All the details on watchOS 26 as announced at Apple’s WWDC 2025 event is here!

Apple has officially introduced watchOS 26, showcasing its most visually striking update yet with the debut of the Liquid Glass design and a new AI-powered feature called Workout Buddy. Revealed at WWDC 2025, this latest version of the operating system aims to deepen the Apple Watch’s role as a personal health and lifestyle companion by incorporating smarter functionality, enhanced visuals, and increased user motivation.

At the heart of watchOS 26 lies the Liquid Glass interface, which reimagines the overall look and feel of the system. This design shift introduces a sleek, fluid, and semi-transparent visual style to key elements such as the Smart Stack, the Photos face, app transitions, and the Control Center. These components now feature reflective and refractive qualities that respond in real time to movement and ambient light, creating a more immersive and dynamic user experience. Even the typography on watch faces has been refreshed to better complement this design evolution and make full use of the display area.

Another standout feature in this update is Workout Buddy, designed to harness the capabilities of Apple Intelligence to provide personalized, real-time coaching. This new function delivers contextually relevant audio cues tailored to each user’s activity patterns, utilizing data such as heart rate, pace, workout history, and ring progress. Drawing from the voices of Fitness+ trainers, the system can deliver timely encouragement and insights during workouts. A user out on a run might hear a motivational phrase like, “You’re just 18 minutes away from closing your Exercise ring,” or “That was your longest run in the past 28 days,” offering a human-like experience driven entirely by intelligent automation.

Combined with gesture-based navigation, refined fitness insights, and more intuitive notifications, watchOS 26 brings a powerful blend of form and function to the Apple Watch, solidifying its role as a smarter, more motivating everyday wearable.