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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
If you don’t start eating right and exercising more, don’t expect to be there when your daughter walks down the aisle.
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.
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:
If you don’t start eating right and exercising more, don’t expect to be there when your daughter walks down the aisle.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 📓
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.
Apple removed these watch faces from watchOS 26.
These are some of the most useless watch faces, so it’s a good thing they’re gone. 📓
These are some of the most useless watch faces, so it’s a good thing they’re gone. Fire and Water looked cool, but it’s not cool to not know the time.
watchOS 26 brings the Always-On Display with ticking seconds hand to many more watch faces for the Series 10.
I was getting a bit nervous since the WWDC keynote didn’t mention a peep about watch faces. My original article was going to be titled, “Lamenting watchOS 26,” and I might have gone into a poetic rant, but nay, this deed shall I no longer pursue.
It took me forever to finally get the watchOS 26 beta on my beloved Jet Black Series 10, but I was lying in bed and finally got the “hello” screen. I instantly went to an analog watch face (Solar Analog in this case), slapped the screen to turn it off, and behold, the seconds hand still kept ticking.
Disappointed I was not, although I was ready for it. Sleep was fighting with me, but curiosity won at the end. I tried out a bunch of other watch faces, and many, not all, analog watch faces that are full screen now support the ticking seconds hand.
Most functional ones that mimic real watch faces support it, but the more flamboyant ones like Kaleidoscope do not. It is still a bit inconsistent because Nike Analog supports it, but Nike Hybrid doesn’t.
It’s a work in progress, and hopefully we get support for more watch faces as the betas continue. My rough count puts supported watch faces at around 20, versus 5 or 6 just the day before.
I was getting a bit nervous since the WWDC keynote didn’t mention a peep about watch faces. My original article was going to be titled, “Lamenting watchOS 26,” and I might have gone into a poetic rant, but nay, this deed shall I no longer pursue.
It took me forever to finally get the watchOS 26 beta on my beloved Jet Black Series 10, but I was lying in bed and finally got the “hello” screen. I instantly went to an analog watch face (Solar Analog in this case), slapped the screen to turn it off, and behold, the seconds hand still kept ticking.
Disappointed I was not, although I was ready for it. Sleep was fighting with me, but curiosity won at the end. I tried out a bunch of other watch faces, and many, not all, analog watch faces that are full screen now support the ticking seconds hand.
Most functional ones that mimic real watch faces support it, but the more flamboyant ones like Kaleidoscope do not. It is still a bit inconsistent because Nike Analog supports it, but Nike Hybrid doesn’t.
It’s a work in progress, and hopefully we get support for more watch faces as the betas continue. My rough count puts supported watch faces at around 20, versus 5 or 6 just the day before.
Will we get Night Mode as a standard feature in watchOS 26?
Night Mode is a great feature that is limited to two watch faces* on the Apple Watch Ultra models, but it should be a feature available to all Apple Watches on more watch faces.
It arguably classifies as an Accessibility feature since many people would like to preserve their vision at night, and Night Mode is the best way to do it. Currently all iPhones starting with the iPhone XS and later support Night Mode on StandBy. This feature is not limited to the Pro iPhones, so the same standard should apply with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Series 10 did get some trickle-down features from the Ultra such as a Depth gauge, Depth app, and even a water temperature sensor. Hopefully Apple continues with their trickle-down economics and gives us Night Mode for all Apple Watches, this time baked into watchOS instead of a particular watch.
*Wayfinder and Modular Ultra
Night Mode is a great feature that is limited to two watch faces* on the Apple Watch Ultra models, but it should be a feature available to all Apple Watches on more watch faces.
It arguably classifies as an Accessibility feature since many people would like to preserve their vision at night, and Night Mode is the best way to do it. Currently all iPhones starting with the iPhone XS and later support Night Mode on StandBy. This feature is not limited to the Pro iPhones, so the same standard should apply with the Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Series 10 did get some trickle-down features from the Ultra such as a Depth gauge, Depth app, and even a water temperature sensor. Hopefully Apple continues with their trickle-down economics and gives us Night Mode for all Apple Watches, this time baked into watchOS instead of a particular watch.
