Apple explains why five Apple Watch models won't get watchOS 27

In an interview with TechRadar, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing Manager Cait Dooley explained why five Apple Watch models will not receive watchOS 27.

The cutoff affects Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, the second-generation Apple Watch SE, and the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra. All of these devices will continue to receive security updates and remain compatible with iPhones running the latest versions of iOS, but they will not get watchOS 27 features.

According to Dooley, the deciding factor was processing power. The new capabilities introduced in watchOS 27 — most notably Siri AI and the new Smart Stack gesture — are designed to run optimally only on Apple Watch Series 9 and newer, Ultra 2 and newer, and the third-generation Apple Watch SE. In practice, the cutoff comes down to Apple's S9 and S10 chips.

David Clark, Apple's Senior Director of watchOS Engineering, added that one of the key goals behind watchOS 27 was to make Apple Watch a true extension of Apple Intelligence. According to Clark, Siri AI should provide a consistent experience whether users interact with it from their wrist or from an iPhone.

The flagship addition in watchOS 27 is a dedicated Siri AI app, alongside a new dynamic app grid and updates to the Workouts experience.

As a result, Apple is effectively ending major feature updates for three generations of Apple Watch devices at the same time.