At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for watchOS (part 1). 1. I'm really excited about the new design system on all platforms. Liquid Glass is super cool. What do developers need to keep in mind when building for watchOS 26? To adopt the new design system, start with updating your app for watchOS 10 – If you have done so, your app will be mostly ready for watchOS 26. For more information, see Design and build apps for WatchOS 10. You can then look into Liquid Glass specific APIs to fine tune your app. This topic is covered in Adopting Liquid Glass. If you have SwiftUI views using any custom style, make sure they are still legible and fit with the new design system. 2. Something that really stood out to me were updates to the Smart Stack, with the system prioritizing Widgets when they're most relevant. Tell me more about these new opportunities for apps. Workout apps that record workouts using HealthKit may be automatically suggested on the watch face and appear in the Smart Stack without adding a widget. Relevant widgets are a great way to present information related to a date, location, point-of-interest type, sleep schedule, or fitness condition in the Smart Stack when it is relevant. Relevant widgets don't need to display a empty state view when they are not relevant. They are only shown in the Smart Stack when relevant. The watchOS 26 Design ToolKit in the Apple Design Resources includes a set of templates that you can use to layout your widgets. 3. Is the Wrist Flick gesture available to developers in the same way as Double Tap is? The system uses Wrist Flick to dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, or return to the watch face. There is no separate API for the Wrist Flick gesture. Apps that are using XCUIAutomation to make sure their user interface behaves as intended can use the XCUIDeviceHandGesture.flick to automate tests that verify that their app responds appropriately to the Wrist Flick gesture. For apps using automated testing, the XCUIDeviceHandGesture.doubleTap can be also be used to automate testing of the app with the Double Tap gesture. See XCUIDevice.perform(handGesture:) 4. Can HRV measurements be triggered on demand via API in watchOS? Guidelines or processes for enabling energy-intensive biometric sampling on development devices for IRB-approved research? You don’t have direct control on the sampling rate in watchOS. You can use HealthKit (HKQuantityTypeIdentifierHeartRateVariabilitySDNN, to be specific) to query the HRV data, once the system has sampled and persisted the data to HealthKit. If that doesn’t help, we suggest that you file a feedback report with your concrete use case for us to investigate. Specific to IRB-approved research using Apple Watch or its companion iPhone, you might want to look at this FAQ and SensorKit to see if they can be of any help. 5. What is the best advice for someone who is new to making a watchOS app that’s been on iOS and iPadOS? You can start with exploring the system experience features on watchOS, such as notifications, controls, and widgets, and getting familiar with the system spaces, like Smart Stack, watch face, and control center. Knowing the watchOS app design principles and practices is important as well. Design and build apps for WatchOS 10 is a great resource for this topic. SwiftUI is an amazing across-platform framework, and you will use it to create your watchOS app. If you're already using it, great! Keep in mind some watch-only constraints. Comparing to iPhone or iPad, Apple Watch has a limited battery and smaller screen size, which significantly impacts how people use your app and how your app works. 6. Was there any extension this year to the 7 day limit on querying Apple Health data on the watch? There is no change on the limit this year. You can get this official limit at runtime using earliestPermittedSampleDate. There are some exceptions, and so don't be surprised if you see some data types are retained longer. The companion iPhone holds the full set of the health data. If you need to access the health data that has been purged from the Apple Watch, consider doing it with your iOS app, and then passing the result to your watchOS app.

