RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from 9to5Mac — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesGo to the 9to5Mac home page Switch site 9to5Toys 9to5Google Logo 9to5Google Electrek Drone DJ Logo DroneDJ Space Explored About Privacy Toggle social menu Toggle dark mode Search for: Submit Toggle search form Forums Store Podcasts Apple@Work Happy Hour 9to5Mac Daily Overtime iPhone iPhone Mac Mac MacBook Pro MacBook Air iMac Mac mini Mac Studio Mac Pro iPad iPad Pro iPad Air iPad mini iPad iPadOS Watch Apple Watch Apple Watch Ultra Apple Health Apple Watch SE Vision Vision Pro visionOS Music and TV Apple Music AirPods HomePod Apple TV Guides Reviews How Tos AAPL Apple Store Apple Arcade Apple Card Apple Silicon Apple One Apple Fitness+ CarPlay Siri HomeKit Toggle dark mode Apple Watch Series 12 Report: Apple Watch Series 12 may feature always-on heart-rate tracking, new Fitness app Michael Burkhardt | Aug 30 2026 - 7:27 am PT 0 Comments According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman , Apple has a couple new features in the pipeline for Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 that’ll make it much more appealing for health-conscious users. The company is also testing two finishes for the rumored ceramic version.
These two key health upgrades will likely sound appealing if you’re someone who’s dissatisfied with the state of Apple Watch as a fitness tracker. The two features are always-on heart-rate tracking, and an all new app design. that’ll make it much easier to learn from your health data. Here’s how Gurman describes the new app:
Apple is also working on revamping its fitness and health app software to show more wellness-related metrics in a similar fashion to increasingly popular app offerings from Whoop and Oura.
As someone who currently owns a WHOOP , I will say my primary draw to it has always been the fact that I find it much easier to learn from my health data in the WHOOP app. It’ll show me all of the factors that make my sleep or recovery poor, whereas with Apple Watch it feels the only important thing is your activity rings. If Apple makes meaningful progress in this regard, I’ll be quite happy.
A key part of making the Apple Watch a more data-rich experience is well, having more data. Apple is reportedly testing the ability for the heart-rate sensor to record all day, rather than only during workouts and at random.
We’ve already heard that Apple is weighing ceramic for the Apple Watch Series 12, though Gurman is now reporting that there’ll be two color options: the traditional white, as well as a dark gray color. There’ll also be “many new band colors and configurations.”
The current Apple Watch design language was introduced in 2024, with the Apple Watch Series 12. It was a relatively modest shift, with the company making the watch much thinner at the compromise of bezels. According to Bloomberg , we may see a new Apple Watch redesign next year with the Series 13, though it could shift to the Series 14:
Apple is pushing to have a big redesign for its watch ready by next year, but things could still slip to the year after.
I am quite excited to see what Apple cooks up here. It does feel like they’ve about peaked at what they can do with the rounded off design language, so maybe we’ll see a new shape entirely. Hopefully it doesn’t break backwards compatibility with older watch bands.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
Follow Michael: X/Twitter , Bluesky , Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:
Expand Close comments Expand Close comments Guides Apple Watch Series 12 Author Michael Burkhardt mbrkhrdt Michael is 9to5Mac's Weekend Editor, keeping up with all of the latest Apple news on Saturday and Sunday. He got started in the world of Apple news during the pandemic, and it became a growing hobby. He's also an indie iOS developer in his free time, and has published numerous apps over the years.
Featuring two built in cables, a built in display, multiple ports, a 25,000mAh capacity, and up to 100W of output - this is one of the best battery banks for recharging your entire Apple ecosystem on the go.
Despite a new version reportedly being around a corner, I still personally believe AirPods Pro 2 are a great deal. They're already equipped with USB-C, and continually gain new software features. With them consistently going on sale, it's a great purchase to make. Features like Adaptive Audio are incredible.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.