Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday put a supercharged Siri in the spotlight, but the ripple effects of that upgrade will likely be felt most on the Apple Watch — if you have a new enough model, that is.
With WatchOS 27, Apple is bringing a revamped Siri — now dubbed Siri AI — to the wrist, with better contextual awareness, natural language support and the ability to pull information from other apps on the fly. In theory, that should finally stop Siri on Apple Watch from defaulting to showing a list of web links for nearly every request. That’s especially important on a device where you don’t have the screen real estate or time to dig through websites or conduct a back-and-forth chat with a chatbot.
If you’ve used an Android-based watch running Wear OS recently, the gap is pretty obvious. Google brought Gemini to the wrist last year, and after I tested it on the Galaxy Watch, the difference was stark.
Ask a Pixel Watch, “How do I make buttermilk?” and it surfaces a list of ingredients with quick steps on-screen, then reads them aloud so you don’t even have to look down. Ask the same thing on an Apple Watch, and you get a list of websites you’d have to wait to load, and then squint and scroll to read through on a tiny display (if they even load at all). Multiple follow-ups? Not happening.
That kind of on-the-fly, hands-free utility changes how you actually use a watch, and I’m glad it’s finally arriving on the Apple Watch, even if it’s coming a year later than Android.
The end of the update road for many Apple Watch owners
The problem is that not many current Apple Watch owners will get to use WatchOS 27. The update will be available only on the Series 9 and newer, Ultra 2 and newer and the SE 3. It’s a much more aggressive cutoff than usual: Apple is dropping the Series 6, 7 and 8, the original Ultra and the second-generation SE.
So, if you bought an Apple Watch before 2024, there’s a good chance you’re at the end of the update road.
Some of the new AI features have legitimate hardware requirements, but Apple hasn’t traditionally treated that as grounds for cutting off older watches entirely. Last year, older models still received the update, while newer hardware had access to more advanced AI features. This year, Apple appears to have tied the entire update to the same compatibility wall, even though many of the new features don’t seem to require the hardware needed for Siri AI.
With more people holding onto secondary devices like smartwatches for longer, that’s a notable shift.
What else is coming in WatchOS 27
Apple didn’t spend much time on WatchOS individually (nor on any of the other OS updates like iOS 27) during the WWDC keynote, but a number of other upcoming features were revealed in the presentation and on Apple’s website.
Siri AI on WatchOS 27 will surface your top apps.
A smarter app grid
Press the Digital Crown, and you’ll now see a dynamic grid with five Siri-suggested apps based on what you use frequently and most recently, with the new Siri app front and center.
Previously, you were stuck sorting alphabetically and scrolling through your entire app list or navigating a grid of all your apps to find anything.
Workout Buddy goes bilingual and phone-free
Apple’s in-ear motivational coach, Workout Buddy, is now available in Spanish and can operate without your iPhone nearby, as long as you have a Bluetooth headset. It also incorporates more fitness data into its coaching nudges.
There’s no word yet whether the Buddy will get more coach-like features or continue existing as a chipper hype companion during workouts.
The Apple Watch will now flag menstrual cycle irregularities that could signal perimenopause.
Menopause and perimenopause insights in the Health app
Apple Watch is expanding its menstrual cycle-tracking features by identifying patterns that may signal the start of perimenopause, which can cause cycle irregularities due to shifting hormone levels.
While much of the cycle data remains self-reported, wearing an Apple Watch overnight unlocks retrospective ovulation estimates based on wrist temperature data. That helps you better understand your fertile window.
Apple is pairing the feature with a new Fitness Plus program, Strong Through Menopause, and a Time to Walk episode featuring actress Busy Philipps discussing her perimenopause journey.
Better one-handed Smart Stack control
A new gesture system lets you navigate the watch without using your other hand: double-tap your index finger and thumb to scroll the Smart Stack, single-tap to select a widget (a new capability) and flick your wrist to return to the watch face.
Smart Stack will suggest relevant widgets and shortcuts based on factors like date and location.
Smarter Smart Stack
The watch will proactively surface relevant widget suggestions, such as a parked-car reminder from Maps when you leave your vehicle, a birthday message prompt for close contacts and a Theater Mode suggestion when you’re at a movie theater or concert venue.
A consolidated Find My
Find Devices, Find Items and Find People are now combined into a single Find My app.
Workout accuracy improvements
Treadmill workouts get more accurate distance calculations through new machine learning models, and the route maps in your workout summary (in the Fitness app) will also be more accurate.
Wallet upgrades
You can now pin transit cards to the Smart Stack and view balances from your wrist. You can also create a custom pass from any card with a barcode or QR code, including a library card.
What about battery life?
Left out of the conversation entirely was battery life. That’s still one of the biggest complaints about the Apple Watch, particularly as sleep tracking and long-term health features require you to wear it overnight. With no mention of battery or efficiency improvements, it feels like a missed opportunity.
The only battery-related mention on Apple’s site is that “battery optimizations may be suggested.” Hopefully, the silence around battery life doesn’t imply the opposite: that all these shiny new AI features come with a battery-life trade-off.
For what is otherwise a fairly modest WatchOS 27 update, the thing many people will notice most isn’t a new feature; it’s whether their watch still supports it. That’s especially awkward in a year when Apple was touting iOS 27’s broad iPhone support as a selling point.
Whether the new Siri experience is enough to get people to upgrade, or whether being left behind makes people jump ship entirely, will be the real test of the Apple Watch’s staying power.
