Apple Watch to Get Support for Third-Party Widgets: Report

Apple might finally bring support for third-party Control Center widgets to the Apple Watch with its next big watchOS update, per a report from 9to5Mac.

Rumour has it that Apple is readying radical redesigns for its platforms with this year’s batch of major software updates, due to be unveiled at WWDC 2025 next week. A recent leak suggested that the tech giant will also switch from a version-based naming scheme for its OS iterations to a year-based system, meaning the next Apple Watch update will be called watchOS 26 instead of watchOS 19.

“According to a reliable source, watchOS 26 will allow developers to plug their own widgets directly into the Control Center. This will let users surface relevant actions or data from third-party apps alongside Wi-Fi, Battery, and Focus Mode,” 9to5Mac noted.

Until now, the Apple Watch’s Control Center was limited to Apple’s own toggles and widgets. This could change with watchOS 26, which will supposedly make the area extremely customizable. Users will be able to easily add, remove, or reorder Control Center widgets from the Watch app on iPhone, making for an intuitive and highly-requested quality-of-life upgrade.

While an Apple Watch with a camera might still be years away, enhanced Control Center customizability and third-party Control Center widgets could be coming to the Apple Watch as early as this year. Stay tuned for our coverage of WWDC 2025, where Apple will showcase watchOS 26 and much more. The keynote kicks off Monday, June 9, at 10 am PT/1 pm ET.