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Apple's software updates previewed during WWDC 2026 this week have followed a distinct pattern: introduce a handful of key new features, while maintaining a focus on refining the underlying platform architecture. watchOS 27 is no different in this respect, with the majority of changes being performance improvements under the hood. That said, one of the most obvious user-facing changes is a new dynamic app grid that surfaces and rearranges five apps based on your current context and general usage, with Siri as the centerpiece. Pressing the Digital Crown on your Apple Watch immediately invokes the grid, which appears whether you use the app grid or list view. If the dynamic grid doesn't surface the app you're looking for, a turn of the Digital Crown reveals your preferred view. The change straddles the line between redesigned navigation and the efficiency-minded development that defines the rest of watchOS 27, since the grid aims to get you to the app you want, just faster. It's probably the most obvious change you'll actually see, but there are several others that happen out of sight. Apple says they include: Better battery efficiency Improved Wi-Fi connectivity More efficient water detection More accurate step tracking Faster media playback Faster app extension launches As with the rest of Apple's software previews this week, though, you'll need reasonably recent hardware to see any of these enhancements. watchOS 27 requires an iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) with iOS 27. The new software also requires one of the following Apple Watch models: Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 9, 10, 11, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 or 3. In other words, watchOS 27 drops support for the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, and Series 8, along with the original Ultra and SE 2. Apple will release the new software in the fall. Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11 , watchOS 26 , watchOS 27 Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " watchOS 27 Improves Apple Watch Performance in Seven Ways " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple was rumored to be working on an AI health service, but it was scrapped well before the iOS 27 beta came out. It could resurface in the future, but for now, there are a handful of health and fitness changes in the update. Design Apple redesigned the Browse section of the Health app, and it now uses a card-style interface instead of a list. It is more colorful and easier to see the different categories. The app also has a single bottom navigation bar that incorporates a search/browse button, instead of a separate search button. Visual Intelligence Visual Intelligence has a new nutrition feature that can tell you the nutritional value of what you're eating. You can open the Camera app to the new Siri mode and take a photo of a food item to get feedback. It does not give exact calorie counts, but it lets you know if a food is heavily processed, if it has protein, if it's high in sugar, and more. It gives food a nutritional value ranking between very low and very high. Data does not sync to the Health app, but it's still useful. ‌Visual Intelligence‌ requires an iPhone 15 Pro or later. Cycle Tracking Cycle Tracking is expanding with perimenopause/menopause support. The Health app now sends notifications when logged cycle patterns are suggestive of perimenopause. The feature uses long-term cycle data to flag the perimenopause hormonal transition that can begin a decade or more before menopause. Cycle deviation alerts are based on the user's logged cycle history and are for users age 40 and above. Users can keep track of symptoms and access educational resources that offer guidance and support. Apple also added new Fitness+ workouts for perimenopause and menopause. Faster Data Updates Data syncs to the Health app quicker than before thanks to performance improvements Apple implemented. Child Safety There are several new Child Safety features that give parents more control over the content their children are seeing. Apple is including guidance based on expert health research to help parents make decisions about managing child accounts. Route and Distance Accuracy Route maps that populate the Fitness app after workouts are more accurate in ‌iOS 27‌. During treadmill workouts, distance is also reflected more accurately than before. Step Count Step counts will sync between the Health and Fitness apps. GymKit GymKit has expanded to the iPhone, which can pair with treadmills, indoor bikes, and other exercise equipment for data syncing. GymKit was previously an Apple Watch feature, but now iPhone users won't need a watch to use it. GymKit can sync calories, distance, speed, incline, and pace. Launch Date ‌iOS 27‌ is available to developers, with a public beta planned for July. It will launch to the public this fall. Related Roundups: iOS 27 , iPadOS 27 This article, " iOS 27: All the New Health and Fitness Features " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi and marketing chief Greg Joswiak sat down for an interview with Mostly Human after during WWDC, discussing the iOS 27 Siri changes , Apple's take on AI, new child safety protections, and more. Apple set out to deliver an AI utility, not an AI companion. When asked whether users could create an AI boyfriend or girlfriend with the new Siri , Federighi said absolutely not. ‌Siri‌ is meant to help, and Apple didn't want to focus on engagement like other AI companies. From Federighi: Quite the opposite, because as you may know, if you use many of the existing chatbots, they're really focused on engagement to a large degree. And sycophancy, right? They kind of want to pull you in. They might encourage you to reveal things about yourself, and then use that as a basis to establish a connection. We view it quite the opposite. I mean, the way that we have designed Siri, Siri really wants to say 'Listen, that's not what I'm here for, right? I'm here to help you. I can help you get things done. I can help you learn about the world.' But if you try to engage Siri as a romantic partner, Siri's not up for that. Siri's 100 percent not into that. Joswiak said Apple didn't want to do AI for AI's sake, and the company wanted AI to blend in with existing iPhone features. We like when technology disappears, right? You just focus on what you want to do, or you focus on the content. And it's the same thing with AI. [...] We don't do AI for AI's sake. 'Hey, look at us, we're doing AI.' It's how does AI make everything better? And that makes our products better, our features better. He went on to say that he doesn't want iPhone users to have to be "prompt experts" to use AI. "We want to meet them where they're at," said Joswiak. "Have the products and features become better, and this is just a really helpful technology in making those features and products better." Federighi wanted to make it clear that Apple's approach to AI is privacy forward. I think it's a challenging thing for a lot of people to understand the distinction between what your iPhone knows and what, say, Apple as a company knows. Your iPhone is yours, right? Your data is yours and it stays on your phone and your control and Siri is using it for you. Apple doesn't get to know any of this stuff, and that is very different than I think most players in the space, and I think super important. The full interview covers other topics like child safety, AI and jobs, iOS 27 features, Apple's 50th anniversary, the future of AI, scammers, and much more. Tags: Craig Federighi , Greg Joswiak , Siri This article, " Apple's Craig Federighi: Siri Won't Be Your AI Girlfriend " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
