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Apple’s watchOS 27 is now available, bringing smarter Siri features, a redesigned app experience, new gestures, fitness improvements, and major changes to the Smart Stack.
The good news is that many improvements aren’t limited to the newest Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4. If you’ve updated a compatible Apple Watch, here are 12 watchOS 27 features you should check out first.
1. Try the New Siri AI
Siri receives one of its biggest Apple Watch upgrades yet.
Siri AI is designed for more natural conversations and can use capabilities including personal context, onscreen awareness, app actions, and broader knowledge.
You can ask follow-up questions without starting over each time, making Siri feel more conversational on your wrist.
2. Open the Dedicated Siri App
Siri now has its own Apple Watch app.
It provides a central place for your Siri conversations, and supported conversations can sync privately through iCloud. You can start something on your iPhone and continue the conversation from your Apple Watch.
3. Try the Siri Modular Watch Face
There’s also a new Siri Modular watch face.
Its rectangular complication can display the most relevant item from your Smart Stack and dynamically change throughout the day according to context.
That means your watch face can surface information when it’s most likely to be useful.
4. Explore the Dynamic App Grid
Press the Digital Crown and you’ll notice another major change.
Instead of automatically opening Apple’s familiar honeycomb-style grid, watchOS 27 introduces a Dynamic App Grid that prioritizes recently used and frequently accessed apps.
Your full alphabetical app list remains available by scrolling with the Digital Crown.
5. Use the New Tap Gesture
Apple has added Tap alongside Double Tap and Wrist Flick.
A single tap of your index finger and thumb can select the highlighted widget in Smart Stack.
This gives supported Apple Watches another way to perform common actions using only one hand.
6. Find Everything From One Find My App
Apple has simplified Find My.
Previously separate Find Devices, Find People, and Find Items apps are now consolidated into one Find My app.
The new map-focused interface makes it easier to locate friends, Apple devices, AirTags, and other Find My items without jumping between apps.
7. Use Workout Buddy Without Your iPhone Nearby
Workout Buddy becomes considerably more independent in watchOS 27.
You no longer need your paired iPhone nearby as long as the Apple Watch has an available Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
Workout Buddy can also use more training history to provide insights about changes in your pace, distance, and workout duration.
Apple has expanded Workout Buddy to English and Spanish.
8. Get More Accurate Treadmill Tracking
Indoor runners should notice another improvement.
Apple’s updated machine-learning algorithms improve distance calculations during treadmill walks and runs from the first step.
Apple has also improved workout route maps, while step counts stay more consistently synchronized between Health and Fitness.
9. Discover Smarter Smart Stack Suggestions
Smart Stack can now surface more contextual information automatically.
Examples include your parked car location, a close contact’s birthday, transit-card balance changes, Noise alerts, pinned Messages, celebrations, and reminders that Theater Mode is still enabled.
The goal is to show useful information before you need to search for it.
10. Explore New Cycle Tracking Features
Cycle Tracking gains perimenopause and menopause support.
Apple says logged cycle patterns can provide notifications about possible changes associated with perimenopause, alongside symptom tracking and educational information.
Apple emphasizes that these notifications aren’t a diagnosis or a method of birth control.
11. Try Offline Shazam
Music Recognition gets smarter in watchOS 27.
Shazam can identify songs even when you don’t currently have an internet connection. The result can then be delivered when your Apple Watch reconnects.
On newer hardware, Apple also integrates Shazam more deeply into Smart Stack using on-device audio intelligence.
12. Check the New Steps Counter on Newer Watches
Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 get improved step tracking using Apple’s redesigned pedometer model and S11 hardware.
These models also receive a Steps complication, allowing you to see your current step count directly on the watch face.
Some watchOS 27 capabilities are hardware-specific, so older compatible Apple Watches won’t receive every feature.
You can buy Apple Watch Ultra 4, now on Amazon at lower price.
Which Apple Watches Support watchOS 27?
Apple says watchOS 27 supports Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 and later.
You’ll also need an iPhone 11 or later or iPhone SE 3 running iOS 27. Feature availability varies by Apple Watch model, language, and region.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best new watchOS 27 features?
Siri AI, the dedicated Siri app, Dynamic App Grid, Tap gesture, smarter Smart Stack, consolidated Find My, improved Workout Buddy, and more accurate treadmill tracking are among the biggest everyday improvements.
Does Workout Buddy work without an iPhone in watchOS 27?
Yes. Apple says Workout Buddy can work without your paired iPhone nearby when your Apple Watch has a Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
Does watchOS 27 have a new app layout?
Yes. The new Dynamic App Grid prioritizes frequently and recently used apps while retaining access to the alphabetical app list.
Is Walkie-Talkie still available?
No. Apple has removed Walkie-Talkie in watchOS 27. MacRumors notes that it isn’t simply hidden and cannot currently be reinstalled after updating.
Final Takeaway
watchOS 27 makes the Apple Watch smarter without requiring users to completely relearn how it works. Siri AI and its dedicated app are the headline additions, while the Dynamic App Grid, Tap gesture, smarter Smart Stack, unified Find My, Workout Buddy improvements, and better fitness tracking may prove more useful during everyday use.
If you’ve just installed watchOS 27, start with Siri AI, Smart Stack, the Dynamic App Grid, and Workout Buddy. Those four features provide the clearest introduction to how Apple’s latest update changes the Apple Watch experience.
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