*Wayfinder and Modular Ultra
iPhone and Apple Watch Compatibility update and correction.
I was wrong about Apple Watch compatibility in my previous post, but Apple’s chart is what makes it confusing.
(Read the whole explanation and story, or get the TLDR below).
New rules for Apple Watch compatibility with iPhones:
If your iPhone supports iOS 18, it will pair with any Apple Watch.
If you have an iPhone 8 or iPhone X, it will pair with a Series 4, Series 5, or SE 1st generation Apple Watch on watchOS 9 or earlier, and any Apple Watch before that.
If you have an iPhone 6S, SE 1st generation, or iPhone 7, you can pair a Series 3 Apple Watch or earlier.
I was wrong about Apple Watch compatibility in my previous post, but Apple’s chart is what makes it confusing.
I had stated earlier that you needed iOS 18 to use an Apple Watch, or else you were out of luck. Turns out, there is a hierarchy based on which versions of watchOS and iOS you have to determine compatibility. Having iOS 18 puts you at the top of the food chain (or tangled web in this case) and makes all watches compatible.
This isn't an issue for an iPhone XS or later user since they do have iOS 18, but it is a confusing mess if you have an iPhone X or earlier. I know these people are few and far between, but I'm still seeing these devices out in the wild.
What made me assume that you must have iOS 18 in order to use an Apple Watch? It was Apple of course in their own words:
To set up and use an Apple Watch, you need iPhone XS or later with iOS 18 or later.
Initially I thought this was an error, until I tried doing some other pairing experiments. When I wrote my first piece, I tried pairing a Series 5 Watch with an iPhone SE 1st gen several times, and each time it would not work. Then I tried pairing a Series 3 watch to the same iPhone, with no luck.
According to Apple’s chart though, both should have worked:
As you can see here, for a Series 5, you need an iPhone 6s or later, and iOS 13 or later. The iPhone SE 1st gen meets the criteria, but won’t pair, and it wouldn’t pair to a Series 3 that I tried three separate times.
Based on this information, I concluded that you must have iOS 18 moving forwards in order to use an Apple Watch.
But that’s not true.
I tried a 4th time to pair my Series 3 to my iPhone SE 1st generation over a week later, and it did work. Why it didn’t work the first three times is beyond me, even with restarting both devices, but maybe the iOS 15 and watchOS 8 update pathways or servers were down on that day? Who would’ve actually noticed though since these versions of the OS are obsolete.
After successfully pairing my iPhone SE 1st gen to a Series 3, I then decided to do some other experimentation. My iPhone X qualifies even more to pair with a Series 5 according to the chart, but it also wouldn’t pair saying my version of iOS (iOS 16) was out of date. The chart once again makes it seem compatible because it says I need iOS 13 or later and an iPhone 6s or later. Aaaah!
These are my results for trying to pair different watches to different iPhones up to this point:
iPhone SE 1st gen paired to a Series 5 - FAIL
iPhone SE 1st gen paired to a Series 3 - FAIL
iPhone SE 1st gen paired to a Series 3 (2nd attempt) - FAIL
iPhone SE 1st gen paired to a Series 3 (3rd attempt) - FAIL
iPhone X paired to a Series 3 - PASS
iPhone X paired to a Series 5 - FAIL
iPhone SE 1st gen paired to a Series 3 (4th attempt) - PASS
Long story short, this chart from wikipedia really tells you a more up-to-date compatibility of Apple Watches and iPhones for those iPhones that don’t update past iOS 16.
It turns out an iPhone is limited to what version of watchOS it can pair to than the generation of Apple Watch itself.
This chart explains why my Series 5 wouldn’t pair with my iPhone SE 1st gen or my iPhone X because the Series 5 was already updated to watchOS 10. If it was still on watchOS 9, it would work with the iPhone X and iPhone 8 but not the iPhone SE 1st gen.
New rules for Apple Watch compatibility with iPhones:
If your iPhone supports iOS 18, it will pair with any Apple Watch.
If you have an iPhone 8 or iPhone X, it will pair with a Series 4, Series 5, or SE 1st generation Apple Watch on watchOS 9 or earlier, and any Apple Watch before that.
