Sleep Scores worse after iOS 26 Update

I have the similar issue on my Ultra 2 since watchOS 26

Sitting and reading the newspaper on my iPad after breakfast is seen as a nap, as well as getting to bed early in the evening, just because I'm sitting in front of the computer streaming content, without hardly moving in my chair.

Or checking the time on my watch in the night, turning around after that and falling asleep right away is counted as being awake for 20-60min.

watchOS 26.2 showed some improvements for two nights and then continued to give false readings.

My 3rd party sleep tracking, which uses the same data from the Health App, is showing more realistic results.

All effected users should all let Apple know about this issue by using the Feedback link, I have already submitted mine.

Feedback - Apple Watch - Apple

I understand the issues and agree that Apple's sleep scores have not been accurate, especially since the update. But I found a solution. I've been using the Watch app called AutoSleep for several years, with different Apple Watch models. It seems to provide more accurate information and better ratings. I can look at hourly reports showing heart rate, SpO2, respiration, sleep stages and more. My pulmonologist finds these reports helpful.

To download this app,

• Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
• Scroll down to Available Apps.
• Select AutoSleep.

This is a free app.

My initial reaction to your post was to write: "You're Dreaming".

...but that is obviously the reverse of what is being reported.

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There was notification is the upgrade for iOS 26.2 that suggested sleep scoring had changed.

But detecting less REM sleep has not been reported here.

It is not likely to be a software error -- you may in fact be dreaming less these last few nights. By fiddling with the Health app on your phone, you can compare current to Average REM amounts over time, weekly, monthly, or 6 month-ly.

moldylemon wrote:

part of the problem for me is trying to make sense of the continuity of threads on this platform. People seem to make responses to questions...but it's hard to keep straight who is answering whom and when. Thanks for trying, I'm out...still confused.

I apologize for the confusion. I offered some information that was incorrect and others were trying to provide correct information.

Here is the simple answer:

• In my opinion, it is best to track sleep by using the app named. AutoSleep.
• You can get it by opening the App Store on your iPhone and searching for it by name. Then download it. This app will pull information from your Apple Watch.
• Yes, it does have a one time cost.
• In my personal opinion, it is worth it because it offfers data that my pulmonologist uses when prescribing my treatment. This is my personal opinion. I do not speak for Apple. Nor an I an Apple employee.

I hope this helps to clear things up.

Ingo2711 offered good advice suggesting you let Apple know about the issues with their sleep app, which is separate from AutoSleep. Both apps use data from your watch but again - in my opinion - AutoSleep does a better job of interpreting it.

Readers--

if this were a pervasive issue, the forums would be swamped -- completely overwhelmed with users complaining about it. That is not the case.

My watch reported more deep sleep last night than it has ever reported. As far as I can tell, this feature on MY setup is working great, which suggests there is not a pervasive issue with this version of the software itself.

When you have a complaint that SEEMS to be a software version issue, but others are NOT having such problems, the issue most likely lies elsewhere.

That is why I posted my watch model, in hopes of other posting theirs and possibly finding some other correlation, such as the problem following a particular model watch. My band is a fabric band with velcro closure.

It seems to me the "weak link" in recording correct sleep data is having the band adequately tight to get good readings, but not so tight as to wake you up..

it would seem prudent at this point to start calling Apple Support, and see if they have anything clever to say, collected from other callers or from some internal documents we are not privy to.

Official Apple Support

I have just made this complaint to Apple Support. For the past year, I have worn a Whoop band on my right wrist and an apple watch (series 6 until two weeks ago and now series 11 (same band type, same tightness)) on my left. Until the 26 updates, Whoop and Health data were very similar. Then immediately after the OS update late last year, the Health app sleep data materially diverged from Whoop. Very regularly 50-100% differences, often doubling my time awake. Only once in the past two months has the Whoop data and the Health data matched within 15 minutes of each other -- and that was during a night when I had just four hours of sleep owing to an early start the next morning.

Seems to me that my individual experience is a pretty decent controlled experiment.

Complain here>>>I recently upgraded my Series 6 watch to Series 11 at a cost of £399. I did this largely because later this year my Whoop subscription expires and my intention was to not renew because until the new iOS and watchOS upgrades late last year, the Sleep app in Health mirrored almost minute for minute the data provided by Whoop (not linked). Then with the upgrade, Health now has me awake twice as long as Whoop on most nights. Deep sleep is often 4%, vs 40% Restorative sleep in Whoop. You have done something to the calculations on movement that has ruined the experience for me and I feel pretty aggrieved at having just bought a new apple product. Please fix<<

Tedtbj wrote:

I have just made this complaint to Apple Support. For the past year, I have worn a Whoop band on my right wrist and an apple watch (series 6 until two weeks ago and now series 11 (same band type, same tightness)) on my left.

