Major Garmin Leak – Watches Set to receive rich iOS Notifications
A recent leak from Apple’s latest iPhone beta, reported by Macworld, has exposed a game-changing feature for Garmin watch users: Notification Forwarding. This upcoming iPhone capability should bring rich, interactive notifications to third-party wearables like Garmin’s Fenix, Forerunner, and Venu series, partially levelling the playing field with the Apple Watch.
This is big news for Garmin devotees and iPhone users who prefer Garmin’s superior battery life and sports tracking. Here’s what the leak reveals and how it could transform your Garmin experience.
Notification Forwarding Explained
Notification Forwarding is a new, unofficial feature designed to send your phone’s notifications straight to a 3rd party watch—think texts, emails, or app alerts. Unlike the current method, this feature promises deeper integration, like this:
- Interactive notifications: Quick replies, dismissals, or actions right from your Garmin watch.
- Seamless iOS syncing: Support for features like Scheduled Summary or Do Not Disturb modes.
- Enhanced visuals: Full message previews, app icons, or threaded conversations on your watch face.
Update: Notification forwarding added in December 2025
The catch? There is a BUT.
You can only forward notifications to one device at a time, meaning you’ll need to choose between your Garmin and an Apple Watch. Clearly, that’s only a minor issue, as most people surely only use one watch regularly.
The feature seems driven by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which pushes Apple to open up iOS to third-party accessories.
This Matters for Garmin Users, Big time. Here’s Why
Garmin watches are a favourite among athletes for their precise GPS, multi-sport tracking, and week-long battery life—often outshining the Apple Watch for fitness-focused users. However, their iOS notification experience has been lacklustre:
- Current limitations: Garmin watches show basic alerts (calls, texts, some apps) but lack interactivity, like replying to messages or dismissing notifications.
- Clunky customisation: Garmin watch owners can only use broad settings like “All” or “Calls Only,” which can sometimes result in notification overload or missed alerts.
- Reliability issues: Delays or dropped notifications, especially during workouts, frustrate iPhone users.
Notification Forwarding stands a very good chance of being a magic bullet to bridge this gap, enabling Garmin watches to feel more like iPhone companions. Imagine responding to a text mid-run or seeing a full email preview on your Forerunner—features previously exclusive to Apple Watch.
How It Could Work
The leak states that there is an unfinished “AccessoryExtension” framework. This framework suggests streamlined pairing and connectivity for non-Apple wearables. This would require tweaks to Garmin Connect and watch firmware for Garmin, but little would be changed within the existing ecosystem. The improvement would almost entirely be with the link to the iPhone.
Q: Will Garmin enable this only for newer watches, as is often the case?
A: I hope not, but Garmin has an incentive to want us to upgrade to newer, more capable watches.
While the feature isn’t live, it does exist in the code and suggests a fairly imminent announcement, perhaps as soon as OS 26.1 in October 2025.
What’s Next for Garmin and iOS?
This leak signals a brighter, more connected future for iPhone users who love Garmin’s fitness-first approach but crave better smartwatch functionality. If Apple and Garmin execute this well, we could see:
- Garmin watches will become more attractive to iPhone users, and some sales will be lost to the Apple Watch.
- Enhanced notifications will make Garmin watches more appealing and capable for use outside workouts.
- The EU’s push for interoperability may force Apple to open other features, like HealthKit access, further benefiting Garmin and its competitors.
Is This the Magic Bullet For Garmin to take on Apple Watch?
No, this isn’t the magic bullet that Garmin needs to fully prise open access to iOS. But it is undoubtedly a significant step in the right direction. Garmin needs to access several other aspects of iOS to fully compete with the Apple Watch, and I listed them in this article a couple of months ago.
Other Brands
Garmin’s competitors will also benefit from this, provided they have the resources to add the features. It will be interesting to see which companies will be first off the mark. My bets would be on Garmin and Coros.
Take Out
The EU regulators seem to be Garmin’s new best friends as Apple is dragged kicking and screaming towards a more open ecosystem.
Changes teased for iOS 26.1 are highly positive for Garmin watch owners: Notification Forwarding will deliver richer, more interactive notifications, and this will be just one more area where its watches become slightly more compelling alternatives to Apple Watch.
Roll on October.
Last Updated on 28 January 2026 by the5krunner
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tfk is the founder and author of the5krunner, an independent endurance sports technology publication. With 20 years of hands-on testing of GPS watches and wearables, and competing in triathlons at an international age-group level, tfk provides in-depth expert analysis of fitness technology for serious athletes and endurance sport competitors.
