Apple will unveil watchOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on Monday, June 8, and a handful of new features have been rumored already. The first developer beta of watchOS 27 should be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. The update should be released to all users with a compatible Apple Watch model in September. Below, we recap watchOS 27 rumors so far. Improved Heart Rate Tracking In his Power On newsletter today , Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman said watchOS 27 will include improvements to heart rate tracking, but he did not elaborate. New Modular Watch Face watchOS 27 will add new watch faces, including a variant of the "Modular Ultra" watch face that is currently exclusive to the Apple Watch Ultra, according to Gurman. New Apple Intelligence Features On watchOS 26, the following Apple Intelligence features are available on an Apple Watch when it is paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer: Workout Buddy Live Translation in Messages Notification Summaries When it announced the dates for WWDC 2026, Apple promised to unveil "AI advancements" across its platforms, and it can be reasonably assumed that watchOS 27 will include some additional Apple Intelligence features powered by the iPhone. New Satellite Features Apple Watch Ultra 3 has built-in satellite connectivity, enabling Emergency SOS, Find My, and Messages via satellite without any reliance on an iPhone. iOS 27 will reportedly include up to five new satellite features , and the following two would likely extend to watchOS 27: Apple Maps via satellite Photos support for Messages via satellite Amazon last month announced plans to acquire Globalstar , the satellite company that powers Apple's satellite features on the iPhone 14 and newer and the Apple Watch Ultra 3. In turn, Amazon announced that it has signed an agreement with Apple to provide satellite connectivity for current and future iPhone and Apple Watch features. Stability Focus Apple is largely focused on "stability, performance, and smaller refinements" for watchOS 27, rather than on major new features and capabilities, according to Gurman. This suggests that the update could include many bug fixes. Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11 , watchOS 26 Tags: Bloomberg , Mark Gurman Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " watchOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your Apple Watch " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
For the better part of a year, we’ve been hearing about Project Mulberry : Apple’s AI-powered health coach. Back in February, it was reported that these efforts had been scaled back. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman , the features should still be on track for iOS 27, though they may not release until later in the cycle. On the other hand, Apple is apparently going to greatly improve Apple Watch heart-rate tracking with watchOS 27, which could tie in nicely with Apple’s eventual health coach. more…
Apple will be adding support for Google Cast and other alternatives to AirPlay as part of iOS 27 , in order to appease the EU's Digital Markets Act. EU flags in Brussels — image credit: EU The Digital Markets Act is viewed by Apple as a problem, due to a lack of clarity about regulatory requirements and their effects. While this has so far meant the blocking of some features from reaching the continent, Apple is meeting halfway by abiding by some elements. One of those will apparently be a change to iOS 27 for connecting to other devices. While Apple already has AirPlay for that, it will be moving to add more support for other solutions. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
The WWDC updates for watchOS 27 are expected to be minimal thanks to Apple's stability focus. However, Apple is rumored to be improving the heart-rate tracking with the new fall update. Apple Watch Series 11 The WWDC 2026 keynote is a few weeks away, and the excitement is all about AI and iOS 27's changes. While you can expect some tweaks to watchOS 27, it seems like there won't be that many visible changes on the way. In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg , the watchOS update will focus on stability, performance, and refinements. There will be changes, but most will be to improve the existing features rather than add new ones to the software. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
