Apple released watchOS 27 on September 14. The update is not limited to owners of the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4: if your Apple Watch model supports watchOS 27, here are 12 features and changes to check after installing the update. To update, open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap General ➝ Software Update, place your watch on its charger and follow the onscreen prompts.
watchOS 27: Siri app and watch face
A dedicated Siri app now collects every Siri conversation in a single view and syncs them privately across devices via iCloud. Conversations started on an iPhone can be resumed on the Apple Watch; you can pin threads and start new chats directly from your wrist. Apple also introduced a new Siri watch face with a rectangular complication that displays whatever sits at the top of your Smart Stack and updates automatically based on time, location and other factors.
Interface changes: app grid and new gestures
Pressing the Digital Crown no longer opens the honeycomb app view by default. watchOS 27 shows a dynamic app grid composed of suggested apps, your most-used apps and recently used apps, with the Siri app placed in the middle. The alphabetical app list remains available by turning the Digital Crown to navigate through all apps. Apple added a new Tap gesture (a single tap of index finger and thumb) to open the highlighted Smart Stack widget; Double Tap and Wrist Flick remain for Smart Stack navigation and dismissing notifications respectively.
App changes and the App Switcher
Walkie-Talkie has been removed: the app is unavailable after updating to watchOS 27 and cannot be reinstalled from the App Store. Users who stay on watchOS 26 can keep the app, but they will not be able to start conversations with contacts who have updated. The double-press Digital Crown behavior has changed: in watchOS 27 a double press opens the new dynamic app grid instead of the App Switcher. Apple says the App Switcher will return in watchOS 27.2 later this year, using a different gesture; on the latest beta, a long press on the bottom of the current app opens the App Switcher.
Find My and device tracking
Find Devices, Find Items and Find People have been combined into a single Find My app with a map-centric layout that includes shortcuts for directions and for nearby items.
Fitness and Workout updates
Workout Buddy, introduced in watchOS 26, no longer requires an iPhone in range: in watchOS 27 the watch can run Workout Buddy when Wi‑Fi or cellular is available. Workout Buddy now draws new insights from training history, tracking gradual gains in pace, distance and workout duration, and it speaks Spanish as well as English. For indoor runs and walks, watchOS 27 uses new machine-learning motion algorithms to measure treadmill distance more precisely from the first step; fitness route maps are more accurate and step counts stay in sync between the Fitness and Health apps.
Health features: cycle tracking and Smart Stack
Cycle Tracking in the Health app can notify users if logged cycle patterns are suggestive of perimenopause, and it offers symptom tracking and educational material. These notifications use only logged cycle history and apply to users aged 40 and over; Apple notes the feature is not a method of birth control and is not a diagnosis. The Smart Stack’s contextual suggestions have been expanded: Apple cites examples such as surfacing parked car location, a close contact’s birthday, a transit card balance change, the Noise app after a loud-noise alert, reminders that Theater Mode is still on, pinned messages, celebrations and identity cards.
New hardware-specific step counting
On Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, a redesigned pedometer model and the S11 chip allow watchOS 27 to provide more accurate step counts. Those new models also gain a Steps complication to display real-time step totals on the watch face. Will the Steps complication arrive on older devices? Your guess is as good as ours.
Live Rewind (coming feature)
Apple has reserved a double-press gesture for Live Rewind, an upcoming feature exclusive to Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4. Live Rewind will produce a transcript of the last fifteen seconds of speech in your environment, but it is not yet available in the initial watchOS 27 release.
