my opinion the best, big weather complication by Apple. You get the current temperature, high and low, and even current conditions in a friendly and easily readable format.

The Notes App on watchOS 26 is great for shopping lists.

You can only see three items at a time, but it’s the only Note type that you can interact with and check off the bubbles when you complete a task. All other Note types are read-only.

At least for now.

Absolutely perfect for grocery shopping and packing for trips making sure you completed all tasks. Much better than my previous solution for grocery shopping, which was to put my caseless iPhone with an all-glass front and back on a metal shopping cart that clinks, clanks, and bumps over tiles. Sometimes I would text the grocery list to myself so I could see it on the watch, but the Notes app with the bubble checkers is perfect.

Small victories for a small device.

watchOS 26 lets you use your Apple Watch to check the battery status of your AirPods.

I think this is new for watchOS 26.

You can check the battery life of your AirPods (and presumably other connected accessories) from your Apple Watch. If your iPhone is unlocked and in use, the ability to check goes away probably because it assumes you’re using the AirPods with your iPhone. A great feature for those who use a cellular connection on Apple Watch.

What would really be nice is the ability to check the battery life of your iPhone from your watch too.