If you have an iPhone 6S, SE 1st generation, or iPhone 7, you can pair a Series 3 Apple Watch or earlier.
Apple quietly updates Apple Watch to only work with iPhones on iOS 18 or later.
Update 5/12/25: See the clarification and correction to this article here.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, don’t unpair your Apple Watch from your device because it will stop working. You must have iOS 18 now in order to pair any Apple Watch with your device. iOS 18 is available on iPhone XS or later, and iPhone SE 2nd generation or later.
This was changed recently and Apple released an updated support document. Apple’s previous compatibility chart was more complicated, but it allowed older versions of iOS to work with older Apple Watches. Their chart was not complete, and I made a modified chart to include the iPhone SE models.
Apple’s compatibility chart was dated Nov. 20, 2024, and Apple’s most recent support document is dated Feb. 28, 2025, a Friday.
So on a Friday, right when the news cycle for the week ends, Apple published a support document quietly making it impossible to pair usable Apple Watches with iOS 17 or older devices. I was in the process today of pairing a Series 5 on watchOS 10 with my iPhone SE 1st gen on iOS 15 which was possible according to Apple’s chart, but I could no longer do that and when I clicked on the “Learn More” option, the support document spelled it out bluntly:
To set up and use an Apple Watch, you need iPhone XS or later with iOS 18 or later.
Both the iPhone SE 1st gen and the Series 5 watch are on their latest software revisions, but even then it is not possible.
iOS 18 is the minimum you need now.
It is a bitter sweet ending, since it was quite perplexing to keep track of which watches on which version of watchOS would work with which iPhones on which versions of iOS. Even for a geek like me it was hard to keep it straight. The backwards compatibility was bound to come to an end, and that time is now.
Keep these 4 points in mind:
If you have iOS 18, you can pair any Apple Watch to it.
If you don’t have iOS 18, you cannot pair any Apple Watch to it.
If your Apple Watch is currently paired to an iOS 17 device, it will continue to work, but you might eventually be forced to upgrade to iOS 18 if you have an iPhone XS or later or an iPhone SE 2nd gen or later.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, unpairing your current Apple Watch will prevent you from re-pairing the device to your iPhone.
Update 5/12/25: See the clarification and correction to this article here.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, don’t unpair your Apple Watch from your device because it will stop working. You must have iOS 18 now in order to pair any Apple Watch with your device. iOS 18 is available on iPhone XS or later, and iPhone SE 2nd generation or later.
This was changed recently and Apple released an updated support document. Apple’s previous compatibility chart was more complicated, but it allowed older versions of iOS to work with older Apple Watches. Their chart was not complete, and I made a modified chart to include the iPhone SE models.
Apple’s compatibility chart was dated Nov. 20, 2024, and Apple’s most recent support document is dated Feb. 28, 2025, a Friday.
So on a Friday, right when the news cycle for the week ends, Apple published a support document quietly making it impossible to pair usable Apple Watches with iOS 17 or older devices. I was in the process today of pairing a Series 5 on watchOS 10 with my iPhone SE 1st gen on iOS 15 which was possible according to Apple’s chart, but I could no longer do that and when I clicked on the “Learn More” option, the support document spelled it out bluntly:
To set up and use an Apple Watch, you need iPhone XS or later with iOS 18 or later.
Both the iPhone SE 1st gen and the Series 5 watch are on their latest software revisions, but even then it is not possible.
iOS 18 is the minimum you need now.
It is a bitter sweet ending, since it was quite perplexing to keep track of which watches on which version of watchOS would work with which iPhones on which versions of iOS. Even for a geek like me it was hard to keep it straight. The backwards compatibility was bound to come to an end, and that time is now.
Keep these 4 points in mind:
If you have iOS 18, you can pair any Apple Watch to it.
If you don’t have iOS 18, you cannot pair any Apple Watch to it.
If your Apple Watch is currently paired to an iOS 17 device, it will continue to work, but you might eventually be forced to upgrade to iOS 18 if you have an iPhone XS or later or an iPhone SE 2nd gen or later.
If you have an iPhone X or earlier, unpairing your current Apple Watch will prevent you from re-pairing the device to your iPhone.