Yesterday, Apple unveiled release candidates (RCs) for its slate of upcoming updates. An RC, as the name implies, is the version of a software update Apple intends to release to the general public. Before it rolls out, though, Apple sends the update out to beta testers to see if there are any bugs or glitches that need addressing. If not, these are the updates that will hit your Apple devices sometime this month.
That includes watchOS 26.2, Apple’s latest OS for its line of smartwatches. While there aren’t nearly as many new features and changes in this update as there were in watchOS 26 proper, there are still some key things to highlight in this RC. In fact, as noted by 9to5Mac, there are three:
Updates to Sleep Score
watchOS 26 introduced Sleep Score, a feature that was sorely missing on the Apple Watch. Sleep Score analyzes a host of data collected while you slept, including sleep duration, the time you actually went to bed, and any wake-ups you might have had during the night, and gives you an overall score. The idea is to glance at the score and see how you slept that night, so you can either take steps to improve your sleep going forward, or know you’re on the right track. The total score is out of 100: Duration gets you up to 50 points, bedtime gets up to 30, and sleep interruptions go up to 20.
watchOS 26.2 refines the feature, by adjusting the final Sleep Score metrics. The feature had a tendency to give you higher scores than you might have otherwise felt you earned: A mediocre night’s sleep might have have scored “High” on your chart, which wouldn’t have made much sense to you.
Going forward, the scoring is a bit more conservative. Here’s what you can expect, and how the scores changed from the last update:
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Very Low: 0–40 (previously 0–29)
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Low: 41–60 (previously 30–49)
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OK: 61–80 (previously 50–69)
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High: 81–95 (previously 70–89)
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Very High: 96–100 (previously 90–100)
You’ll also noticed Apple changed the “Excellent” score to “Very High,” which keeps the naming a bit more consistent.
Music app glitch fix
If you’ve been using the Music app on your Apple Watch, but have been struggling to get your songs to actually, you know, play, good news: Apple says in the release notes for watchOS 26.2 RC that there is now a fix for an issue where the Music app doesn’t move to the next song.
What do you think so far?
Enhanced Safety Alerts
Finally, watchOS 26.2, along with other Apple updates, introduces Enhanced Safety Alerts. According to Apple, this feature will warn you about “imminent threats,” including floods, natural disasters, and other emergencies. The feature will also include data like maps and links to official safety advice.
Apple has been positioning the Apple Watch to be an overall health and safety device, and this feature only seems to complement that. Recent Apple Watches have hypertension alerts, which can help you passively identify high blood pressure, while fall and crash protection can automatically call for help in emergencies when you can’t reach the phone.
When does watchOS 26.2 come out?
Apple doesn’t have a set date for watchOS 26.2, or iOS 26.2 and macOS 26.2 for that matter. However, now that the RCs are out, these updates are likely coming soon. As long as there aren’t any glaring bugs or glitches in these RCs, Apple will likely ship the updates sometime this month.
