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watchOS 26.1 beta 2 rolling out now for Apple Watch users

watchOS 26.1 is the next noteworthy software update coming to the Apple Watch, and today Apple released developer beta 2.

watchOS 26.1 beta 2 available for developers

Apple’s next wave of software updates is currently in beta testing, which kicked off last month.

So far, the updates appear to focus largely on Apple Intelligence expansions.

For example, iOS 26.1 beta 1 brought Apple Intelligence to eight new languages.

The AI-powered AirPods Live Translation feature similarly became available in five new languages too.

On the Apple Watch front, there wasn’t much noteworthy that appeared different or new in watchOS 26.1 beta 1.

Today’s beta 2 release might change that, bringing additional new features not found in the prior release.

We’ll be installing watchOS 26.1 beta 2 and provide updates on any new features discovered.

However, it’s not unusual for Apple to prioritize certain platforms with its minor software updates while other platforms go largely unchanged.

Going with that scenario, it’s possible watchOS 26.1 will largely just offer bug fixes and compatibility improvements with Apple’s larger releases, such as the iOS 26.1 update.

In any case, we’ll keep you posted as the watchOS 26.1 beta cycle proceeds.

Have you noticed anything new in watchOS 26.1 beta 2? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.