Apple is now offering the first public beta of watchOS 26, the next major update for Apple Watch, ahead of its official fall release. While the biggest visual update may appear to be the limited Liquid Glass elements, the substance of watchOS 26 exists in how it integrates with Apple Intelligence for smarter workouts and more context-aware communication. After some hands-on time with the update, here’s what stands out so far.
watchOS 26? Where’d the time go?
watchOS 26 is the 12th version of the Apple Watch operating system. At a high level, the new version builds on work that started in watchOS 10 in 2023 and continued with watchOS 11 in 2024. The naming convention has changed, replacing what would be watchOS 12 with watchOS 26, but the timeline for progress is consistent with recent releases. (Apple made each device operating system unify behind a single version number, 26, this year to signal the year ahead, 2026, when each release will be used the most.)
Liquid Glass design elements
Apple is deploying a visionOS-inspired redesign to each operating system this year, bringing some of the visual flare of Apple Vision Pro to the rest of the product portfolio.
In watchOS 26, the use of the Liquid Glass design element is present in a few places: Smart Stack widgets, Control Center tiles, and system elements like passcode entry, navigation controls, and notification platters. Like the Lock Screen on iPhone, Apple has also included a Liquid Glass digital clock option for the popular Photos watch face.
Structurally, watchOS 10 delivered the biggest redesign to Apple Watch two years ago. The use of Liquid Glass in watchOS 26 is a bit sparse if you spend most of your time looking at other watch faces. A future version could benefit from having Liquid Glass numerals around analog clock faces or larger Liquid Glass digits on more digital watch faces.
For now, the places where Liquid Glass makes an appearance adds charm, like color from Control Center tiles spilling over into nearby tiles that are otherwise inactive and transparent. Passcode entry is also delightful now, returning to a rounded button design, now with Liquid Glass effects, instead of the squared off version that resembled the dial buttons in Phone.
Unlike the iPhone and iPad, Apple Watch never existed during the photorealistic era that ended with iOS 7. The limited places where Liquid Glass appears in watchOS 26 gives us a bit of that feeling without the absolute absurdity of rich skeuomorphism.
Apple Intelligence adds charm and personality to the workout experience
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