WatchOS 26.5 Addresses Two Bugs On Apple Watch

In Apple’s release notes on watchOS 26.5, which is supposed to be made available with the addition of a new Pride Luminance watch face with more customization options, Apple has claimed it has released the watchOS 26.5 release candidate, which focuses on resolving two issues that have been annoying Apple Watch users in daily use; this is mostly for those who rely on messaging and workouts throughout the day.

The release candidate stage means that Apple is in a way getting close to a public deployment. If everything goes according to plan, the final version should be available before the middle of the month, which is also within the next week, barring any last-minute problems that need to be fixed before a wider release.

What the update really fixes is as follows: 

Firstly, the iMessage Dual-SIM Glitch, which is one that fixes a bug that allowed Messages on an Apple Watch that is randomly linked with a dual-SIM iPhone to send SMS rather than iMessage, which occasionally resulted in confusion and additional carrier fees. 

Secondly, the Workout Audio Alerts resolve a problem that affected pace and activity tracking during outdoor or independent, separate, and unassisted workouts by preventing the Workout app’s audio warnings from playing if the associated iPhone was not close by or located nearby.

This gives consumers a way of greater choice over appearance and style with the addition of the new Pride Luminance watch face, which offers numerous personalization options. 

After installation of these changes, users would be able to observe more consistent message activities in terms of performance and reliable, dependable workout feedback without requiring their iPhone to be close by or next to them. These fixes are important because both problems impact core Apple Watch user experience.

With this release, Apple plans to concentrate on watchOS 27, which it intends to be revealed on June 8 at WWDC 2026.