Apple confirmed at WWDC 2026 that the Apple Watch Ultra 1 will not receive watchOS 27. The update ships in September. After that, Ultra 1 owners stay on watchOS 26 permanently. No new features or OS updates. Series 8 owners share the same fate. Sorry to be the bringer of bad news for your expensive Watch.
What you miss in watchOS 27
With one exception, watchOS 27 is a meagre update. The losses that probably matter most are the AI features, which require an iPhone 15 Pro or above. The fitness side does have a series of improvements, but none stand out. Apple has clearly been refocusing the company on AI, an area where it is widely recognised to have fallen behind.
Interestingly, the pre-WWDC trade-in value for the Ultra 1 was only $205. Expect that to fall further now that the watch has a confirmed end-of-life date. If you are considering an upgrade through the Apple Store, you might be able to grab the trade-in value now before it falls further and defer the money you get for a September purchase (I did that last year).
Why was your Ultra 1 cut
The cut was for commercial reasons to drive an upgrade decision. The underlying hardware is very similar in capability.
Officially, Apple will say that the Ultra 1 and Series 8 run on 2019 tech (the S8 SiP, built on A13 Bionic architecture). They will say it’s for technical or compatibility reasons, but that’s likely not true. In daily use, the Ultra 1 and Ultra 2 were widely recognised as near-identical in responsiveness, despite the S9’s faster GPU and Neural Engine on paper.
What watchOS 27 delivers for everyone else.
If you are considering the upgrade or if you have a newer watch, watchOS 27 brings the following:
- Siri AI arrives as a dedicated app on the watch, synced across devices and processed in the cloud via a paired iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
- HealthKit now exposes heart rate and cycling power zones to third-party apps, with live zone updates during workouts.
- Developers can set custom zone boundaries per workout, opening the door for apps like TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu to display real-time power zone data natively on the watch.
- Workout Buddy gains coaching insights tied to pace, distance, and duration, works without an iPhone nearby, and adds Spanish-language support.
- Treadmill run-and-walk distance tracking improves with updated motion algorithms.
- Cycle tracking in the Health app adds perimenopause and menopause support, alerting users to cycle deviations.
- A dynamic app grid provides faster access to six frequently used apps.
- A new index-and-thumb tap gesture selects widgets directly from the Smart Stack.
- Find My consolidates into a single app on the watch.
- GymKit expands to iPhones, removing the Apple Watch requirement for pairing with gym equipment.
- The Liquid Glass design refresh continues with improved readability and contrast across the interface.
- The Apple Watch Series 9 has been confirmed as supported after Apple’s website initially omitted it from the compatibility list. Apple acknowledged the error to 9to5Mac.
Opinion
It’s a cash grab by forcing you to upgrade. We all know it.
Apple has moved at a glacial pace, dithering with what to do about AI. It still seems to be lagging behind the field.
Don’t forget that no Apple Watch has onboard AI capabilities. All the AI processing has been on your iPhone and the cloud, and nothing announced today changes that. A fast 5G link from my Ultra 3 direct to AI on the cloud when I’ve left my iPhone 15 Pro at home might be interesting. We shall see. I’ve found everything Apple has done with AI to date wholly underwhelming.
That said, if AI can make Siri even 20% better, I will be happy. That is my favourite go-to feature announced today. I will try out the developer beta in the next few days and report back.
In terms of the other features: what a sorry bunch. I’m probably the only person who likes Liquid Glass, so I’m happy that it’s expanding. Similarly, the consolidated Find My view is one I will use, and it will fix something that has bugged me for a couple of years: separate watch apps.
Last Updated on 3 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner
Small things I always use
- Garmin 90-degree charging adapter: Charges your Garmin from any USB-C cable. Essential when travelling. I use one.
- Body Glide: The blue anti-chafe stick swimmers and runners carry. I use it.
- Speedo earplugs: Fewer ear infections and no cold-water dizziness. I use them.
