Apple announced watchOS 27 not so long ago at its WWDC 2026 event, and while the update comes with a plethora of shiny new features, only the latest Apple Watch models will support it. The update is not compatible with five Apple Watch models that featured support for watchOS 26, which is quite peculiar, and now Apple has come out today to explain why it decided to do so.
Apple Says Performance Requirements And Siri AI Features Forced The watchOS 27 Compatibility Cutoff
watchOS 27 comes with some of the most highly anticipated Apple Intelligence features, including Siri AI. The new features were mentioned and teased on stage, but sadly, a handful of Apple Watch models are too slow to support them, including the Apple Watch Ultra 1.
If you are not sure, check out the list of Apple Watch models that will not get watchOS 27 later this year.
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch SE 2
- Original Apple Watch Ultra
After watchOS 26, the above-mentioned Apple Watch models will not get major upgrades, but security updates will be released regularly or when they are needed the most.
Apple is dropping three years’ worth of Apple Watch support in a single year, which is quite strange for the company and the product line. The company spoke to TechRadar about the scenario, with Apple’s Health product marketing manager, Cait Dooley, stating that the performance requirements were the reason behind the cutoff.
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.
As for the older models, they will keep on working when paired with an iPhone running iOS 27, with security updates being the only updates they will receive.
It appears that the Apple Watch models removed from the compatible list are not powerful enough to support Siri AI, as the company wants the experience to be seamless on the iPhone and Apple Watch. David Clark, the company’s senior director of watchOS software engineering, says:
We really wanted to make sure the Siri experience is a singular and consistent experience, whether I decide to ask Siri on my wrist a question, or whether I have my phone in my hand and I decide to interact with Siri there. We really wanted it to feel like it’s one Siri, that has access to your data and is able to personalize it in a consistent way.
If older models are not capable, then it makes sense for the company to remove support for Siri AI, but the rest of the features should have been part of the update. The company should have developed a lighter version of the update for all models that were removed from the list.
If you have a compatible model, you can check out the latest features and Siri AI on your Apple Watch right now, as the first beta has already been released to developers.
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