That description pretty much sums it up. If you were hoping for a chatbot, this isn\u2019t it.<\/p>\n After using it, I\u2019d venture: not that much, actually. Workout Buddy is more subtle than the sizzle reel implied.<\/p>\n \u201cAn important challenge to be considered when applying any technology, AI or otherwise, is how can real value be added to an experience?\u201d explains Clark. He notes Apple Watch is already adept at tracking activities, but with Workout Buddy, the goal was to \u201cbring something that was less technical data\u201d and more motivational.<\/p>\n Workout Buddy begins every session with a pep talk and ends with a summary of what you just did. The middle of your workout is where the AI magic is supposed to happen.<\/p>\n On a run, Clark says, Workout Buddy will note your pace whenever you hit a mile. You might also get a celebratory message if you hit your 100th mile of the year, and so on. Running lends itself to a chattier Workout Buddy. In a walk or a high-intensity interval training session, Clark says, you might not hear from Workout Buddy at all.<\/p>\n In my walks, I only heard from Workout Buddy at the beginning and end of my workouts. The \u201ccontextual bit\u201d was that the AI told me of my progress toward closing my rings for the day, and whether I was making good progress compared to my average. It was much chattier during my runs, reading out my segment times, what music I listened to, or if I\u2019d closed a ring.<\/p>\n Workout Buddy doesn\u2019t feel like AI. (Though you need your watch to be paired to an Apple Intelligence-capable phone to use the feature.) It\u2019s not a chatbot. You can\u2019t ask questions about your data \u2014 or anything else for that matter \u2014 during a workout. Audio cues for stats aren\u2019t new, either. Plenty of fitness apps have been doing that for years. Technically, the AI-powered bits are twofold. Workout Buddy voices have been trained on Apple Fitness Plus trainers. (You can choose from three at the moment.) And it\u2019s pulling historical tidbits from your data and notifying you in real time.<\/p>\n Most fitness apps tend to motivate you with historical data as badges within the app. It\u2019s not something that\u2019s typically delivered in real time as an audio cue. Because I haven\u2019t hit too many running milestones this year \u2014 my PRs are sadly nonexistent so far \u2014 I can\u2019t adequately say Workout Buddy helped me feel more motivated. Was it nice to hear I was on track to close my rings at the end of a workout? Sure. If you\u2019re a longtime runner like me, milestones aren\u2019t an everyday thing. But from past experience, I\u2019d appreciate a Workout Buddy giving me an encouraging stat at mile 10 of a half-marathon.<\/p>\n I wish you could customize Workout Buddy. It\u2019d be cool to tweak the settings so I\u2019d get 30 percent more motivation during a race or gain insights to take it slow during hot weather. Perhaps this is where Workout Buddy is headed. But for now, this feels like a more cautious implementation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s all in the subtleties <\/p>\n It\u2019s a little clearer as to why Workout Buddy gets the marquee billing when you see the other ways Apple Intelligence shows up on the wrist. While it\u2019s on guardrails, it\u2019s more overtly AI than the rest of watchOS 26\u2019s Apple Intelligence features.<\/p>\n A lot of the Apple Intelligence features you\u2019ll see on the Watch this year will be an extension of what\u2019s available on the phone. That includes Live Translations and Smart Actions (i.e., if you get texted your share of a bill, you can tap to send it via Apple Cash) in Messages. But there are other features that are more broadly AI-powered outside the Apple Intelligence nomenclature. One such feature is the improved Smart Stack.<\/p>\n This little tweak helps me notice and use the Smart Stack a lot more.<\/p>\n The Smart Stack was first introduced in watchOS 10<\/a>, and is meant to surface the widgets you need at the right time. This year, you also get a small icon on your watchface prompting you toward a widget when you might need it. It sounds silly, but it\u2019s a clever tweak.<\/p>\n According to Clark, the improved Smart Stack algorithm now incorporates multiple signals from apps. That includes Live Activity data, environmental cues (e.g., if you\u2019re in a remote location without LTE or Wi-Fi), or recently used apps.<\/p>\n Smart Stack has always been hard to notice. The Uber widget popping up has generally been the Smart Stack use case I\u2019m most aware of. But the other day, I was making dinner, and while setting a timer, I saw a prompt for the weather widget. Apparently, a giant flood warning was issued because of an impending torrential downpour. That led my spouse and me to swap our cars so their fancy sports car could sit in the garage. It\u2019s a small thing, but useful nonetheless.<\/p>\n This is honestly the most you\u2019ll probably notice Liquid Glass on the watch \u2014 on the passcode screen.<\/p>\n Double tap<\/a>, or the pinchy pinch, is handy. But it might be dethroned by Wrist Flick, or the flippy flip. When you get a notification you don\u2019t want, you can just twist your wrist to dismiss it. It is hands-down my favorite addition to watchOS 26.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thing we wanted to accomplish with this was rounding out the story of \u2018I\u2019m either going to take action or I\u2019m going to decide that\u2019s not for me now,\u2019\u201d says Clark. \u201cThere\u2019s a really nice symmetry to motioning away from what you\u2019re viewing to acknowledge \u2018I\u2019m kind of done with that, I\u2019m dismissing that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Wrist Flick has been super useful for me, a receiver of Too Many Notifications. It takes a second to remember to use it. But the combination of Double Tap and Wrist Flick has made me into a notification triage machine. I wonder why we haven\u2019t always had this as a default.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been testing the developer betas, and a lot could change before the final version of watchOS 26 arrives this fall. But based on what I\u2019ve seen in watchOS 26? It\u2019s the features that fade into the background that left the strongest impression.<\/p>\n Photography by Victoria Song \/ The Verge<\/p>\n <\/a>Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Victoria SongClose Senior Reviewer, Wearable Tech<\/p>\n Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All by Victoria Song<\/a><\/p>\n AppleCloseApple<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Apple<\/a><\/p>\n GadgetsCloseGadgets<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Gadgets<\/a><\/p>\n Hands-onCloseHands-on<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Hands-on<\/a><\/p>\n ReviewsCloseReviews<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n SmartwatchCloseSmartwatch<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Smartwatch<\/a><\/p>\n Smartwatch ReviewsCloseSmartwatch Reviews<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n See All Smartwatch Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n TechCloseTech<\/p>\n Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.<\/p>\n PlusFollow<\/p>\n![\"Top-down](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/watchos26_4.jpg\"\/)
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