Apple today released watchOS 26.5, the fifth major update to the watchOS 26 operating system released in September. watchOS 26.5 arrives a month and a half after Apple released watchOS 26.4.
watchOS 26.5 can be downloaded for free on an iPhone running iOS 26.5 by opening the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update, or by initiating an update in the watch’s Settings app. To install the new software, Apple Watch must have at least 50% battery left and must be placed on a charger.
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watchOS 26.5 adds a new Pride Luminance watch face. It also fixes a bug with dual-SIM iPhones and an issue that could prevent audio alerts from playing in the Workout app. Apple’s release notes for the update are below.
This update includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
– Pride Luminance watch face that dynamically refracts a spectrum of colors can be added from the face gallery.
– Fixes an issue where messages on Apple Watch may use SMS instead of iMessage when paired with a dual-SIM iPhone
– Fixes an issue where audio alerts from the workout app could fail if the phone was not near the Apple Watch
For more information about Apple software security content, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/100100
To learn more about watchOS 26 features, check out our watchOS 26 summary.
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