At WWDC25 we launched a new type of Lab event for the developer community - Group Labs. A Group Lab is a panel Q&A designed for a large audience of developers. Group Labs are a unique opportunity for the community to submit questions directly to a panel of Apple engineers and designers. Here are the highlights from the WWDC25 Group Lab for watchOS (part 2). 7. For widget (complication) update budgets, is there an overall budget or are scheduled update separate from APNS updates? For context I have a complication that is updated on a fixed schedule (every 20 min), but there can be times of the day that are more "interesting" where pushes make sense. Like timeline updates, the system budgets WidgetKit push notifications and delivers them opportunistically. You can use WidgetKit push notification updates as an addition to timeline updates. For more information, see Updating widgets with WidgetKit push notifications. 8. It seems like the new Control Center widgets can be sourced from either the iPhone or directly on the Watch. Can we control whether a control appears in the watch list, or will it always be a combination of all controls from both sources? iPhone controls will be automatically available on the companion Apple Watch, even if they don’t have an associated watchOS app. When an iPhone control is tapped on the Apple Watch, the action is performed on the iPhone. Controls whose actions foreground the iOS app will not appear on Apple Watch. If a watchOS app has controls, no controls will appear on Apple Watch from the companion iOS app. 9. From UI/UX perspective, what are the current practices for Designing watchOS apps that feels native. The WWDC23 session Design and build apps for WatchOS 10 covers the details of watchOS design principles and how to apply them in your app using SwiftUI. A lot of SwiftUI APIs, such as NavigationSplitView, vertical tab view, list view, and etc, already implement the look and feel native to watchOS. 10. When adopting the new design system on watchOS, it seems like the main place we will use the glass effect is for our buttons in toolbar? Standard buttons in system apps seem to continue to use a flat appearance and full width. We leave the choice to you – You can use the new GlassButtonStyle API or .buttonStyle(.glass) to apply the liquid glass material to buttons. Learn when to use the Liquid Glass styles in Get to know the new design system. 11. Is there any way to gracefully migrate extensions when their bundleIDs have to change? e.g., converting a multi-target watch app to single-target, which drops the .watchkitextension from both the app and WidgetKit ext bundleIDs Updating a watchOS app to single-target is covered in TechNote TN3157: Updating your watchOS project for SwiftUI and WidgetKit. Xcode provides a tool that can do the update automatically, and the technote describes the details about how to use it and how to clean up the project after the automatic update. If there's something that technote doesn't address, please reach out to us on the Developer Forums. 12. What is the status of WatchConnectivity? Is that still the preferred way for iOS + watchOS communications? The Watch Connectivity framework is still supported, and is appropriate for the communication between an watchOS app and its companion iOS app. The systems also provide other APIs for the apps to exchange data. For example, watchOS supports Apple Push Notification service (APNs). If data for your widget changes on your server, your widget can receive a WidgetKit push notification, and update accordingly. That’s the preferred mechanism for widget updates.

Hello, I am trying to upload a watchOS standalone app to App Store Connect using Xcode 26.3, but Organizer does not show the “App Store Connect” upload option. It only displays: • Release Testing (Ad Hoc) • Enterprise • Debugging Project setup • Target type: watchOS App (standalone, not companion) • PRODUCT_TYPE = com.apple.product-type.application • PRODUCT_BUNDLE_PACKAGE_TYPE = APPL • WRAPPER_EXTENSION = app • SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS = watchos watchsimulator • Archive configuration: Release • Base SDK: watchOS The app does not depend on iOS. Bundle ID Originally: com.example.app.watchkitapp Recreated as: com.example.app HealthKit capability enabled in: • Developer Portal • Xcode (Signing & Capabilities) Signing • Apple Distribution certificate active • App Store provisioning profile created • Manual signing configured for Release (Apple Distribution + App Store profile) • Also tested Automatic signing • Deleted old Ad Hoc profiles • Cleared Derived Data and regenerated archive App Store Connect • App created successfully using bundle ID com.example.app • Account role: Account Holder • No pending Agreements, Tax, or Banking items Despite a valid Release archive signed with Apple Distribution, Organizer only allows Ad Hoc distribution and never shows “App Store Connect”. Is this a known issue in Xcode 26 affecting independent watchOS apps, or is there an additional configuration step required? Thank you.

We are migrating ClockKit complications to WidgetKit in our watch app (watchOS 9+). The migration went smoothly, UI part works just fine. However, we've hit the wall with widgets not updating when requested by the watch app. I believe we are missing something very simple and fundamental, but couldn't find what exactly so far. Advice and tips would be very welcome! 🙇‍♂️ Our implementation details: Whenever data is changed in the main app, the updated data is submitted to the watch app via WatchConnectivity framework using WCSession.default.transferCurrentComplicationUserInfo(_:). According to documentation, this method should be used to transfer complication-related data, since it will wake the watch app even if it is in the background or not opened at all. Watch app receives updated data and stores it in UserDefaults shared with Watch Widget Extension hosting WidgetKit complications via App Group. Watch app then request widget timeline reload via WidgetCenter.shared.reloadAllTimelines(). According to documentation, it reloads the timelines for all configured widgets belonging to the containing app, so it seems the appropriate way to reload WidgetKit complications. Widget Timeline Provider class in Watch Widget Extension reads updated data from shared UserDefaults and uses it to provide the updated snapshot for widget views to render. We believe our implementation logic is correct, but it doesn't work, for some reason. Widgets sometimes update when the watch app is opened, but not always. The most definitive way to force widgets to update is to switch to a different watch face, which confirms that the Widget Timeline Provider has access to properly updated data. P.S. We are aware of the daily reload budget imposed on widgets, so we use widgets reload trigger sparingly. Anyway, according to documentation, reload budget is not effective when in DEBUG mode, but widgets won't reload even in DEBUG mode. Thank you!

