The single reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10.

There’s only one reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10, and this feature is for the cheaper aluminum models. The aluminum models this year have a tougher display that is twice as resistant to scratches compared to the Series 10 and lower:

The cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance. Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface.

I haven’t seen any tests online of this new glass, but if it is anything like the new Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, this display will be great for aluminum lovers who worry about a display that easily gets scratched. Every single aluminum Apple Watch that I purchased in the past 10 years got scratched without fail, no matter how much I tried to baby the watch.

Besides that bullet point, the only other three upgrades for the Series 11:

1. 5G vs LTE

2. Dual band Wi-Fi 4 (2.4GHz and 5.1GHz) vs standard (single band?) Wi-Fi 4 on the Series 10

3. 24 hour battery life vs 18 hour battery life.

99% of people don’t care about 5G on an Apple Watch, and 99.9% of people won’t care about the Wi-Fi upgrades. The battery upgrades are negligible and are not due to a significant increase in battery size, but more a function of the parameters used for testing as observed by MacRumors’ forum users:

As spotted by a user on the MacRumors forums, the primary difference between the two test scenarios in Apple's official documentation is the inclusion of sleep tracking in the Series 11's evaluation. Apple states that the 24-hour figure is based on 300 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 minutes of app use, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and six hours of sleep tracking. The comparable Series 10 test lists the same parameters but does not include sleep tracking.

While Apple does not break down the exact battery drain of each activity, sleep tracking is generally a low-power feature, allowing older Apple Watch models to be worn overnight without fully depleting their charge. Many users have pointed out that Apple Watches have long exceeded the company's stated 18-hour battery life in real-world use, with most users comfortably achieving overnight tracking. This suggests that the six-hour increase is primarily a result of Apple adding sleep tracking to its official scenario, rather than a significant increase in real-world battery life.

If you’re deciding on getting an aluminum Apple Watch, go for the Series 11 since the upgraded display is worth the extra money compared to a discounted Series 10.

If you’re deciding on a titanium Apple Watch, go for the Series 10 since you can save at least $100 compared to the Series 11. Right now you can get a Slate Titanium with Milanese Loop on Amazon for $629 vs $799 for the Series 11.

If you’re among the elite few who heavily relies on Apple Watch’s cellular connection, get the Series 11.

Apple Watch Series 3 breaks Apple’s rules for what is considered vintage.

Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:

All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.

Apple’s definition of vintage:

Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.

The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.

The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.

Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.

Ceramic Shield 2 - the real winner this year for iPhone.

“Scratchgate” might be unjustly taking the headlines for Apple’s new lineup of phones, but what isn’t getting the praise it deserves is Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2. For years we have seen phones being tested, and they have always had the same scientific scratch results per Jerryrigeverything:

Scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level 7.

Zack’s famous quote (referring to Mohs Scale of hardness) is recognized by millions of phone nerds and saboteurs of technology, but that ended with the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and iPhone Air. This is a big deal because even though coins and keys couldn’t scratch your screen, any other grit in your pocket would easily scratch your screen. I’m talking about fine sand particles that comes from day to day living and end up in your pocket.

Sand particles have a high quartz content, which is a level 7.

Even though I am a bit OCD about cleaning my dedicated phone pants pocket, my screens still got scratched each year. Nothing huge, but still annoying. And no, I’m not throwing a screen protector on just to destroy the beautiful flow between the body and screen. Now with Ceramic Shield 2, I can lower my OCD levels just a tad knowing that even quartz will be less likely to gash my screen.

Apple’s investment with Corning is a huge win for the economy and for iPhone purists who hate the idea of a screen protector. Remember, this is the first time ever that a mainstream smartphone display has this level of resistance to scratches.

Makes me wonder how durable that new display is on Apple Watch Series 11.

Apple releases Hypertension (high blood pressure) Notifications Validation Paper.

I was waiting for this paper.

I didn’t see it on Apple’s Health website before and didn’t get search results for it when searching online, but it’s there now. The google search dates the validation paper with an August 12, 2025 date.

Apple’s main endpoints for this study:

The validation study assessed the following coprimary safety and effectiveness endpoints:

• Notification sensitivity for participants with a Stage 1 or Stage 2 reference hypertension (HTN) category

• Notification specificity for participants with a Normal or Elevated reference HTN category

In more simple terms, for Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension, Apple was focusing on making sure a notification was given when a person actually has hypertension (true positive). For people with Normal or Elevated readings that don’t classify as hypertension, Apple was focused on making sure these people did not get a notification of hypertension (true negative).

Apple’s conclusions - If you have Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, you are 41.2% likely to get a notification with a correct diagnosis (true positive). That number is close to 54% if you have Stage 2 hypertension. Generally speaking, the worse your hypertension, the more likely you’ll be notified.

