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  5. All the sweet new watchOS features we expect at WWDC25

All the sweet new watchOS features we expect at WWDC25

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An image of an Apple Watch Ultra on a wrist.
What's in store for the next version of watchOS? A big name change might be just the start.
Image: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

There’s less than a week to go until WWDC, the annual developer fest where Apple takes the wraps off its latest OS releases. While the rumor mill has mostly focused on iPhone this year, there’s plenty for Apple Watch fans to look forward to.

Rumor has it that the next big watch update — possibly dubbed “watchOS 26,” in line with Apple’s rumored naming convention shakeup — will get a fresh new user interface, Apple Intelligence, conversation transcriptions and a smart AI coach that delivers tailored health and fitness advice.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and take a closer look at what’s in store for Apple Watch.

watchOS rumors: What to expect at WWDC 2025

A decade after the Apple Watch debuted, the smartwatch has morphed into one of the most intimate and health-focused devices in Apple’s ecosystem. It tracks heart rates and workouts, nudges us to stand, and even calls emergency services during crises.

Now, with watchOS poised for another evolution, Apple appears ready to double down on that role. Apple Watch rumors always seem scarcer than iPhone rumors. But at WWDC 2025, the company is expected to introduce a smarter, more context-aware version of watchOS, wrapped in a visionOS-inspired design that jibes with the rest of Apple’s refreshed operating systems.

watchOS 12 or watchOS 26: What’s in a name?

The most obvious change to watchOS will probably be its name. According to Bloomberg’s veteran rumormonger Mark Gurman, watchOS will jump from version 11 to version 26, aligning with all Apple’s operating systems. This sounds like particularly good news for Apple Watch fans. You’d have to be a hard-core Apple geek to remember that watchOS 11 works with iOS 18. iOS 26 and watchOS 26 will be much more obvious bedfellows.

watchOS 26 looks set for another design refresh

watchOS got a major redesign just two years ago with watchOS 10. At the time, Apple’s VP of technology, Kevin Lynch, called it a “major milestone.” The redesign introduced a new visual language that took full advantage of the larger screen sizes of recent Apple Watch models.

It might seem strange for watchOS to receive another makeover so soon. But according to the rumors, this is all part of a bigger plan, dubbed “Solarium” internally at Apple. Solarium reportedly will introduce a new, consistent design language across all Apple’s platforms, including watchOS.

Since watchOS benefited from a big design refresh so recently, this year’s changes are likely to be minor. But we can probably expect some visual touches inspired by visionOS, like translucent glass effects and buttons with beveled edges that catch the light as you move your wrist.

Your smartwatch is about to get smarter, with Apple Intelligence

When Cupertino rolled out Apple Intelligence last year, Apple Watch was conspicuously absent from the list of supported devices. That could change this year, with rumors suggesting AI features are heading to a wrist near you.

The current absence of Apple Intelligence could be due to hardware limitations. The Apple Watch Ultra 2’s neural engine only has four cores. That’s nothing compared to the whopping 16-core Neural Engine the latest iPhones are packing.

Apple might get around this limitation by offloading intensive AI processing to your iPhone. This could enable your Apple Watch to deliver some basic AI features like Genmoji, notification summaries and new Siri capabilities. But only when your iPhone is within range.

This year’s changes could be the first small step toward a much more ambitious AI plan for Apple Watch. Rumors indicate Apple wants to add a camera to future models to deliver Visual Intelligence.

watchOS 26 delivers subtitles to your wrist

Apple already previewed some upcoming accessibility features on Global Accessibility Awareness Day last month. So we don’t need rumormongers to know some of the neat features the next version of watchOS has in store for us.

watchOS will gain controls for Live Listen, a feature that allows you to use your iPhone as a remote mic and stream audio to AirPods. Plus, live transcriptions of conversations will appear on your watch screen as mini subtitles. Unfortunately, checking your watch when someone is talking to you is a pretty unsubtle dis. So this feature could prove problematic.


Personally, the accessibility feature I’m eagerly waiting for is support for streaming audio to Made for iPhone hearing aids. You can already do this with iPhone, iPad and Mac. The Apple Watch is the last major Apple hardware platform not to offer this feature.

Would you trust fitness advice from Apple Intelligence?
Would you trust fitness advice from Apple Intelligence?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Would you trust Apple’s AI with your life?

Rumors of an AI-powered fitness coach have been doing the rounds for years. Back in 2023, Bloomberg’s Gurman reported that Apple planned to “use AI and data from an Apple Watch to make suggestions and create coaching programs tailored to specific users.”

The project, apparently dubbed “Quartz” internally, could be an exclusive new feature for Fitness+ subscribers.

As a fitness buff myself, I have my doubts about all this. Real coaches know everything about their athletes’ capabilities and weaknesses. They relentlessly observe training sessions to make sure their programs are safe and effective. Can Apple Watch really gather enough data to safely and reliably provide this kind of advice? And would Apple be liable for any injuries if an AI coach hallucinated?

Quartz would be a bold move for a company that has previously been so measured in its fitness claims that it only ever promised that closing your Activity Rings would help you live a healthier day.

In the Netherlands, researchers are exploring ways to detect AFib earlier in a randomized control study using Apple Watch features.
Project Mulberry could use data from your watch to provide tailored health and lifestyle advice.
Photo: Apple

Apple mulls moving into health coaching with Project Mulberry

If a virtual fitness coach wasn’t ambitious enough, Apple is also considering adding AI-powered health coaches to the Health app. Internally dubbed “Project Mulberry,” this could form part of a new subscription service dubbed Apple Health+. According to Gurman, it would be Apple’s “biggest health care push to date with a revamped app and AI doctor service.”

Project Mulberry would draw on the data collected from the health sensors in your Apple Watch to deliver individually tailored health and lifestyle recommendations.

Food tracking would play a central role ing this offering, putting Apple in direct competition with calorie-counting apps like Lose It. This simplistic “calories in, calories out” approach to weight loss is increasingly challenged by experts. So it’s odd timing for Apple to move into this area.

Gurman suggests Project Mulberry might not ship until spring or summer of 2026, which means we might not see it at this year’s WWDC.

Will Apple Watch finally catch up with Garmin?

In recent years, Apple has kept up with Garmin by adding new training metrics every year at WWDC. We’ve seen the addition of metrics like heart rate variability, VO2 Max, Running & Cycling Power, Effort and Training Load.

So, what new metrics can we expect this year? The rumor mill doesn’t provide any clues, but the smart money is on training readiness and body battery, features that Garmin already offers. Training readiness analyzes things like your sleep history and stress levels to assess whether you should push yourself with a workout. The Body Battery feature in Garmin watches lets you “monitor your personal energy resources around the clock,” according to the company.

There are only a few sleeps left now before Apple CEO Tim Cook and his team reveal all during the WWDC25 keynote on June 9. Be sure to check back next week, when I’ll serve my hot take on all the new Apple Watch health and fitness features.

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