At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple unveiled watchOS 27. This will be rolling out in the fall. Perhaps surprisingly, watchOS 27 will drop support for a lot of older Apple Watches, including the original Apple Watch Ultra, released in 2022. That device was the first Apple Watch to cost a whopping $799, so many owners may still be using it.
But come September, they will only receive essential security updates, as the watch is not getting watchOS 27. Asked why, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing Manager Cait Dooley told TechRadar:
With every software release across every single one of our platforms, we always want to ensure that you have the best experience, so we make power and performance a priority. The great new features in watchOS, including the capabilities of Siri AI and the new tap gesture, work best with the processing power that is in Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Ultra 2 and later, and SE 3. Older devices can still be paired with iPhones that are running the latest software and continue to receive security updates, so they can continue to have a great Apple Watch experience.
So there you have it – it’s for your own good. Not a surprising response from Apple, but at least we now finally have one. So if you own an Apple Watch Series 8 or older, an original Apple Watch Ultra, or an older Apple Watch SE than the SE3, it’s probably time to upgrade.