On the flip side, if you have Normal or Elevated blood pressure that’s not classified as hypertension, you are 92.3% likely not to get notified (true negative). That number jumps to 95.3% if you just factor in Normal blood pressure. The more normal your blood pressure, the less likely you’ll be falsely notified.

The basic takeaway: if your Apple Watch tells you your blood pressure might be high, it probably is high and you should follow up with your doctor. If you don’t get any notifications, that doesn’t mean you don’t have high blood pressure because about half the time, Apple Watch doesn’t have enough data to confidently say you do have high blood pressure.

I’m hoping in the future, now that AirPods Pro 3 also have heart rate sensors, we can get more accurate data and higher sensitivity from more measurement sites that makes these tools even more useful as health-aids.

Right now the Apple Watch is nowhere near the greatest tool for detecting high blood pressure, but it sure as hell is a nice backup to have, right on your wrist.

More details in the paper.

Apple Watch Series 11 not only keeps Jet Black, but makes it closer to being the most luxurious Apple Watch we have.

Apple doubled-down on Jet Black this year, keeping it around for another year and making the screen more scratch resistant:

The cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance. Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface. The titanium models will continue to have a sapphire front crystal, the most scratch-resistant and crack-resistant material covering a display.

The Achilles heel of any non-sapphire display just got 2x better scratch resistance, but it’s up to the influencers to test how much more scratch resistant it truly is. Jet Black has objectively become more durable than its original debut with iPhone 7, so the new glass is promising. Ion-X glass already has the upper hand when it came to glare in bright lights, but it would be wonderful to see even less glare with this new ceramic coating.

Influencers, please test the following:

1. Is the screen actually more scratch resistant than last year?

2. Compare the Ion-X glass from both Series 10 and Series 11 and let us know if the glare is better, worse, or the same.

Looks like Apple won’t be fixing ‘Swipe to Switch Watch Face’ until watchOS 27.

My own critical analysis a few months ago:

No longer the default option, the swipe came back as a 2nd string option due to its glitchy performance. On my 7 and a half year old Series 3 Apple Watch, with its latest software version (Watch OS 8), in the year 2025, you can swipe between watch faces and everything is in memory and seamless. Extremely smooth, with the hour, minute, and seconds hands perfectly in sync between swipes. It just works!

Somehow the architecture of watchOS 10 fundamentally changed some of the inner workings of the Apple Watch, and after almost 2 years now, it’s as if the watch face has to “load” each and every time you swipe watch faces. It feels and looks buggy, especially when you go from an analog watch face to a digital watch face that is full of data. It juuust (barely) works.

The Tips app on your iPhone even demos how to change your watch face, referring to the touch and hold method vs the swipe method.

I’m sure there are Apple Watch engineers who cringe every time they swipe from one watch face to another, knowing that this problem still exists and needs to be fixed. I understand why it’s not a high priority, but it’ll be two years in June when they announce watchOS 12.

Two years is long enough.

With the latest (and possibly final) developer Beta 9 on watchOS 26, this problem still persists. Not a deal breaker, but it just doesn’t feel Apple-like to leave it this clunky.

It feels like Android.

Red Apple Watch faces that are easy on the eyes when sleeping and maintain your visual acuity (in-depth guide).

For a simple watch face when going to sleep, you could use the Sleep Focus and get a minimal watch face, but the problem is you have to tap the screen to see the time, which defeats the purpose of an always-on watch, and maybe your just overpowered by sleep and moving your other arm feels like a real drag in the moment.

The next best option? Minimal red watch faces.

Having a minimal watch face is always the best choice when going to bed, since blue light can strain your eyes and disrupt your sleep. Depending on which Apple Watch you have, you can use different watch faces with a minimal appearance that won’t launch apps with accidental taps and sear your eyes.

There’s nothing more scary than checking the time at 2AM because you hear some sounds, and now you’re blinded by your watch face. The moment you gain some ability to see in the dark again, you see your child almost right up against your face letting you know they leaked themselves.

Now that makes two of you.

To avoid further leaks, use these watch faces.

Note: All these watch faces are red to the naked eye, maintain your night vision, and give off significantly less light than Apple’s Sleep Focus watch face.

Apple’s Sleep Focus watch face.

A quick tip before we get started - when you select the default red color, tap the red color circle and turn the digital crown to make the red as dark as possible.

All the colors above the dash mark can be edited this way.

Apple Watch Series 3

If you’re still stuck on the Series 3, you have two choices for an all red watch face:

Modular - The Series 3 stopped getting updates after watchOS 8, keeping the older Modular watch face. This has a special advantage since you can change the color of the time, something no longer available with the new Modular watch face. Simply disable all complications, choose red as your color option, and you have the most minimalist, least distractive watch face.