I'm a contributor to Trio, an open-source automated insulin delivery (AID) app for iOS/watchOS maintained by the Nightscout Foundation. I'm posting at the recommendation of the engineering team via Feedback Assistant FB22619409 (Developer Support case 102865854185). The goal We're prototyping direct BLE connectivity between the Trio watchOS extension and the Dexcom G7 CGM sensor — eliminating dependence on iPhone-to-Watch relay via WatchConnectivity. For an AID app, stale CGM data affects insulin dosing decisions; this is a patient safety concern. The entitlements needed To maintain a BLE connection to the G7 while backgrounded and with the display off/wrist lowered, the WatchKit extension requires: com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-background com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-screen-off-scanning What I've confirmed Both entitlements are present on Dexcom's shipping G7 WatchKit extension (com.dexcom.g7app.watchkitapp.watchkitextension), verifiable via: codesign -d --entitlements :- \ "Dexcom G7.app/Watch/G7Watch.app/PlugIns/G7Watch Extension.appex" Output includes: com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-background = true com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-screen-off-scanning = true These are not self-service capabilities exposed through Xcode or the developer portal for our account: Xcode → Trio Watch App target → Signing & Capabilities → + Capability → searching com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-background returns No Matches Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles → WatchKit Extension App ID (org.nightscout.5QE6TMMEH2.trio.watchkitapp.watchkitextension) → the entitlement does not appear under Capability Requests A screen recording demonstrating both is attached to FB22619409. The May 16 Apple Feedback response noted that the entitlement was visible in an internal Xcode project — consistent with it being a restricted/managed entitlement not exposed through standard developer accounts. My questions What is the correct process to request com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-background for a watchOS extension App ID where it does not appear in Capability Requests? Is com.apple.developer.bluetooth-central-screen-off-scanning available through a private/managed entitlement process, and how do we enter that process? Is there a formal Apple program (e.g., MFi, HealthKit entitlements, or similar) applicable to CGM-connected medical apps that covers these entitlements? Full account details, screen recording, and entitlement output are attached to FB22619409 / Developer Support case 102865854185. Happy to provide a test build, full entitlement output, or additional context if needed. Thank you

I'm developing a watchOS app for Watch Ultra 2 that implements water detection using CMSubmersionManager. I would like to make it appear in the Auto-Launch settings menu, but my app is not appearing in the settings (Settings > General > Auto-Launch > When Submerged > Selected App).... What additional steps should I take to make this work? Environment Device: Watch Ultra 2 watchOS: 11.2 Xcode: 16.0 Implementation I have implemented the following as per documentation: Added the Shallow Depth and Pressure capability and Entitlement. Added the "Shallow Depth and Pressure" capability Confirmed entitlement "com.apple.developer.submerged-shallow-depth-and-pressure" was automatically added Note: I initially thought I should use "com.apple.developer.submerged-depth-and-pressure" (without "-shallow") since I'm targeting a maximum depth of 6 meters, but this resulted in compilation errors. ref: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/740083 ref: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/735296 Added NSMotionUsageDescription and WKBackgroundModes <key>NSMotionUsageDescription</key> <string>Required for water detection</string> <key>WKBackgroundModes</key> <array> <string>underwater-depth</string> </array> According to the documentation: "It also adds your app to the list of apps that the system can autolaunch when the wearer submerges the watch." What additional steps are needed to make the app appear in Auto-Launch settings? Has anyone successfully implemented this feature?