- Dryrobe Advance: My winter changing robe for open-water swims. I use one. A cheaper option is the AONYIYI changing robe.
- Maurten: Race fuel that stays easy on the stomach. I use them.
- Beet It Sport nitrate shots: Beetroot shots I take in the days before a race. I use them.
- Garmin charging puck: The quickest way to top up before a session. I use one.
- Injinji: Toe socks that stop rubbing, so you run more. I use them.
- Ultimate toe protectors: Stop black toenails on long runs. They work. I use them.
- Compressport R2 v2 calf sleeves: My calf sleeves of choice. I use them.
- Cellucor C4: My pre-workout before hard sessions.
- TPU tubes: Schwalbe Aerothan, Tubolito and Pirelli SmarTube. Light, tiny spares. I use all three.
- G8 insoles: Adjustable insoles that are good. I use them.
- Cycplus Cube: A 97g electric pump that gets a road tyre rideable in two minutes. I carry one. 5% off with code THE5KRUNNER.
Watches and sensors
- Polar H10: My daily driver for waking HRV.
- Polar Verity Sense: My backup arm-worn HR sensor.
- Nomad bedside charger: Charges my iPhone and Apple Watch overnight. I use it, and many of their bands.
- Train.Red: The best muscle oxygen sensor I’ve used.
- Tymewear: Accurate heart rate and reliable ventilatory zones. I use it to pace endurance rides over an hour.
- Garmin Forerunner 970: A pro-grade triathlon watch. I use this.
- Apple Watch Ultra 4: My daily smartwatch. No phone needed on rides.
- Garmin Fenix 9 Pro: I’ve just bought one.
On the bike
- Continental GP5000 for everyday riding, and Aero 111 on the front for special occasions.
- Helmets: Specialized S-Works Evade 3 for road riding, and Rudy Project Wing for TT-style races. I use both.
- Ravemen FR300: A front light that mounts under your Garmin or Wahoo. I use one.
- Wahoo TRACKR Radar: I use it on one bike and Varia on the other. They perform the same.
- Garmin Varia RTL515: Radar that warns you of cars from behind. I use this model.
- Wahoo ELEMNT Roam 3: The bike computer that’s easy to use. I use mine on most rides.
- Favero Assioma Pro RS2: Accurate power pedals that swap easily between bikes. I use this model.
Home and indoor training
- NPE Runn: Makes my basic treadmill smart, sending more accurate speed and distance to my watch and Zwift. I use it.
- Google Wifi: Keeps Zwift connected in my pain cave. I use it.
- Apple TV 4K: Zwift on the big screen. I use two.
- Google Nest Doorbell (wired, 2nd gen): My video doorbell, running in both Google Home and Apple Home. I use it.
Health, recovery and sleep
- FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus: Shows how my blood sugar responds to diet.
- hDrop: Measures my sweat loss in summer and indoors.
- Fourth Frontier Zone: Checks my heart under load in hard sessions.
- Oura Ring 5: My partner’s recovery tracker of choice.
- Eight Sleep: A cooling mattress cover my partner and I use nightly.
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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. See the gear tfk uses. ID
They confirmed S9 will support it but Ultra 1 is still being dropped despite both watches running the same SoC. planned obsolescence in action i guess.
Anyway, to me it’s a huge disappointment. Still no offline topo maps or actual hiking features like ascent planner, offline trail navigation or even more metrics other than distance and elevation gain etc.
Sadly as much as they are great smartwatches, it’s perfectly clear now that Watch Ultra is NOT the outdoors/adventure watch it was meant to be and advertised as and Apple has no interest in that product category whatsoever so it will never be that. When out in the backcountry, I need to see my trail grade, remaining elevation gain etc. what i don’t need is Siri…
A shame as Garmin could use some competition in that field and when AW launched i jumped in hoping Apple was serious about this segment but sadly it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.
yes I broadly agree.
Apple would say, “There’s an app for that.”