I can't wait for this watchOS 26 feature, and it's probably not the one you're thinking of

With Apple’s upcoming OS updates, now conveniently with a uniform number slapped on them, I had been particularly keen on checking out the new Apple Intelligence-powered Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.

The thought of a cheerleader of sorts pushing me on whether I’m running, rucking, or just about anything else sounded great. And yet, as I looked at my first-gen Apple Watch Ultra this week, I realized there was something else I was even more excited about: a fresh UI design.

A splash of color?

watchOS, since its inception, has been primarily black. While Apple dresses its wearable operating system up with some undeniably slick animations and plenty of data that’s relatively glanceable, the upcoming watchOS 26 update will inject some much-needed color.

Of course, we’ve been able to customize Apple Watch for years with fresh watch faces, but early signs are that the new Liquid Glass design paradigm will allow for a much more colorful interface.

It’s a small thing, but I genuinely think that it’ll make the Apple Watch feel like a genuinely new device, particularly for someone who’s been using watchOS since the Series 0.

Just look at this image of the Control Center above, which shows more color than just about any other part of watchOS does at present. It begs to be prodded, rather than the stale look we have now.

I get why watchOS is predominantly text and images on black backgrounds, too. The Apple Watch has long struggled for anything more than a day or so of battery life, and having a black screen where the OLED panel doesn’t need to illuminate everything makes a lot of sense.

Will watchOS 26 see older devices struggle to maintain charge as a result? We’ve only got a few days to find out.