While testing the watchOS 27 beta, I noticed that the standalone Walkie-Talkie app has been removed from the system. Walkie-Talkie has always been a great, lightweight way to stay connected. Much like Digital Touch, it’s one of those quick, low-friction features that makes the watch feel uniquely personal for communication throughout the day. I am really hoping its absence is just a temporary beta omission rather than a permanent retirement of the feature. I have already submitted a request via Feedback Assistant asking the engineering team to consider keeping it in the final release. If you also rely on this app for quick wrist-to-wrist updates, I highly recommend submitting your own feedback ticket to let the team know there is still an active user base for it. (FB23040695) Has anyone else ran into this or found an official note from Apple regarding its removal in the release notes? Hopefully, we will see it return before the public release this fall. Over and out!

Apologies, if I've missed the answer already here, I've searched around but can't find it. Foundation models and Private Cloud Compute require Apple Intelligence to be enabled in Settings as mentioned here. At the same time it says that Foundation Models PCC calls are supported on all Apple Watch models that run WatchOS 27. So, will there be a seperate Apple Intelligence setting in WatchOS 27 for those devices? Otherwise if a user has an Apple Watch Series 11 (which does support Apple Intelligence) paired with an iPhone 15 (which doesn't support Apple Intelligence), will they be unable to use the Foundation Models PCC calls from WatchOS in my app? Despite the fact the iPhone isn't involved in these queries anyway?

Hi everyone, After watching WWDC26 and going for a run today, I came up with an idea that I believe could be a natural extension of Apple Intelligence and Apple Watch. This proposal is not intended to replace Custom Workouts. Instead, it focuses on removing the manual setup required to create them by allowing Apple Intelligence to understand workout plans written in natural language. Today, Apple Watch already supports Custom Workouts, but users still have to manually recreate interval workouts. For example: • Walk 5 minutes • Run 1 minute • Walk 1 minute 30 seconds • Repeat 6 times Instead, Apple Intelligence could understand workouts written in natural language and automatically generate a structured Apple Watch workout. This could work from multiple sources: Notes Messages Mail PDFs Screenshots Photos of printed training plans Websites The generated workout could then be reviewed by the user before being saved and synchronized to Apple Watch. Intelligent Haptics I also imagined an optional feature called Intelligent Haptics. Instead of using a single vibration for interval transitions, the watch could communicate through different haptic patterns: Progressive vibration before a running interval starts. Decreasing vibration when an interval ends. Rhythmic vibrations during recovery to help regulate breathing. The goal isn't simply to notify the user—it is to reduce the need to constantly look at the display and allow them to stay focused on the workout. Since Apple Intelligence is becoming a system-wide capability, I think workouts could be understood just like calendar events, reminders or emails. I have already submitted this proposal through Feedback Assistant, but I would love to hear what other developers think. Would this be a feature you would like to see in watchOS? I'm curious to hear how other developers would improve this concept.

I'm blocked trying to run/debug an app on a physical Apple Watch. The iPhone connects to Xcode perfectly over USB and is fully trusted, but the paired Watch never shows up in Xcode, and because of that the Developer Mode toggle never appears on the watch itself. Environment Mac: MacOS 26.4 Xcode: 26.5 iPhone: iPhone 17, iOS 26.4 — connected to Mac via USB, trusted Apple Watch: Ultra 3, watchOS 26.3 Developer Mode: enabled on iPhone Watch is paired and working normally in the iPhone Watch app What happens In Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators, only the iPhone ("Brian") shows under Connected, with its installed apps listed correctly. The paired Apple Watch does not appear under it or as a separate entry. On the watch, Settings → Privacy & Security has no Developer Mode item. I understand this only surfaces after Xcode successfully connects to the watch, so I believe the missing Xcode connection is the root cause. When I first connected the iPhone via cable, a Trust prompt did appear on the watch and I accepted it. What I've already tried Enabled Developer Mode on iPhone (toggled off/on, with restarts) Connected iPhone via USB and confirmed Trust on both iPhone and watch Restarted Mac, iPhone, and watch multiple times Confirmed Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on across all three devices Kept the watch unlocked and on my wrist, close to the iPhone and Mac Despite this, the watch never appears in Xcode and the Developer Mode toggle never surfaces on watchOS. Questions Is this the known Xcode 26 / watchOS 26 tunneling/discovery regression, or is something else going on in my setup? Is there an Apple-supported way to force Xcode to re-discover a paired watch without unpairing it from the iPhone? Has any specific combination of macOS / Xcode / watchOS versions reliably resolved this for anyone? Any guidance appreciated. Happy to file a Feedback Assistant report and share the ID if useful.

