watchOS 26.5 Fixes Two Apple Watch Bugs

Tuesday May 5, 2026 7:56 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

watchOS 26.5 fixes two Apple Watch bugs, according to Apple's release notes for the update, which is expected to be released next week.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium
Apple fixed bugs in the Messages and Workout apps:

• Fixes an issue where Messages on Apple Watch may use SMS instead of iMessage when paired with a dual SIM iPhone
• Fixes an issue where Workout app audio alerts could fail to play if the phone was not nearby Apple Watch

The notes also mention the new Pride Luminance watch face available on watchOS 26.5. The watch face has a customizable layout and colors.

Given that the watchOS 26.5 Release Candidate was seeded this week, it is likely that Apple will make the update available to all users next week.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 12, watchOS 26, watchOS 27

Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 for Additional Models

Monday September 28, 2026 2:08 pm PDT by Eric Slivka

After releasing watchOS 27.0.1 for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 last week to address a bug that was causing devices to restart unexpectedly, Apple has now released the update for all eligible watches, which includes Series 9 and later. Apple's release notes say only that the update "provides bug fixes for your Apple Watch" and the company does not list any security fixes,...

• 40 comments

Apple Watch Series 12, Ultra 4 Owners Report Skin Irritation

Wednesday October 7, 2026 12:02 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Some Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 owners have experienced unexpected skin irritation with the new models, according to reports on the MacRumors forums and Reddit. Affected users complain of a burning sensation and redness under the sensor area. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 measure heart rate every five seconds, and some people have wondered if that's the cause of the skin...

• 173 comments

Apple Releases watchOS 27.0.1 With Fix for Restart Bug

Wednesday September 23, 2026 12:44 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple today released watchOS 27.0.1, a minor update to the watchOS 27 operating system that came out last week. The update is limited to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. watchOS 27.0.1 can be downloaded through the Settings app on the watch or the Apple Watch app on a connected iPhone. Software can only be installed when the Apple Watch is on the charger and has over 50...

• 94 comments

Top Rated Comments

Radeon85

24 weeks ago

Still have an annoying bug introduced in 26.4 where I can swipe down my notifications and the clear all button is completely unresponsive. If I close the notification screen and bring it back down again, the button works again.

This is still an issue in 26.5 RC on my Ultra 3.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

klasma

24 weeks ago

Two whole bugs fixed for a point release is a new record, right?

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

xpxp2002

24 weeks ago

But no fix for swiping down on message notifications to dismiss them and mark as read? This has been broken since watchOS 26.0 and none of the feedbacks ever get acknowledged. Nobody asked for this change in behavior. I still can't understand why Apple won't revert it to the preferred behavior.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ZeromusZeromus

24 weeks ago

These updates always fix bugs which I’ve never experienced, and never fix the ones that annoy me daily. I assume that’s the case for everyone else too, lol!

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)