Workout Buddy? Forget it: watchOS 26's most exciting addition was only hinted at
watchOS 26's new Hints feature is the intelligent smart assistant I've been waiting for
WWDC 2025 has just wrapped up, and it was one of the best keynotes in recent memory. While there were sweeping changes across Apple's entire range, from the already-lauded iPadOS update to iOS 26, as TechRadar's resident wearables expert, it's my beat to cover watchOS 26.
And it's been a pretty big year for Apple's smallest device.
There have been major changes to the Watch's user interface, as it will get the same slick Liquid Glass overhaul as all Apple's other devices, and there are flashy new Apple Intelligence features such as the AI Workout Buddy and Live Translation. There's even a much-clamoured-for on-wrist Notes app.
However, the feature I'm interested in is Hints, a small change to Apple's widget stack that I think has the most potential to bring all of the Apple Watch's disparate features together into a lifestyle companion, unified under the Apple Intelligence banner.
Hinting at Greatness
Apple's new Hints feature works by taking contextual information about your surroundings and your previous behavior, and recommending actions based on its predictions. These recommendations take the form of a small visual prompt like the one above, so you can ignore it easily if you choose to do so.
The two examples Apple gave were quite clever: if you arrive at the same pilates studio at the same time every week, Apple will look at your location, the time and date, your previous behavior, and understand you're about to start a pilates workout on your watch. A hot key to start your workout will appear as a visual prompt.
The other example Apple used was during a hike. In this scenario, the Apple Watch detected you were off the beaten track, away from roads and near popular hiking destinations, and recommended you start a BackTrack to avoid getting lost again via a visual prompt.
What this could mean for the future of Apple Watch
This could be, if expanded, a wonderful way to use the predictive power of Apple Intelligence to create a unified personal assistant. This could be more valuable than the Workout Buddy, and more significant than a UI redesign.
Reminding you to start BackTrack could save you hours of wandering in the wilderness, and potentially save lives. If emergency services are contacted through Fall Detection, a prompt could serve up an on-wrist medical record for first responders, or link to your phone to show the Health app through your lock screen. A hotlink option to call your partner if you're halfway through your journey home, but stuck in traffic or delayed for another reason.
The power of Apple Intelligence is going to be improving your life in small, everyday ways, and this watchOS 26 feature reinforces that fact. The feature is so unobtrusive on your Apple Watch's home screen when activated, meaning it's out the way but there when you need it. Like a butler discreetly signalling to you from the corner of a cocktail party.
There are plenty of impressive-sounding security protocols in place around Apple Intelligence, which reinforces my positive feelings about it. I've generally, up until now, been quite negative about the predictive power of AI and its security implications. But for the first time, I'm starting to see the opportunities of an invisible personal assistant.