Hello, I updated my Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS + Cellular, 44 mm) to watchOS 27 Developer Beta (Build 24R5289n) and noticed what appears to be a change in the Digital Crown behavior. After the update: • A single press of the Digital Crown now shows fewer applications, which seems consistent with the changes announced for watchOS 27. • However, a double press of the Digital Crown no longer opens the App Switcher as it did previously. • As a result, I can no longer access the interface that allowed users to view recent apps and force-close applications by swiping them away. Before updating, double-pressing the Digital Crown opened the App Switcher and provided a way to close running apps. That functionality now appears to be missing. I would like to know whether: This is an intentional design change in watchOS 27. This is a known issue in the current Developer Beta. There is a new gesture or workflow for accessing recent apps and force-closing applications. Device: Apple Watch SE 3 (GPS + Cellular) 44 mm Aluminum Model: MEPJ4LW/A Software: watchOS 27.0 Developer Beta Build: 24R5289n The behavior is reproducible after restarting the watch. Thanks.

We develop a healthcare emergency-alerting app with a native watchOS companion app. We've hit a network routing issue on watchOS that we cannot work around with any public API, and it breaks a safety-critical flow (triggering an emergency alarm from the watch). Environment watchOS 26.5 on Apple Watch SE3, paired with iPhone SE 2nd Gen on iOS 26.5 Watch app deployment target: watchOS 9.0 Plain URLSession (async/await), default configuration plus waitsForConnectivity = false, allowsExpensiveNetworkAccess = true, allowsConstrainedNetworkAccess = true HTTPS to our own backend (valid public TLS certificate, no pinning) Steps to reproduce Pair the watch with the iPhone. Both on the same known Wi-Fi network. On the iPhone: turn OFF Wi-Fi and cellular data. Keep Bluetooth ON. The watch remains connected to its known Wi-Fi network (or would be, if the system brought the radio up). Trigger any HTTPS request from the watch app (foreground). Expected Since the companion iPhone has no internet, the watch should satisfy the request over its own Wi-Fi. Actual The request is routed through the companion link (ipsec1, "companion preference: prefer" in the logs) and fails after the TLS handshake dies inside the tunnel: Error Domain=NSURLErrorDomain Code=-1200 "An SSL error has occurred and a secure connection to the server cannot be made." _kCFStreamErrorDomainKey=3, _kCFStreamErrorCodeKey=-9816 (errSSLClosedNoNotify) The watch never fails over to its own Wi-Fi, no matter how many times we retry or how long we wait. The same request succeeds within seconds if the user disables Bluetooth on the iPhone (watch then joins Wi-Fi directly), or restores the iPhone's internet. What we already tried waitsForConnectivity = true doesn't help; a path exists (the tunnel), it just doesn't work. Fresh URLSession per retry, backoff retries still routed via the tunnel. Per TN3135 we understand low-level networking is not available to a normal app: we prototyped NWConnection with prohibitedInterfaceTypes = [.other], and indeed on device NWPathMonitor stays .unsatisfied even when the watch has working Wi-Fi, exactly as TN3135 describes. So Network framework is not an escape hatch for us, and we are not looking to abuse the audio-streaming/CallKit carve-outs. Questions Is the companion-preferred routing supposed to fail over to the watch's own Wi-Fi when the iPhone is reachable over Bluetooth but has no internet? If yes, on what timescale, and is there anything an app can do to help the system notice the dead path sooner? Is there ANY supported way for a foreground watchOS app to express "do not use the companion link for this request"? We found only the private _companionProxyPreference SPI, which we obviously can't ship. If the answer to both is "no", what is the recommended pattern for safety-critical requests in this state is failing fast and instructing the user to disable iPhone Bluetooth really the intended UX? Related earlier reports of the same behavior: https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/759321 https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/107964

