Apple Watch to Gain 'Apple Intelligence' Features and visionOS-Inspired Design in watchOS 12

watchOS 12 will offer Apple Intelligence with a unique twist: report - 9to5Mac

We just had the most feature-packed Apple software year I can remember. But per rumors ahead of WWDC, 2025 is shaping up to quite a banner year for upgrades too, including with watchOS 12 adding Apple Intelligence features. Mark Gurman recently provided several updates on Apple's upcoming software releases. This included the welcome news that iPadOS 19 will push the iPad to be "more like a Mac." Gurman also mentioned watchOS 12, offering the first noteworthy details we've heard about the next big Apple Watch update. He wrote: the company is branding a new set [of] features as "powered by Apple Intelligence" (even though the device isn't actually running the AI models directly). It seems Apple plans to provide Apple Intelligence features in the same way it's offered certain Watch features in the past: by offloading some processing to the iPhone. When Apple Watch first launched, it was heavily reliant on iPhone for much of its functionality, including the basic task of running third-party apps. Over time it's become less and less dependent, but it sounds like watchOS 12 will reverse that trend just a bit. The approach makes sense considering the Apple Watch's limitations. In fact, you could argue that Apple is already doing this in watchOS 11. Two of the iPhone's current Apple Intelligence features also work on the Apple Watch. Notification summaries and the Reduce Interruptions Focus are technically powered by an AI-capable iPhone. But if you're using your Apple Watch, there's no real indication that watchOS 11 isn't doing the AI work itself. Gurman doesn't share which specific features are coming, but one way or another, watchOS 12 should make Apple Intelligence an "officially supported" feature on the Apple Watch. As for other watchOS 12 features, the report only says that some of iOS 19's new interface elements will debut on the Watch too -- but no major overhaul is coming. Which AI features would you want to see in watchOS 12? Let us know in the comments.

watchOS 12 might get Apple Intelligence and new interface

We've been hearing a lot of rumors about iOS 19, but not so much about watchOS 12. However, it seems that Apple also has big plans for the next version of the Apple Watch operating system. A new report claims that Apple has been working to bring Apple Intelligence features and a refreshed interface to the Apple Watch. With iOS 19, Apple is expected to introduce a new interface based on visionOS with more shadows, depth, and glass-like elements. According to The Verifier, the company will also bring elements of the visionOS interface to watchOS 12. However, unlike iOS 19, the watchOS 12 update will be more discreet and focused on menus, buttons, and icons. Apple redesigned the watchOS interface in 2023 with watchOS 10, so it's no surprise that this year's update - if the rumors are true - won't be a huge one. Still, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has recently reported that Apple wants to bring more consistency across all its operating systems, so the idea of having visionOS-inspired elements on them all makes some sense. But there's more. The report also claims that Apple wants to bring at least some Apple Intelligence features to the Apple Watch, potentially with watchOS 12. The report mentions a new way to see notifications summaries at a glance, the ability to create Genmoji on the watch, and a new Siri experience. It's unclear how exactly Apple would do this, since Apple Intelligence currently requires 8GB of RAM - but The Verifier believes that the next-generation Apple Watch Ultra will have a faster chip, so the AI features might be exclusive to the new models coming later this year. It's worth noting that The Verifier has a mixed track record, so take these rumors with a grain of salt. The website was the first to suggest last year that iOS would be updated with a visionOS-like interface, but they believed the change would happen with iOS 18, not iOS 19. They now claim that the new interface was delayed due to Apple Intelligence. Apple will announce watchOS 12 along with iOS 19 at WWDC 2025 in June.

Rumor repeats claim watchOS to get visionOS design elements, makes wild AI claim

A new rumor claims the Apple Watch will gain support for Apple Intelligence, along with a visionOS-inspired design. watchOS 12 could see some visionOS-inspired design changes according to a new rumor, but the unreliable source also shares the unlikely possibility that Apple Intelligence will also come to the platform. Supposedly, "several ideas" for the operating system interface are in development, but the publication offers no details as to when the described changes will debut, if at all. Though this claim may seem unusual, Apple can sometimes change its operating systems' UI elements mid-development, as AppleInsider saw with Distraction Control and other features. This portion of the report gets the "Likely" rumor score because it is in line with what we've heard from other rumors and more accurate sources. If Apple is bringing visionOS elements across the operating systems to further unify design aesthetics, that includes watchOS 12. There are ultimately no guarantees that these alleged design changes will ship at WWDC in June, but the report details another change that seems even more unlikely. If the publication stopped with the design changes, the report would be stronger. Rather unrealistically, they suggest that Apple Intelligence features will make their way to the Apple Watch Ultra, with other models following within "a year." Specifically, Apple's notification summarization and Genmoji features are said to be in the works for the Apple Watch. There's even a claim of Apple's revamped Siri making its way to the smartwatch thanks to a new chip, even though the feature has faced delays. The idea that the Apple Watch could gain Apple Intelligence is unrealistic at best, given the current requirements for the generative AI tools. In its current state, Apple Intelligence requires an Apple Silicon chip with at least 8GB of RAM, which is significantly more than the 1GB that comes with every Apple Watch. It is highly unlikely that Apple Intelligence will run on-device on Apple Watch anytime soon in its current state. However, AppleInsider believes there is likely a truth somewhere in this rumor. Rather than run on-device, Apple Watch could show Genmoji originally generated on iPhone, show summarized and priority notifications already parsed on iPhone, or pass more complex queries to Siri to iPhone. Apple would likely want to minimize the back and forth between devices during actual use to minimize the time it takes to get things done. Regardless, the report's suggestion that Apple Intelligence would come to Apple Watch in its current form seems highly optimistic. To add to the questionable nature of this rumor, the publication behind it doesn't have a good or long track record. It previously claimed there would be a visionOS-style redesign for iOS 18, which was allegedly delayed to iOS 19 to focus on Apple Intelligence. The base rumor about visionOS elements making it to watchOS 12 is what earned the "Likely" rating. We can't apply two ratings to one piece, but note that this Apple Intelligence on Apple Watch rumor would have gotten an "Unlikely" or lower score on its own.