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watchOS 26 preview: It's the little things

Spending two weeks with Apple's public beta of watchOS 26 gave me a good feel for the new features like the wrist flick gestures and the Workout Buddy.

(Amy Skorheim for Engadget) Another nice-but-obvious update adjusts the volume of pings and beeps to fit the environment — quieter in a noiseless office and louder at a raucous BBQ. Apple gives other examples, such as showing the workout icon when you arrive at your usual pilates studio or the Backtrack navigation feature when you journey away from cellular connectivity. Coming fresh off of reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8, I can’t help but notice a stark difference between that wearable’s fully integrated, AI-powered Gemini and Apple’s same-old Siri.

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