iOS 26.1 beta suggests iPhones will soon support third-party smartwatches

Macworld

If you’re an iPhone user who also owns an Apple Watch, you know that the experience of using both together is quite seamless. However, the same can’t be said about iPhone users who wear a third-party smartwatch. However, it appears as though Apple is finally working to make these accessories more compatible with iOS in the future.

As seen by Macworld in the iOS 26.1 beta 1 code, which was released on Monday, Apple has made some notable under-the-hood changes that aim to make iPhones more compatible with smartwatches and other third-party accessories.

Notifications de-centered

The latest iOS beta code includes an unreleased feature called Notification Forwarding. As the name suggests, it will let users choose to show notifications from their iPhone on another non-Apple device or accessory. Once available, the feature can be enabled in Settings.

One of the strings found in the code suggests that notifications can only be forwarded to “one accessory at a time,” and that enabling this option disables notifications on the Apple Watch.

In addition, iOS 26.1 beta 1 also includes references to some new frameworks related to accessory pairing, including one called “AccessoryExtension.” The new frameworks seem unfinished, but they hint at a new, easier method for pairing third-party devices with an iPhone.

While this is certainly intriguing news for iPhone owners who prefer third-party smartwatches or smart bands, there’s no guarantee this feature, if released, will be available in all regions. It’s possible, even likely, that the feature is intended solely for EU users. Earlier this year, the European Commission adopted a pair of decisions under the Digital Markets Act aimed at interoperability between smartwatches and other third-party devices and iPhones, including the requirement that those accessories display iPhone notifications.

iOS 26.1 is expected to arrive in October, but this feature is likely part of a future update.