Smart free Apple Watch upgrade confirmed but this model will miss out

It’s been a busy week for Apple. The US technology giant has just wrapped up its WWDC developer conference in Cupertino, California, where it unveiled a wave of software updates set to arrive on devices later this year. While iOS 27 stole the spotlight with a host of changes coming to the iPhone, Apple Watch users also have plenty to look forward to this autumn.

Apple has confirmed that watchOS 27 will arrive packed with new features, including a major Siri upgrade powered by the latest version of Apple Intelligence.

The revamped Siri experience on Apple Watch will let users continue conversations on the move, ask questions, and perform actions without reaching for their iPhone.

Siri has undergone one of its biggest overhauls yet, and many of its new intelligent capabilities are now making their way to Apple’s wearable devices.

Another welcome addition is a redesigned app grid, accessible via the Digital Crown. The new dynamic interface highlights five Siri-suggested apps, surfacing the applications users access most frequently or have recently opened, with the Siri app taking centre stage.

The update should help reduce clutter and make it easier to access the apps that matter most.

Fitness features are also receiving a boost. Workout Buddy now incorporates even more health and activity data to deliver personalised coaching and motivational insights during exercise.

Meanwhile, the Health app gains support for perimenopause and menopause tracking within Cycle Tracking, including notifications about cycle deviations associated with perimenopause.

Apple is also introducing new one-handed controls. Users can open widgets in the Smart Stack with a tap gesture, double-tap their index finger and thumb to scroll through widgets, single-tap to select one, and perform a wrist flick to return to the watch face.

Elsewhere, a new unified Find My app combines Find Devices, Find Items and Find People into a single destination.

Additional improvements include more accurate treadmill distance tracking thanks to updated machine-learning algorithms, the ability to pin transit cards and view balances directly from the wrist in Wallet, faster media playback, quicker workout launches, synced step counts across the Health and Fitness apps, and more accurate route maps after workouts.

However, there is some bad news.

Not everyone will be able to take advantage of these new features. Apple has confirmed that support for the original Watch Ultra has been dropped, meaning the first-generation model will not receive the watchOS 27 update.

Here is the full list of compatible devices