Apple has started rolling out the first Public Beta of watchOS 26. This update come two days after the release of watchOS 26 Developer Beta 4.
watchOS 26 includes a new design implemented across the system called “Liquid Glass”. Everything from icons to the System UI will now adapt to the surrounding elements with the translucent material. According to Apple,” The new material, Liquid Glass, is translucent and behaves like glass in the real world. Its color is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments. Born out of a close collaboration between the design and engineering teams, Liquid Glass uses real-time rendering and dynamically reacts to movement with specular highlights. This creates a lively experience that makes using iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV even more delightful.”
watchOS 26 also introduces “Workout Buddy” which keep you motivated during your workout session.
In addition to these features, users can also use the Notes App on their Apple Watch and use Live Translation on their wrist. The latter, however, is exclusive to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 when paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or later.
The size of the update depends upon the Apple Watch model that you have and the software version you’re updating from.
Users who are registered as a public beta tester on www.beta.apple.com can opt-in to receive beta updates by going into the Watch App on their iPhone and navigating to My Watch>General>Software Update>Beta Updates and selecting watchOS 26 Public Beta. Do note that this version is not stable and is meant for testing purposes.
watchOS 26 is compatible with the following Apple Watch models:
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch Ultra
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
Additionally, users will also need to iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) running iOS 26 in order to update to watchOS 26.
Along with watchOS 26 Public Beta 1, Apple also released the first public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and tvOS 26. The final versions of these will be released to the public this fall, most likely in September.
How excited are you about these upcoming softwares with useful new features? Let us know down in the comments or write to us on @appleosophy! Be sure to download the Appleosophy App from the App Store or visit our website to stay updated with the latest Apple news!
