Apple introduces watchOS 27 with Siri AI and improved design

Aside from iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27,Apple has also introduced watchOS 27 at its Worldwide Developers Conference. This version will be available in the fall for the Apple Watch Series 9 or later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 3, and the Apple Watch SE 3 "when paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone nearby".

watchOS 27 has the new Siri AI inside, including the new dedicated Siri app where the assistant remembers all your past chats. Additionally, the Workout Buddy is available in Spanish, you get expanded menstrual health support, and better run tracking.

Workout Buddy also delivers new insights, including your progress for pace, distance, and workout duration. Indoor runs and walks are tracked more accurately, and you can open a Smart Stack widget with one hand using a new single tap gesture. And more widgets appear in your Smart Stack when they're relevant.

The new dynamic app grid automatically highlights Siri-suggested apps, including your most popular and recently used ones, while the Siri app always stays "front and center". The Find My app lands on watchOS too, while the release also incorporates the Liquid Glass design refinements that we've also seen in iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 (although the customizable transparency level seems to be missing from your wrist).

Call Context works the same way in watchOS 27 as it does in iOS 27, surfacing relevant information from your apps when you call a business, and Apple promises that music playback on its smartwatches now starts faster, there are battery optimizations that will be suggested for you, and the step count in the Fitness app syncs with steps counted in the Health app.

Finally, the Wallet app lets you create custom passes for any membership card that uses a QR code or barcode, and you can now easily set up an Apple Watch for your kids, even if they don't have an iPhone.