If your Apple Watch is a Series 8 or older, an Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) or the original Apple Watch Ultra, Monday brings you nothing. Those five models ran watchOS 26 and none of them appears on Apple’s watchOS 27 list, which stops at Series 9, SE 3 and Ultra 2.
Apple has published the list and almost nothing else. There is no stated reason for the cut, no end-of-support notice, and no security-update commitment for the watches that have been left behind.
Key facts on watchOS 27 compatibility
| Item | What Apple publishes |
|---|---|
| Watches that get watchOS 27 | Apple Watch SE 3, Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Series 12, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, Ultra 4 |
| Watches left off | Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE (2nd generation), the original Apple Watch Ultra |
| Their last major release | watchOS 26, which Apple listed for Series 6 or later, SE (2nd generation) or later and all Ultra models |
| Release date for the supported watches | Monday, September 14, 2026, free |
| Reason published for the cut | None |
| Security updates promised for the older watches | None published |
| Watches Apple sells now | Apple Watch SE 3 from $249, Series 12 from $399, Ultra 4 from $799 |
The five models Apple left off
| Model | Last major watchOS | Still sold by Apple |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Watch Series 6 | watchOS 26 | No |
| Apple Watch Series 7 | watchOS 26 | No |
| Apple Watch Series 8 | watchOS 26 | No |
| Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) | watchOS 26 | No, replaced by SE 3 |
| Apple Watch Ultra | watchOS 26 | No, replaced by Ultra 4 |
The cut is deeper than the calendar suggests. Apple’s specification pages put Series 7 in 2021 and Series 8, the SE (2nd generation) and the first Ultra in 2022, so a watch bought new four years ago has reached the end of its major releases. The first Ultra cost $799 at launch, the same as today’s Ultra 4.
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What Apple has published about it, which is almost nothing
The whole of Apple’s position is a compatibility footnote. It does not say why the S7 and S8 generations were dropped, whether the new Health Sensing System software is the reason, or how long the older watches will keep receiving security fixes.
Apple’s own Apple Watch and iPhone compatibility support table still covers only watchOS 26, and no “About watchOS 27 Updates” document exists yet. Apple has also published nothing about how an unsupported watch behaves once the paired iPhone moves to iOS 27, and the iOS 27 list reaches back to iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation).
What you miss on Monday
Everything in the watchOS 27 release, which is a longer list than Apple’s stage time suggested:
- The dynamic app grid with Siri-suggested apps, and the one-handed tap gesture for the Smart Stack
- Smart Stack widget suggestions and the new Siri Modular watch face
- A consolidated Find My app covering Devices, Items and People in one map view
- Wallet passes created by scanning a membership or loyalty card with a QR code or barcode
- Call Context, which surfaces reservation codes and confirmation numbers when you call a business
- Perimenopause and menopause support in Cycle Tracking, for users 40 and over and not in all regions
- Workout Buddy without a nearby iPhone, now in Spanish as well as English
- GymKit improvements, including AirPods Pro 3 heart rate in workouts
- The Siri AI beta, in English first with five more languages in October
One caveat on that last item. Being on the compatibility list is not enough for Siri AI: the watch also has to be paired with an Apple Intelligence iPhone, which means iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 and later, and Apple says Siri AI will not be available initially in the EU on watchOS.
What Apple has not said
- Why Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE (2nd generation) and the first Ultra were dropped
- How long those five models keep getting security updates, or when support formally ends
- Any per-model Apple Watch trade-in value on its trade-in page
- Whether an unsupported watch loses any function when its iPhone moves to iOS 27
- A release time on September 14, or any watchOS 27 update document
watchOS 27 reaches the eight supported watches on Monday, September 14. If an upgrade is the route you take, the Series 12 and SE 3 are already orderable and reach stores on Friday, September 18, and the SE 3 has been through a stock disappearance once already this month. Our event recap has the rest of the lineup.
