watchOS 26 Features New Gesture to Dismiss Notifications

Apple in watchOS 26 has added a new one-handed wrist-flick gesture to easily dismiss notifications, but the gesture only works on newer Apple Watch models.

wrist flick dismiss notifications
When you raise your wrist to check a notification but aren’t ready to respond, you can now simply flick your wrist – turn it over and back – to dismiss it. The quick gesture lets you dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, and return to the watch face.

It works by using the accelerometer and gyroscope in your watch, along with a machine learning model that analyzes your wrist movement. However, the functionality is limited to Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The watchOS 26 interface adopts Apple's new Liquid Glass design, while Apple Intelligence powers a new Workout Buddy feature that provides personalized, spoken motivation. There's also a new layout for the Workout app, and it now offers music to listen to based on your tastes and workout type. Apple Watch now also supports Live Translation in Messages.

2025 06 10 10
watchOS 26 is available for testing now through the Apple Developer Program, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month.

Related Roundups: watchOS 11, watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Tuesday July 22, 2025 5:00 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent 1

Foldable iPhone's Display Sizes Leaked

Tuesday July 22, 2025 6:00 pm PDT by
Apple's first foldable iPhone will be equipped with a 7.8-inch inner display, and a 5.5-inch outer display, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo already mentioned those same display sizes for the foldable iPhone in March, meaning there are now multiple sources backing those sizes, so long as TrendForce is not simply copying what Kuo said. ...
Apple AppleCare One hero

Apple Announces 'AppleCare One' Subscription Plan for Multiple Devices

Wednesday July 23, 2025 5:06 am PDT by
Apple today announced AppleCare One, a new subscription plan for customers to cover multiple devices with a single plan. AppleCare One starts at $19.99 per month for up to three products, with the ability to add more for $5.99 per month for each additional device. The plan incudes all of the benefits that come with AppleCare+, such as unlimited repairs for accidents, priority support,...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 4

Tuesday July 22, 2025 3:56 pm PDT by
Apple released the fourth beta of iOS 26 today, and the company has continued making changes to the way that Liquid Glass looks. There are also new features, including the return of Apple Intelligence Notification Summaries for news. This beta is of particular interest because it's likely the beta that public beta testers will get in the not too distant future. Liquid Glass Changes Liquid...
iphone 16 pro models 1

18 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Tuesday July 22, 2025 8:10 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is now less than two months away, so we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

When Is iPhone 17 Coming Out?

Thursday July 24, 2025 9:11 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 series is expected to debut in September 2025. This release follows Apple's recent trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. To unveil the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely...
Liquid Glass Realistic

Apple Improves Liquid Glass in iOS 26 Beta 4, Reversing Some Beta 3 Changes

Tuesday July 22, 2025 11:21 am PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26, Apple has again made changes to the Liquid Glass design that's available across the operating system, tweaking how the menus and buttons appear in apps. In response to criticism about too little Liquid Glass in beta 3, Apple has upped the translucency in several areas. Beta 4 on left, beta 3 on right Navigation bars in apps like Photos, Music, the App ...

Top Rated Comments

System603 Avatar
6 weeks ago

[Y]ou can now simply flick your wrist – turn it over and back – to [...] dismiss notifications and incoming calls, silence timers and alarms, and return to the watch face.

The functionality is limited to Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2
Wow. Not a good wow, though. One might, naively, expect such a feature to work even on much older models.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny907 Avatar
6 weeks ago

Wow. Not a good wow, though. One might, naively, expect such a feature to work even on much older models.
Agreed, this is complete BS. All Apple Watch models from the series 0 have had Lift to Wake, which uses the exact same accelerometer as this feature given the gesture required to activate it. Limiting it to the 9 and newer is 100% artificial gatekeeping out of greed.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stocklen Avatar
6 weeks ago
why is it on the series 9 and NOT on the Ultra 1?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oblivious.Robot Avatar
6 weeks ago

However, the functionality is limited to Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
But of course, my series 6 is too old and weary to learn new tricks, eh Apple? :rolleyes:
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spittt Avatar
6 weeks ago
For a second there, I thought the gesture might be the middle finger.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spock Avatar
6 weeks ago
This is 100% a software locked feature, any Apple Watch can do this as they all have an accelerometer in them.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)