Since you can change the color of even the time, just get rid of all complications…

to get this minimalist watch face that’s easy on the eyes.

X-Large - The X-Large watch face in red is another solid option. You get one spot for a massive complication, still giving you time in big font on a single line. The Series 3 version of X-Large on watchOS 8.8 has a unique problem because none of the complications are static, meaning touching the massively sized complication will open its respective app. The Moon Phase complication for example is actually a static complication in later versions of watchOS, but in watchOS 8.8, it opens the World Clock app.

The only option is to turn off complications and keep the huge font.

The regular X-Large face is the way to go. As neat as the complication looks, it’s not ideal for sleep since the touch target is huge.

Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, SE 1st generation

These three watches were updated to watchOS 10, giving them an advantage with the X-Large face, but taking away the Modular watch face as we knew it. The new Modular watch face becomes more modernized with an extra Date complication and rounder fonts, but now the time can only be had in white, disqualifying the watch face since a truly red watch face cannot be achieved.

Bummer.

The new Modular watch face has multiple colors, but the time is always white when the background color is turned off.

X-Large - The X-Large face gains more complications in watchOS 10, with the key feature being static complications. These static complications don’t interact to touch and don’t open any apps, making it impossible to get any white light exposure. You can choose from two different static complications that are all red in the Astronomy category:

1. Moon

2. Solar System

Depending on the Moon phase, you could get a brighter image, which is why I recommend the Solar System complication for the least intrusive look.

The Moon and Solar System widgets work as static complications, but Solar System is the better option since it’s almost invisible.

Apple Watch Series 6 thru Series 10, SE 2nd generation

X-Large - on watchOS 11 and later, you get three static complications:

1. Earth

2. Moon

3. Solar System

Earth can get bright if you’re a daytime napper in a blacked out room like myself, so once again, the best complication is Solar System.

Solar System wins every time, but Earth and Moon still give off way less light than the Sleep focus watch face.

Photos - the Photos watch face in watchOS 26 gives you the ability to put any photo as a wallpaper, and more importantly, you can select the color of the time, just like the old Modular watch face on the Series 3. Selecting the time color is not always an option depending on the photo but for our purposes it is.

Use the following process to get an all-black watch face:

1. Take an all-black photo (or just use this sample).

2. Select Create Watch Face.

3. Select the Photos Watch Face.

4. Select your preferred Time Size.

5. Pick your font.

6. Pick your Numerals.

7. For Style, pick Natural.

8. For Time Color, select the red time color and slide the gradient to dark red as described earlier in this article.

9. Turn off all complications.

Note: For whatever reason, you can only change the color of the time on the iPhone and not on the watch directly.

Take a look at how similar it is to the original Series 3 Modular:

Original Modular (left) vs new Photos (right).

Photos watch face with small, medium, large and X-large time sizes.

I will admit I do cheat a bit with the Photos watch face and add a complication on top. It is such a small touch target that I have never activated it by accident. The Top complication does make the time even smaller, making it closely resemble the original Modular watch face on the Series 3:

Original Modular (left) vs new Photos (right). That complication is Wind Speed if you’re wondering. And yes, it matters a lot to me.

Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2

These watches get watchOS 26, so they will benefit from the X-Large and Photos watch faces, but with two additional Ultra-exclusive watch faces - Modular Ultra and Wayfinder. Not only are these exclusive watch faces, they are also the only watch faces that support Night Mode, making everything turn red.

Modular Ultra - Simply remove all complications, and pick how you want your time to be displayed. Either select the red color or activate Night Mode to ON to have a big beautiful red clock (or small) with no distractions.

Wayfinder - Once again, remove all complications, and turn ON Night Mode to get an all-red analog watch face.

Wayfinder (left), Modular Ultra (right).

Source: MacRumors

Honorable mentions

There are a few other watch faces that get honorable mentions, but they don’t meet my strict criteria of solid red color with no active complications. They still shine too much light compared to the red watch faces I mentioned above, almost equivalent to Apple’s Nighttime watch face.

Numerals Duo - The top number in the darkest red isn’t a true red, shining white light at you.

Meridian - If you select the Fall 2021 (PRODUCT) RED color, you get a fully red dial, but the hour and minute hands are outlined in white.

Close, but no cigar.

Even the Digital Time complication is all red, making this one receiving the highest honorable mention.

Typograph - Similar to Meridian with the standard red color.

Will Apple gatekeep Night Mode to the Ultra lineup?

It’s hard to say what Apple will do with the Series 11, because if they open up Night Mode (which I am all for), it would change the whole dynamics of having the perfect bedtime watch face. Many more watch faces would qualify with an all red look, but we’re only a few weeks away from finding out.

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.