# watchOS 27 brings Siri AI but drops five Apple Watch models

Source: https://idevice.com/watchos-27-siri-apple-watch-ai-wearable
Published: 2026-06-17

## What happened

watchOS 27 brings Siri AI to Apple Watch Series 9 and later, dropping five older models including Series 8 and the original Ultra from feature updates.

## Our take

watchOS 27 cuts off Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and Ultra 1 all at once. Apple's never dropped that many models in a single update before. The new Siri AI features and tap gesture require the processing power of Series 9 or newer, so the cutoff isn't arbitrary. Digitimes also reports doubled sensor components in the updated hardware, which could improve accuracy and reduce battery drain without leaning as hard on software to fill in the blanks.

## Sources

- [Apple Explains Why watchOS 27 Drops Support for So Many Models](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/19/apple-explains-why-watchos-27-drops-support/) (MacRumors, 2026-06-19)
- [Siri AI will make the Apple Watch a fully-fledged AI wearable in watchOS 27](https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/17/siri-ai-will-make-the-apple-watch-a-fully-fledged-ai-wearable-in-watchos-27/) (9to5Mac, 2026-06-17)
- [watchOS 27 Drops Support for Five Apple Watch Models, Apple Explains Why](https://www.macobserver.com/news/watchos-27-drops-support-for-five-apple-watch-models-apple-explains-why/) (The Mac Observer, 2026-06-20)
- [Apple clears the air on watchOS 27 skipping multiple models, and you can partly blame AI for it](https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/apple-clears-the-air-on-watchos-27-skipping-multiple-models-and-you-can-partly-blame-ai-for-it/) (Digital Trends, 2026-06-19)
- [Apple Watch sales rise, but can't get back to previous highs](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/06/22/apple-watch-sales-rise-but-cant-get-back-to-previous-highs?utm_source=rss) (AppleInsider, 2026-06-22)