watchOS 27 arrives — Siri gets its own app for the first time, adds a Tap gesture, but permanently drops Walkie-Talkie

Apple officially launched watchOS 27 on September 14, packed with numerous new features that aren't limited to Apple Watch Series 12 or Apple Watch Ultra 4 users only, but extend to older supported models as well.

Users can update by opening the Watch app on iPhone, going to General → Software Update, placing the watch on its charger, and following the on-screen steps.

Siri gets its own app

The first notable highlight is that Siri now gets a dedicated app of its own for the first time, gathering every conversation into a single view and syncing personal data via iCloud across all devices. Users can ask a question on iPhone and continue the conversation on Apple Watch, pin conversations they want to keep, or start a new chat directly from their wrist. There's also a Siri Modular Watch Face, a new watch face displaying rectangular complications that automatically update content based on time, location, and other factors.

Digital Crown and new gestures

Pressing the Digital Crown now behaves differently. Instead of the old Honeycomb view, watchOS 27 now shows a Dynamic App Grid, combining suggested apps, frequently used apps, and recently opened apps together, with the Siri app at the center, while an alphabetical list remains accessible by turning the Digital Crown. A new gesture called Tap has been added as a third option alongside Double Tap and Wrist Flick — touching the index finger and thumb together once instantly opens the highlighted widget in the Smart Stack.

Double-pressing the Digital Crown also changes behavior: in watchOS 26 it opened the App Switcher, but in watchOS 27 it now shows the Dynamic App Grid instead. This gesture is now reserved for Live Rewind, an upcoming feature that transcribes the last 15 seconds of speech from the surrounding environment (exclusive to Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4). The App Switcher will return in watchOS 27.2 later this year with a new gesture: press and hold at the bottom of the currently open app.

What's gone and other features

One thing gone for good is Walkie-Talkie. This once-popular app has been completely removed from the system after the update and cannot be reinstalled from the App Store. Even those who choose to stay on watchOS 26 won't be able to talk with anyone who has already updated.

Find My has been redesigned, merging Find Devices, Find Items, and Find People into a single app centered on a map, with shortcuts for navigation and finding nearby items. Workout Buddy, a feature introduced in watchOS 26 that previously required a nearby iPhone, now runs directly on Apple Watch via Wi-Fi or cellular in watchOS 27, analyzing data from training history and tracking progress in speed, distance, and duration, now adding Spanish alongside English. On women's health, Cycle Tracking in the Health app now alerts users if logged patterns show signs related to perimenopause, available only to users aged 40 and above.

Source: Techhaus Thailand