Apple Watch users in the US will receive rich alerts for natural disasters
Apple is preparing to roll out watchOS 26.2, the next major update for the Apple Watch, bringing a mix of crucial safety enhancements and refinements to its core health metrics.
The update, currently in Release Candidate (RC) stage, includes a significant new feature called Enhanced Safety Alerts.
Initially available in the United States, Enhanced Safety Alerts will inform Apple Watch users about imminent threats such as floods, natural disasters, and other emergencies.
Crucially, these alerts will provide rich information, including maps of affected areas and links to additional safety guidance, delivering more context than standard text alerts.
For users who rely on their watch as a secondary channel when their iPhone is on silent or in a pocket, this feature significantly increases the chances of receiving and acting on time-sensitive warnings.
Sleep Score changes also coming soon
As was reported after the update’s developer phase, watchOS 26.2 is also set to include changes to Apple’s Sleep Score gradings.
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Introduced in watchOS 26, the score provides a single nightly summary of sleep quality. However, initial user feedback suggested that the scoring was too lenient.
In response, the upcoming update will tighten the score thresholds, making it harder to earn a top-tier classification. For example, a score of 70, which was previously considered ‘High’, will now be classified as ‘OK’.
The new classification ranges are:
OK: 61–80 points
High: 81–95 points
Very High: 96–100 points (formerly ‘Excellent’)
It’s not exactly clear when the update will officially be available to all Apple Watch users, but history suggests it will occur before the month is done. Stay tuned.