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Apple Watch & AirPods

Apple Watch, watchOS and AirPods: new features, the faults owners report and Apple's fixes, repairability, and which model to buy.

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22 Sept 20264 min read

The Apple Watch App Switcher is back in the watchOS 27.2 beta, under a press and hold

The second developer beta of watchOS 27.2 restores the Apple Watch App Switcher, opened by pressing and holding the bottom of the screen instead of the Crown.

Pinkesh Gajera

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Apple Watch & AirPods

21 Sept 20265 min read

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are restarting on their own, and the panic logs name the Neural Engine

Owners of Apple's newest watches are reporting sudden restarts, and at least four diagnostic logs show the same Neural Engine timeout two seconds before the crash.

Pinkesh Gajera

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Apple Watch & AirPods

20 Sept 20264 min read

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 have dropped handwashing detection

Apple's watchOS 27 user guide lists the Apple Watch models that support handwashing detection, and the Series 12 and Ultra 4 are not among them.

Pinkesh Gajera

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Apple Watch & AirPods

20 Sept 20265 min read

GymKit now runs from an iPhone, with AirPods Pro 3 supplying the heart rate

GymKit, the treadmill pairing feature Apple Watch has had since 2017, now works from an iPhone in iOS 27, with AirPods Pro 3 as the heart rate source.

Pinkesh Gajera

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Apple Watch & AirPods

17 Sept 20263 min read

watchOS 27 removes the Digital Crown double-click app switch, on every Apple Watch

Double-clicking the Digital Crown no longer jumps to the last app in watchOS 27. The gesture now belongs to Live Rewind, which only two new watches get.

Pinkesh Gajera

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Apple Watch & AirPods

16 Sept 20262 min read

watchOS 27 moves discovery into the Smart Stack

The Smart Stack now suggests widgets contextually and opens them with a one-handed tap. On the watch, that is where your app gets found.

Pinkesh Gajera

Apple Watch & AirPodsApple Watch & AirPods

The Apple Watch App Switcher is back in the watchOS 27.2 beta, under a press and hold

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are restarting on their own, and the panic logs name the Neural Engine

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 have dropped handwashing detection

GymKit now runs from an iPhone, with AirPods Pro 3 supplying the heart rate

watchOS 27 removes the Digital Crown double-click app switch, on every Apple Watch

watchOS 27 moves discovery into the Smart Stack

Apple Watch & AirPods