I’m developing a watchOS app that records outdoor soccer workouts using HealthKit. My app starts a workout session with: HKWorkoutConfiguration.activityType = .soccer HKWorkoutConfiguration.locationType = .outdoor HKWorkoutSession HKLiveWorkoutBuilder HKLiveWorkoutDataSource During the workout, I display distance from the live builder statistics: HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .distanceWalkingRunning) After the workout ends, I save the workout using finishWorkout(), and later read the saved distance from: HKWorkout.totalDistance?.doubleValue(for: .meter()) So the total distance shown in my app is not calculated manually from GPS route points. It comes from HealthKit’s workout distance. I noticed a difference between soccer workouts recorded by Apple’s built-in Workout app and soccer workouts recorded by my third-party watchOS app. Example comparison: Apple Workout app soccer: Active duration: about 88 min Steps: about 8,832 Distance: about 6.7 km No visible route/location data in Fitness My watchOS app soccer: Active duration: about 87 min Steps: about 8,998 Distance: about 5.6 km Includes route/location data Workout recorded through HKWorkoutSession + HKLiveWorkoutBuilder Distance read from HKWorkout.totalDistance The step counts and active durations are very close, but the distance differs by about 1.1 km. One important detail is that the Apple Workout app soccer workout does not appear to include visible route/location data in Fitness, while my third-party workout does include route/location data. Despite that, the Apple Workout app reports a longer distance. So the comparison is not simply “GPS route distance vs GPS route distance”. It looks like the built-in Workout app may be estimating soccer distance without exposing route data, while HKLiveWorkoutBuilder for a third-party .soccer workout may be producing a different totalDistance estimate. My questions are: When the built-in Apple Workout app records an outdoor soccer workout without exposing route data, how is totalDistance estimated? Is that distance estimation behavior available to third-party watchOS apps using HKWorkoutSession + HKLiveWorkoutBuilder with .soccer? If a third-party app records route data for the same soccer activity, can that change how HealthKit calculates totalDistance compared with a no-route built-in Workout app recording? For third-party soccer workouts, should developers expect HKWorkout.totalDistance to match the built-in Workout app, or is a difference expected? Is there any additional configuration, entitlement, data type, or best practice required to get more accurate distance estimates for soccer workouts? Any clarification on the expected behavior would be very helpful. Thanks!

When running a mobile app through Xcode, why can't the associated watch app be installed within the watch app? How can this problem be solved?

I'm using Product.products(for:) to get my auto-renewable subscription on watchOS: let products = try await Product.products(for: [<##Identifier##>]) However, it doesn't return any value, and doesn't throw errors. The console shows an error: Could not parse product: missingValue(for: [StoreKit.ProductResponse.Key.billingPlanType], expected: StoreKit.BackingValue) Is this a bug or I did't configure something well? This product has been approved by App Review.

When importing FoundationModels in watchOS 27 Beta 2 this error appears: /Applications/Xcode-beta.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/WatchOS.platform/Developer/SDKs/WatchOS27.0.sdk/System/Library/Frameworks/FoundationModels.framework/Modules/FoundationModels.swiftmodule/arm64e-apple-watchos.swiftinterface:6:15 Unable to resolve module dependency: 'CoreImage' Does anybody else have this issue?

Is there a known workaround (other than forking) for watchOS builds in Xcode 27 that depend on packages without a declared watchOS 9.0 floor? I depend on several Apple SPM packages with no minimum deployment target, such as https://github.com/apple/swift-algorithms. My project's minimum is 26.0. Xcode 27 will not build watchOS targets with these packages because watchOS 8.0 is below its range of supported targets. /.../SourcePackages/checkouts/swift-algorithms/Package.swift The watchOS Simulator deployment target 'WATCHOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET' is set to 8.0, but the range of supported deployment target versions is 9.0 to 27.0.x.

