watchOS

Glanceable notifications and communication The original Apple Watch software centered on timely notifications, messages, and lightweight interactions on the wrist.

Native third-party apps Apps could run natively on Apple Watch for faster, more capable experiences.

Faster app access and Dock watchOS 3 focused on much faster access to favorite apps and introduced a Dock for recently used and preferred apps.

Watch Faces New Siri face that intelligently updates information based on time of day, location, and daily routines

Activity Challenge any of your Activity sharing friends to a one-on-one, seven-day competition

Cycle Tracking New Cycle Tracking app to log information about your menstrual cycle including flow level, symptoms, and spotting

Watch Faces New Stripes face that lets you select the number of stripes you want, choose colors, and rotate the angle to create a watch face that reflects your style (Series 4 and later)

Watch Faces Portraits face uses segmentation data from portrait photos taken on iPhone to create an immersive, multi-layered face (Apple Watch Series 4 and later)

Watch Faces Astronomy now displays current cloud coverage and star map

Experience Use redesigned apps that utilize the rounded corners and full surface area of the display

Vitals View your overnight health metrics like heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration in one convenient location

Liquid Glass A new design delivers a more expressive and seamless experience while maintaining the instant familiarity of watchOS and bringing more focus to your content

Siri AI watchOS 27 brings a more capable conversational Siri, a dedicated Siri app, and deeper context-aware assistance when paired with supported Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone models.