Since updating to WatchOS 26 I no longer receive any alerts (i.e. pace, heart rate zone and splits) - only beeps, no voice alerts. I do not use headphones/iphone while running. On previous watchOS this worked fine. Alerts are received in other exercises in the Workout app (e.g. Walking and Yoga). Series 6 watch. Yes it is old but it worked fine before the update.
Apple Watch Series 6
alexskunz wrote:
…The Watch with OS26 doesn't speak when it isn't connected to an iPhone. The interesting thing is that the iPhone does NOT need to have a network connection — I had mine in my pocket, in airplane mode, and the Watch still gave me Voice Feedback. This is in line with the observations from MajorLeagueSoccer that their Watch with "cellular" doesn't actually have a cellular connection, but does provide Voice Feedback as well….
I want to confirm and add a little to this. I’ve tried most of the other proposed solution here with zero success. In short: If I run with just the watch, I get no Voice Feedback from the Workout app. If I take my iPhone with me on the run, I get Voice Feedback. I have a S6 Cellular watch and have never activated cellular service. So the bug exists on Cellular devices too.
I’m using an Series 6 Stainless Cellular watch, AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone 15 Pro Max. All have current software levels.
Today, based on alexskunz‘s post I took the phone, but shut off Cellular Data. I had not tried this before. The watch and phone were connected with Bluetooth. This time, Voice Feedback worked like a charm.
I’ll write this up in a feedback post. Hopefully Apple will fix this.
This seems to be in line with what the tech support person told me - need headphones (which I do not use in workouts) to get the voice feedback. It makes no sense to force this change on people. The only reason I see for this is to try and force users to buy apple headphones or upgrade to cellular watch. Neither of which I will be doing.
Hello, just had a call with Apple Support. Seems that they are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. Guess the issue should be solved later in October.
If helpful, here's the 800 number for Apple "Senior Advisors" 800 275 2273. Also, you can request to be transferred to the Health and Fitness support team.
Hello Matthewfromtenerffe,
It looks like with the new WatchOS26 uses the Work Buddy feature for voice feedback, but it also requires Apple Intelligence that requires Apple iPhone15 or newer. I'm still on the old WatchOS 11.6.1 and Voice Feed still works under the Apple Watch WorkOut app. I have an iPhone13ProMax and it is too old for the Apple Intelligence and Workout Buddy feature to work, so I'll stay on the Older iPhoneOS18.7 for now. See this Note in the below Support Page:
Note: Workout Buddy is available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later when paired with an Apple Intelligence–capable iPhone nearby and Bluetooth headphones with the device and Siri language set to English. Apple Intelligence is not available on all iPhone models or in all languages or regions.**
Use Workout Buddy in Workout on Apple Watch - Apple Support
You can also give Apple Feedback on their Feedback site:
I'm still on 26.0 on both iOS and watchOS and I also have this music playback issue, so it's not exclusive to 26.0.1.
The only way I get reliable audio alerts and music playback is by taking my phone with me and playing music through the phone. So I start a playlist on Apple Music on the phone and a workout on the watch.
Got tired of waiting for a fix and just bought a new running belt because of this...
For those looking to download the voice files, Watch App on the phone: Accessibility > Live Speech > Add Preferred Voice… > Pick your language > then you see the download selection.
I have zero idea if this works. I'll give it a try on the next workout, but my experience matches everyone else here. I have a cellular 6 with cellular not connected. I've only been getting the first pace notification on my watch sometimes and nothing afterward. If I look down and catch it, I can see the interval info or pace/heart rate notifications displayed on the screen. Music stored on the watch plays fine now after a full reset of the watch.
After 2 attempts at returning my watch for OS downgrade, first attempt they returned a refurbished watch with OS26, second attempt they 'found faults' and wanted to charge $400+ to 'repair' the watch as it was out of warranty - only paid $600 to buy it! I declined and the watch was return amazingly with OS11 on it. woo hoo. No hardware fault that I can see. I have voice alerts and have switched of all auto updating to avoid OS26. case closed AFAIAC
I’m going to wipe my watch and install fresh before I try my next run.
