watchOS 27 Full List of Supported Devices: Which Apple Watches Will Get the Update?

Apple held its WWDC26 keynote on June 8, and along with everything else, the company quietly published the compatibility list for watchOS 27. If you own an Apple Watch, this is the part that actually matters to you.

The list is noticeably smaller than last year's.

Which Apple Watches Support watchOS 27

Apple's official page lists six models that'll run watchOS 27:

• Apple Watch SE 3
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra 3

You'll need an iPhone 11 or an iPhone SE (2nd generation or later) running iOS 27 to pair with it. No iOS 27, no watchOS 27.

Which Apple Watches Are Getting Dropped

If you're on the Series 8, Series 7, Series 6, the original Apple Watch Ultra, or the SE 2, watchOS 27 isn't coming to your device. That's it for software updates.

The SE 2 and Series 8 only launched in 2022. Three years isn't a long software support window by any measure, and it's already drawing complaints from users who feel like they bought into the ecosystem not too long ago.

watchOS 26 still covered the Series 6 and everything after it, plus both Ultra models. Going from that to just six devices in one year is a pretty steep cut.

What's New in watchOS 27

The headlining addition is a new Siri AI app, which is Apple's fully conversational Siri powered by Apple Intelligence. There's also a new dynamic app grid that shows five apps Siri thinks you'll need based on context, and a long-overdue unified Find My app that rolls Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People into one place.

Workout Buddy gets a meaningful upgrade too. It can now run without your iPhone nearby and gives you real-time insights on your pace, distance, and workout duration as you go. Apple also improved indoor treadmill tracking, which has historically been a weak spot.

One thing to keep in mind: Apple Intelligence features, including Siri AI, are only available on the Series 10 and newer. So if you're on a Series 9, you'll get the update, but you won't get everything that comes with it.

When Is watchOS 27 Coming Out

The developer beta is live right now. The public beta should follow sometime in July, and the final release is expected in September alongside iOS 27.