Advanced Fitness Features
With watchOS 26, Apple Watch Ultra 3 features Workout Buddy, a first-of-its-kind fitness experience powered by Apple Intelligence that analyzes a user’s workout data and fitness history to deliver personalized, spoken motivation throughout their session, based on data like heart rate, pace, distance, Activity rings, personal fitness milestones, and more.5 Workout Buddy will be available starting in English across some of the most popular workout types, and is available on Apple Watch with Bluetooth headphones, with an Apple Intelligence-supported iPhone nearby.
Additionally, the new layout of the Workout app makes it easier to customize workouts with Workout Views, custom workouts, Pacer, Race Route, and more. Apple Watch users can now conveniently view and create workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone, including custom workouts, and then easily access them in the Workout app on Apple Watch.
To add inspiration, users can set up music and podcasts right in the Workout app to automatically play when they start a workout. For convenience, Apple Music can now select the best music for a user’s workout based on the workout type and their personal tastes, or users can see suggestions for music or podcasts based on what they’ve recently listened to during that particular workout type.6
Apple Watch Ultra 3 supports athletes and adventurers of all kinds as the ultimate sports watch:
- Runners get the most accurate GPS in a sports watch;7 a customizable Action button that can be used for Precision Start or to mark segments; advanced metrics including vertical oscillation, ground contact time, and stride length; customizable Workout Views including Heart Rate Zones; Race Route; Pacer; an industry-first automatic track-running detection feature; custom workouts; training load; and more for workouts and races. Users can also benefit from third-party experiences like Nike Run Club; the updated Strava app that includes Live Segments; and custom workouts from apps like Runna and TrainingPeaks.
- Cyclists can easily view a workout started on Apple Watch as a Live Activity on iPhone and see metrics on the full screen — or connect a Bluetooth-enabled power meter or other cycling accessories to Apple Watch Ultra 3 — giving them more metrics and experiences, including cadence, an automatic estimate of functional threshold power, and Power Zones. Users can also track distance, speed, elevation, and heart rate.
- Swimmers can make use of automatic stroke detection, lap count, and a SWOLF score — a stroke count combined with the time it takes to swim one length of the pool, displayed in seconds — plus take advantage of custom workouts and view water temperature directly within the Workout app. Apple Watch Ultra 3 is certified to WR100.8
- Hikers can enjoy offline maps on the trail — complete with turn-by-turn directions — as well as features like Waypoints and Backtrack GPS data in the Compass app.9
- Divers can take advantage of the Oceanic+ app — developed in partnership with Huish Outdoors — which turns Apple Watch Ultra 3 into a dive computer for recreational scuba diving.10
- Golfers benefit from the bright display and long battery life of Apple Watch Ultra 3. With a suite of third-party apps, including Golfshot, Arccos, and 18Birdies, users can access course information or tools and insights utilizing the high-frequency motion API to help improve their game.