I appreciate the concerns being voiced here. But there are scores of posts online (in Reddit and elsewhere) where people compare Whoop to various Apple devices and many seem to feel that Whoop is more accurate while many others seem to think the Apple Watch is more accurate. But how can one actually know? If some readings changed after 26.2, maybe they changed for the better (more accurate). Or maybe not. But I don't see how one can be confident because there is not an independent scientific measure of "sleep truth" here. I think going to a medical provider sleep lab is the only way to really tell. Other than that, take all these consumer sleep measurements with a grain of salt. These devices are mass produced, and while the sleep tracking is extremely popular and the vast majority of people love it, there will always be variables like tightness of band, location of band on the wrist/arm, etc.

I looked on Amazon and the Series 11 Watch (the one I have) has thousands of ratings and the average rating is 4.8, which is very high. But it's not 100% perfect for everyone.

I don't understand why when some measure of sleep changes, people assume it is due to 26.2 or the watch versus an actual change in sleep or a more correct measure of sleep. How does one truly know?

This is a consumer grade item and people should not take these sleep scores too seriously. My own readings do seem to match what I think I am experiencing but who is to say what the "truth" really is.

If you think 26.2 changed the algorithm, accept that and just start looking for trends over time, starting with day 1 of 26.2. I think trends are really all that matters here anyway. It's not a medical device, but rather a consumer grade item.

<< unlikely to go back to using it unless Apple updates to tracking protocol. >>

Readers and responders here are all other users like you. Most Apple employees are expressly prohibited from responding here, so there are likely very few Apple employees reading these forums.

Readers want you to have the best solutions for your situation as possible, regardless of what kinds of devices you decide to use (or not use).

if you want Apple employees to consider your situation, you should post your thoughts here:

Product Feedback - Apple

My sleep scores after 26.2 have dropped precipitously and I am no longer using the Apple Watch to track my sleep. I was told on ChatGPT that they changed the tracking protocol to be more conservative. It mistakenly rates some sleep as awake. I initially started tracking my sleep to see if I was getting 7-8 hours sleep even though I was occasionally awake for a while most nights. With 26.2 my sleep dropped to 4-5 hours per night and my awake time increased to 2.5 to 4.5 hours per night. I don't need to aggravation of this so I am ceasing to use the watch to track sleep. I have seen sleep improvement the first two nights without the watch on my wrist. It seems to me giving people worse ratings and tracking might not be the best way to be people to use your watch.

I called Apple Support prior to posting. They were helpful but the final conclusion was the watch was fine and it must be me. There is a psychological element here. Many people suffer from insomnia at various levels and times. That is why I started to use my Apple Watch to track sleep in the first place - to determine how I really slept. I was pleasantly surprised that I could be awake for times at night and still get 7-8 hours sleep. I would feel fine under those circumstances. That is why I was so surprised when the times changed so much when I switched to 26.2. The psychological benefit disappeared. I was disturbed with what my watch was sharing on my sleep so decided to quit using it. My sleep has improved and unlikely to go back to using it unless Apple updates to tracking protocol.

Same issue for me: awake time increased by an average of 20 minutes per night. Change coincided precisely with the IOS 26 download. I notified Apple. One user suggested manually editing your Awake data. I don't see how you can know with confidence when you're awake unless you lose sleep to track your awake time. Silly.

It's also possible it's tracking correctly now, but wasn't before. How can you know?

Did you also update WatchOS to 26.2?

I find watch upgrades difficult because it requires the Watch be on the charger and charged at least 40 percent AND the phone be nearby the whole time.

I've had a similar trend in my sleep tracking since the upgrade to 26.2, my sleep tracking has devolved to "No Data" since the upgrade. I've upgraded, rebooted, unpaired, re-paired, still "No Data". I've talked with tech (can't remember what level) before recently, and she had no answers to the "No Data" problem. It's possible that my sleep has actually deteriorated to the point of "No Data", but wouldn't the watch track a low score...even "0" rather than "No Data "? "No Data" implies to me that the watch is not tracking. What do you think?