Apple will preview watchOS 27 at WWDC 2026 on Monday, June 8, and while it isn’t expected to be a revolutionary update, a number of new features have been rumored already. Here’s what we can likely expect from the new Apple Watch software.
In his Power On newsletter on Sunday, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said this year’s watchOS 27 update will “focus largely on stability, performance and smaller refinements, rather than introducing major new capabilities.”
Gurman has said watchOS 27 will include improvements to heart rate tracking, but he hasn’t elaborated on that comment.
We can also expect watchOS 27 to add new watch faces, according to Gurman, including a new variant of the “Modular Ultra” watch face. That watch face is currently Apple Watch Ultra-only.
Apple has promised to unveil “AI advancements” across its platforms, meaning we can expect watchOS 27 to bring additional Apple Intelligence features, albeit powered by the iPhone.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 boasts built-in satellite connectivity, allowing users to access Emergency SOS, Find My, and Messages via satellite without any reliance on an iPhone or a cellular signal. We could see watchOS 27 bring Apple Maps via Satellite and Photos support for Messages via Satellite for the Ultra.