With a new custom run I still did not get audible alerts. I randomly got alerts (vibration on the watch thats hard to feel at times) for when i was ahead of pace but never when I was back in pace. Also did not get any alerts for individual intervals. This is really not good for when trying to train and certain paces, and I would name the intervals as well to remind me to drunk or to take a GU. Here are screenshots of the settings as well.
[Edited by Moderator]
This makes sense. I have a 16 pro with a SE 2nd gen gps\wifi. I went running today with my phone as well. I did use the default run that now allows to add 1 pace range in there and I did get notifications, but I had my phone with me as well as mentioned. I can try next week on my old custom outdoor runs that didn't work when I didn't have my phone if it now works.
I think it has to deal with the workout buddy now. Maybe that requires network access, but the alerts used to work prior. Small audio files that say, "you're ahead of pace". "you're in range", and "you're behind range" shouldn't be that large to be stored locally (they were prior)
Looks like an active internet connection IS needed to receive alerts on the watch (even XX ring closed confirmations). Confirmed this both walking and running. Seems like apple has chosen to downgrade watch functionality - when I bought my watch, and based on advertising until 1-2 years ago, a 'feature' of the watch was to provide verbal feedback WITHOUT an internet connection. Would have been nice for apple to state explicitly this was what they were doing in the new os then I would have not updated 26. Hopefully apple does a backflip on this the same way they had to when a new IOS programatically slowed older iPhones with a new os. This was a really sh!tty move IMO.
Yeah I wouldn't have updated as well.
As JaseC628 said, they're receiving alerts without Internet connection, so I still hope it's a bug.
I'm not sure if someone tried it yet, but I unpaired, reset an re-paired the watch and the problem persists.
While reconfiguring the watch I changed the Siri voice in Settings > Siri and found interesting that the watch downloaded something, so clearly some Siri functions should work offline.
I feel like this problem could be related to Workout Buddy, but as a bug and not an intended change.
My phone doesn’t have Apple Intelligence / Workout Buddy and yet I get voice feedback as long as the watch is online, even with my phone turned off.
The issue is that this feature should work offline, as it was before watchOS 26.
Sorry for adding a "me too" but I just wanted to share my experience. I have an Apple Watch Ultra 3, watchOS 26.0.2 and AirPods Pro 2s. Cellular is activated on my watch and I do not workout with my phone while running. I have 1 mile splits activated and have for years so I know what the right settings are and I've changed nothing. Workout buddy is disabled because last I knew, at least with my original Apple Watch Ultra, it could not function without the phone.
The voice notifications for splits are absolutely sporadic at best. Seems like most frequently, there is no audio notification at all - my watch will pop up a notification for each split but no audio cue. When it does play, it's a toss up as to whether it stops my music to do the notification or just lowers the volume where as it used to always just lower the music volume.
Extremely frustrating to have such inconsistent behavior as it's no longer a device that can be counted on if you are really counting on that split information for your training - luckily I am not that serious about it but I can understand how someone would be.
Having a conversation with an Apple agent about this issue, I was advised to calibrate my watch….i know that’s exactly what I thought but It couldn’t hurt so I restarted the watch and went for a 20 minute walk outdoors. The next day I went for a 5k run and it’s exactly the same, no audible splits.
It’s a big deal for me and I get the impression this won’t be a quick fix, if indeed it is an unintended side effect of the update so I’ve been looking at Garmin watches. The nearest thing to an ultra is the Fenix, it will do whatever audible you desire in workouts, you can send your iTunes music to it and it all works without the phone near it. The battery allegedly lasts weeks as opposed to hours. I’m sure there are things the Apple does better and I would have bought a new Ultra but I’m not prepared to spend that amount when it may be useless for my circumstances.
I know this is an Apple site and I still like the other Apple products but the watch with it’s current offline limitations may be fine for you if not there is an alternative.
watchOS 26 no alerts in workout-running app