We have an Apple Watch app and companion iPhone app that we distribute via Enterprise Distribution using OTA manual installation. (We are on an Apple Enterprise Developer Team) With WatchOS 26.4 and earlier, the app would install fine on both the phone and the watch. However, after updating to WatchOS 26.5 (and iOS 26.5), the app will not install on the watch. It will install on the phone and we can trust the developer/run the phone app. However, when we go into the Apple Watch app on the phone and choose "Install" for the app, it tries to install for a minute and then returns an error "The app could not be installed at this time". We have tried the following remedies: Restarting both watch and phone, and reinstalling the app on phone Factory resetting both the watch and the phone, then reinstalling app Generating a new Distribution Certificate and new manual profiles for the app in Apple Developer Looking through console logs from both the phone and the watch Confirmed that we can install other (non-Enterprise) apps on the watch Try installing a basic example app (the default Xcode watch + companion app project) There does not seem to be anything obviously amiss about the app or its packaging, it seems to be something to do with the update to WatchOS 26.5. The closest related errors we have found seems to be these: appconduitd 0x16d43f000 -[ACXInstallQueue _onQueue_deQueueNextOperation]_block_invoke_3: Failed to install app .EnterpriseInstallTest.watchkitapp (p = Y, ui = Y) : Error Domain=ACXErrorDomain Code=8 "Failed to create socket" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0xcf9138e10 {Error Domain=com.apple.identityservices.error Code=20 "Socket open timed out" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Socket open timed out}}, FunctionName=-[ACXServerInstallOperation _onQueue_prepForTransferAndInstall]_block_invoke, SourceFileLine=370, NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to create socket} appconduitd 0x16d89f000 -[ACXCompanionSyncConnection _installQueuedOrCompletedForWatchBundleID:companionAppBundleID:withName:userInitiated:withError:withCompletion:]_block_invoke: Failed to install app .EnterpriseInstallTest.watchkitapp : Error Domain=ACXErrorDomain Code=8 "Failed to create socket" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0xcf9138e10 {Error Domain=com.apple.identityservices.error Code=20 "Socket open timed out" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Socket open timed out}}, FunctionName=-[ACXServerInstallOperation _onQueue_prepForTransferAndInstall]_block_invoke, SourceFileLine=370, NSLocalizedDescription=Failed to create socket}

I’m blocked debugging a watchOS app on a physical Apple Watch. The iPhone connects to Xcode normally (wired), but the Watch either fails to connect with a tunnel timeout or disappears entirely from Xcode after I unpaired it inside Devices & Simulators. Environment Mac: macOS 26.x (Apple Silicon Mac) Xcode: 26.2 iPhone: iOS 26.1 Apple Watch Ultra: watchOS 26.2 (build 23S303) Connection: iPhone connected to Mac via USB (trusted). Watch paired to iPhone and working normally in the Watch app. Issue A (when Watch is visible in Xcode) In Xcode → Window → Devices and Simulators, the Watch shows up but is not usable and fails to connect. Error: “Previous preparation error: A connection to this device could not be established.” “Timed out while attempting to establish tunnel using negotiated network parameters.” In some attempts the Watch shows “Capacity: Unknown” / limited details, and then fails during preparation. Issue B (after unpairing Watch in Xcode only) I unpaired/removed the Watch in Xcode (Devices & Simulators). I did not unpair the Watch from the iPhone. Now: iPhone appears in Xcode and works normally for builds. Watch is still paired to the iPhone and works normally. Watch no longer appears anywhere in Xcode Devices & Simulators (no paired watch section, no watch run destination). What I’ve tried Reboots of Mac, iPhone, Watch (multiple times) Watch unlocked, awake; iPhone unlocked and close to Watch Verified Watch is paired and connected in iPhone Watch app Developer Mode enabled on iPhone and Watch Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ON (Mac/iPhone/Watch), tried toggling both Tried on home Wi-Fi and also with iPhone hotspot (same result) Resetting trust prompts / reconnecting iPhone via USB, re-trusting Mac Apple Watch: “Clear Trusted Computers” Xcode: removing/re-adding devices; clearing derived data; restarting Xcode Watch Developer networking test: Responsiveness = Medium (430 RPM) Questions 1. Is this a known issue/regression with Xcode 26.2 + watchOS 26.2 tunneling (CoreDevice / devicectl)? 2. Is there an Apple-supported way to force Xcode to re-discover a paired Watch after it was removed from Xcode Devices & Simulators (without unpairing the Watch from the iPhone)? 3. Any recommended logs or diagnostic steps I should collect (Console logs, sysdiagnose, specific Xcode/CoreDevice logs) to include in a Feedback report? If helpful, I can provide the full error text from Xcode’s Devices window and any logs you recommend. Thank you in advance,

Currently, Apple WatchOS 26 can speak "split time" in workouts, but cannot announce notifications. While iOS 26 can "Announce Notifications on Speaker" (if iPhone is locked" ), this is not available on Apple Watch Please add this feature

Does Apple WatchOS 27 support my iOS 27 app being notified when the user wakes up?

Does WatchOS 27 support an iOS 27 app making announcements on the Apple Watch?