Apple watchOS 27 with Siri AI, new watch face and Smart Stack update is here
Apple has released watchOS 27, the latest version of the operating system for the Apple Watch, alongside iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate 27. watchOS 27 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 9 and later, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later, and the Apple Watch SE 3. watchOS 27 can be downloaded for free on a compatible device via the Settings app on the watch.
The watchOS 27 update introduces support for Siri AI, a more powerful version of Siri that uses personal context and screen display to help you with your tasks. There’s a new Siri Modular watch face, updates to Smart Stack, improvements to Liquid Glass, and a unified Find My app.
Apple watchOS 27 release notes
Siri AI
- A more powerful and conversational version of Siri is being rolled out to all users. It will help you find what you’re looking for and get more done by using features like contextual understanding, app actions, screen recognition, and access to comprehensive knowledge.
- The new voice output offers more expressive and natural voices and allows you to customize the intensity and speaking pace to make Siri more personal using powerful on-device models on paired iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models (and newer models).
- The dedicated Siri app offers an easy way to continue existing conversations or start new ones, and securely syncs your conversations with iCloud across all your Apple devices.
Apple Intelligence in all apps
- Workout Buddy motivates with new insights and is now also available without an iPhone nearby, as long as you have a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
- The Call Context app in the Phone app recognizes when you are talking to certain businesses and proactively displays relevant information from your other apps, such as a verification code or reservation number.
Cycle tracking
- Notifications about cycle irregularities that may indicate perimenopause can be received by women aged 40 and over.
Dials
- The Siri Modular watch face features a rectangular complication that mirrors the top widget of the Smart Stack and dynamically updates to display the most relevant widget, as well as a Siri complication for quick access to Siri.
Smart Stack
- With the one-handed tap gesture in watchOS 27, you can select a widget in the Smart Stack by tapping once with your index finger and thumb, even if your other hand is occupied.
- New widget suggestions will appear when they are relevant to you, such as the location of your parked car, birthday reminders for close contacts, changes to your travel pass balance, the noise app after a notification about loud noises, and much more.
System improvements
- The dynamic app overview in watchOS 27 highlights your most popular and recently used apps.
- The “Where is?” app is now combined into a single app, displaying people, devices, and objects with a map-based interface.
- Media playback now starts faster.
- The training app calculates the distance even more accurately during treadmill workouts, from the very first step of each walk or run. – The fitness app provides more accurate route maps after the workout.
- Battery extension notifications can be offered proactively to disable certain features and thus extend battery life, including gestures, reminders to start workouts, and gesture-based Siri activation.
- Shazam in the Smart Stack and music recognition app recognizes songs offline without an internet connection and delivers the results automatically as soon as you are back online.
- Improvements to Liquid Glass ensure more uniform light refraction and higher contrast, thus improving readability.
Siri AI in watchOS 27 requires an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, including the iPhone 15 Pro models, the iPhone Air, and all iPhone 16, iPhone 17, and iPhone 18 models.
