Apple Watch Series 9 Still To Receive The Update To WatchOS 27
Credit: Apple
Immediately after yesterday’s WWDC 2026, a list of smartwatches compatible with the new watchOS 27 appeared on Apple’s website. Among them were the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, and Ultra 3. Despite the fact that both the Series 9 and Ultra 2 run on the same chip, the list suggested that Series 9 owners would not be able to update to the new firmware.
Shortly after the release of the first watchOS 27 beta for developers, Apple Watch Series 9 users were able to download, install, and run the update. Apple later confirmed the erroneous absence of the watch among the compatible models and corrected the information on the website.
Along with the confirmation of Watch Series 9 support, watchOS 27 was announced to be no longer compatible with five older models that previously ran watchOS 26. The devices that lost access to the new software included the Apple Watch Series 6, 7, and 8, as well as the second-generation SE and the first-generation Ultra. This significantly updated the supported device lineup, eliminating older models.
The company did not provide an official explanation for the drop in support for these models. However, it was noted that watchOS 27 will be one of the first Apple systems to integrate the updated Siri AI assistant, which is scheduled to launch, particularly for users in the US, in the second half of this year. Presumably, the processor processing power requirements of the new AI algorithms were a key factor in determining the list of compatible devices.
