watchOS 26 Public Beta Launches With Redesigned Blood Oxygen Feature
Apple today released the fourth public beta of watchOS 26, a day after the beta was made available to developers. This particular beta adds support for the redesigned Blood Oxygen feature on the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 models in the United States.
watchOS 26 public beta 4 can downloaded through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone after you sign up on Apple's beta website.
Blood oxygen sensing has been disabled on Apple's latest U.S. Apple Watch models since January 2024 due to a legal issue, but Apple was able to bring the feature back by tweaking how it works. Apple Watches that previously did not support blood oxygen sensing can once again take readings, but all calculations and results are viewable on the iPhone.
Apple previously reintroduced blood oxygen sensing for iOS 18 and watchOS 11 users, and it was made available for developers with watchOS 26 yesterday.
Apple Watch models sold before January 2024 and outside of the U.S. have always had a functional blood oxygen sensing feature and the original blood oxygen app. Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 users will now need to open the Health app and go to the Respiratory section to view their blood oxygen results.
The watchOS 26 update brings additional features, such Workout Buddy, an Apple Intelligence feature meant to motivate you during your workouts. The Workout app interface has been redesigned, the Smart Stack has more actionable suggestions, the Messages app offer Live Translation and better Smart Replies, and the Phone app features like Call Screening and Hold Assist are available on the watch. Apple also brought the Notes app to the Apple Watch, so you can create notes and view existing notes right from your wrist.
watchOS 26 will launch to the public in the fall.
Popular Stories
Apple today introduced its first two physical products of 2026: a second-generation AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided Solo Loop for the Apple Watch.
Read our coverage of each announcement to learn more:Apple Unveils New AirTag With Longer Range, Louder Speaker, and More
Apple Introduces New Black Unity Apple Watch BandBoth the new AirTag and the Black Unity Connection Braided...
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Alongside iOS 26.2.1, Apple today released an updated version of iOS 12 for devices that are still running that operating system update, eight years after the software was first released.
iOS 12.5.8 is available for the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6, meaning Apple is continuing to support these devices for 13 and 12 years after launch, respectively. The iPhone 5s came out in September 2013,...
Update: Apple Creator Studio is now available.
Apple Creator Studio launches this Wednesday, January 28. The all-in-one subscription provides access to the Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage apps, with U.S. pricing set at $12.99 per month or $129 per year.
A subscription to Apple Creator Studio also unlocks "intelligent features" and "premium...
On an earnings call with equity analysts today, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to fast-rising RAM and SSD storage chip prices in the supply chain.
Cook said that rising memory chip prices had a "minimal impact" on Apple's gross margin in the fourth quarter of the 2025 calendar year, but he does expect a "bit more of an impact" on the company's gross margin in the current quarter.
Cook added ...
