Apple WatchOS 12: All You Should Know
Apple is gearing up to announce watchOS 12, the forthcoming significant enhancement to its Apple Watch operating system. With excitement swelling before the official reveal at WWDC 2025, leaks and reports have started to illustrate what users might look forward to. Featuring a renewed design and deeper integration with Apple Intelligence, watchOS 12 is on track to be one of the most impactful updates in recent memory. Here’s an in-depth overview of the anticipated features, release schedule, compatible devices, and more.
When Will Apple Reveal watchOS 12?
Apple is anticipated to announce watchOS 12 during its yearly Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), scheduled from June 9 to June 13, 2025. The keynote address, typically held on the event’s opening day, will probably be pre-recorded and broadcasted online, with some developers and media members invited to attend live from Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
After the announcement, Apple generally releases the initial developer beta, followed by a public beta a few weeks afterwards. The finalized public version usually coincides with the introduction of new Apple Watch hardware in September.
Release Date for watchOS 12
While Apple generally uses the phrase “available this fall” in its WWDC announcements, the final iteration of watchOS 12 is anticipated to launch in September 2025. This aligns with the company’s historical trend of launching new software simultaneously with new iPhones and Apple Watches.
Speculated Features of watchOS 12
1. Apple Intelligence Integration
The integration of Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of AI-driven features, is set to become more significant in watchOS 12. While watchOS 11 brought limited Apple Intelligence capabilities (like notification summarization and Genmoji), watchOS 12 is rumored to broaden this functionality.
Reports indicate that the Apple Watch may not execute AI models natively. Instead, it will depend on a connected iPhone to handle Apple Intelligence tasks. Some features expected to be “powered by Apple Intelligence” include:
– More intelligent notification filtering
– Improved Siri responses
– Contextual suggestions based on user behavior
– Expanded Genmoji customization
2. visionOS-Inspired Redesign
watchOS 12 might come with a revitalized user interface inspired by visionOS, the operating system for Apple Vision Pro. Although not a full redesign, users can look forward to subtle design changes such as:
– New app icons
– Smoother animations
– More translucent UI elements
– Enhanced consistency across Apple’s platforms
3. Accessibility Enhancements
Apple has already teased several accessibility features that will arrive with watchOS 12:
– Live Captions: Users who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can control Live Listen sessions directly from their Apple Watch, enabling them to start, stop, or rewind captions remotely.
– Accessibility Nutrition Labels: App Store listings will feature details about an app’s accessibility attributes, such as VoiceOver support, contrast settings, and more.
– Expanded Language Support: Live Captions will extend support to more languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Korean.
4. New Emoji
As with each significant watchOS upgrade, Apple will roll out new emoji characters. These often appear in point releases (for example, watchOS 12.1 or 12.2) and adhere to the latest Unicode Consortium standards.
5. Performance and Battery Upgrades
Although not always emphasized during keynotes, Apple frequently includes behind-the-scenes enhancements in watchOS updates. Users can expect improved battery life, quicker app launches, and more efficient background processing.
watchOS 12 Beta Access
Following its announcement at WWDC 2025, Apple will issue the first developer beta of watchOS 12. A public beta is likely to follow in July 2025. To install the beta:
– Ensure your iPhone is running iOS 18 or later.
– Enroll in the Apple Developer Program or Apple Beta Software Program.
– Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
– Navigate to General > Software Update > Beta Updates.
– Choose watchOS 12 Developer or Public Beta.
Note: Once installed, watchOS betas cannot be rolled back. Users should solely install beta software on secondary devices.
Supported Apple Watch Models
Apple has not officially disclosed which models will be compatible with watchOS 12. However, based on the compatibility with watchOS 11, it is expected that the following models will be supported:
– Apple Watch Series 6
– Apple Watch Series 7
– Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
– Apple Watch Series 8
– Apple Watch Ultra
– Apple Watch Series 9
– Apple Watch Ultra 2
– Apple Watch Series 10 (2024)
To install watchOS 12, users will also require an iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or newer models running iOS 18 or later.
What Comes Next?
As WWDC 2025 draws near, further information
