GoKawiilKaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
TL;DR Apple announced a surprisingly restrictive compatibility list for watch OS 27 at WWDC 2026, dropping support for six previous models, including the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, 8, 9, SE 2, and the first-generation Ultra.
The Apple Watch Series 9, launched in late 2023, is missing out after receiving only two major platform updates, even though its contemporary counterpart, the Ultra 2, made the cut.
This unpredictable shift gives Samsung and Google the advantage. Samsung guarantees four years of major updates, while the Pixel Watch 2 is on track to match or outlast the Series 9.
Update, June 8, 2026 (04:56 PM ET): It appears that Apple’s compatibility list for watch OS 27 may not have been complete, as reports are beginning to surface on social media of Series 9 owners successfully installing the watch OS 27 beta. We have yet to spot Apple issuing any correction. Original article, June 8, 2026 (04:09 PM ET): At WWDC 2026, Apple announced that even the iPhone 11 from 2019 is getting iOS 27, granting it seven years of major software updates, and putting Google and Samsung to shame. One would presume Apple would continue its streak across other parts of its ecosystem, but, shockingly, watch OS 27’s compatibility list makes Galaxy Watches and even Pixel Watches look much better in comparison.
Apple says watch OS 27 is compatible only with the following smartwatches (when paired with an iPhone running iOS 27): Apple Watch SE 3 Apple Watch Series 10 Apple Watch Series 11 Apple Watch Ultra 2 Apple Watch Ultra 3
For a company that released such an impressively long iOS 27 compatibility list, this watch OS 27 compatibility list is woefully short.
For context, the watch OS 26 (and watch OS 11) compatibility list included the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE 2, and the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. None of these watches will receive the latest platform update. Apple hasn’t explicitly labeled these watches as end-of-life, so there’s still hope you’ll receive security updates and bug fixes for watch OS 26. But their time as first-class feature citizens is officially done.
For newer watches like the Series 9 (2023, launched with watch OS 10), this news is quite a gut punch, as the accompanying Apple Watch Ultra 2 makes it to the list. The Series 9 just got two platform updates (watch OS 11 and watch OS 26) before being kicked off the list.
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