watchOS 26.5 Fixes Two Apple Watch Bugs - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

watchOS 26.5 Fixes Two Apple Watch Bugs

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 Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

3 4 24 Sport Band Refresh Feature

Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Watch Series 12 Could Introduce Sensor in Band

Friday July 3, 2026 8:54 am PDT by
The Apple Watch Series 12 could ship with a new health sensor built directly into one of its bands, according to a sketchy rumor from a known leaker. The leaker known as "Kosutami" says the sensor will be injection-molded into a silicone band, and only a silicone band, apparently because Apple has not yet solved how to embed similar hardware in bands made from other materials. No detail was...
watchos 27

Siri AI Comes to Apple Watch in watchOS 27 Beta 3

Monday July 6, 2026 1:24 pm PDT by
With watchOS 27 beta 3, Apple added support for Siri AI and the Siri app, so Apple Watch users can now use the features right from their wrist. Apple said Siri AI would be coming to the watch back when watchOS 27 was first introduced, but the feature wasn't live until now. The Dynamic App Grid that pops up when the Digital Crown is pressed displays the Siri app in the center, and the...
Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black

Apple Watch Series 13 Rumored to Mark the End of an Era

Wednesday July 8, 2026 1:29 pm PDT by
While the Apple Watch Series 12 is still a few months away, a new rumor suggests that next year's Apple Watch Series 13 will mark the end of an era. According to a recent post from a known leaker on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the Apple Watch will be receiving a major redesign next year, and this will apparently include a new way of attaching bands to the watch. As a result, the ...

Top Rated Comments

Radeon85 Avatar
13 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 Avatar
13 weeks ago
Two whole bugs fixed for a point release is a new record, right?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
13 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)
13 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)
itsmemuffins Avatar
13 weeks ago
Can they fix the iMessage bug where it doesn’t alert you on the iPhone or Apple Watch via sound or haptic? It’s been going on for years.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tennisproha Avatar
13 weeks ago
I guess all the other bugs aren’t worth fixing, like the ones in the Home app, plus many more.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors