Apple Drops Five Apple Watch Models From watchOS 27

*Apple cited performance needs for new Siri AI features as the reason Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE 2, and the first Ultra will receive only security updates going forward.*

The cutoff

Apple announced last week that watchOS 27 will not run on the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, SE (2nd generation), or the original Apple Watch Ultra. Those devices will instead receive only basic security updates.

The decision removes three years of typical software support in one release, a sharper break than the company has made with prior watchOS versions.

The stated reason

Cait Dooley, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing Manager, told TechRadar that power and performance requirements drove the change. “With every software release across every single one of our platforms, we always want to ensure that you have the best experience, so we make power and performance a priority,” she said.

The new Siri AI features in watchOS 27 appear to be the immediate trigger. Apple has not detailed the exact hardware thresholds, but the five excluded models share older processors that the company now deems insufficient.

Reactions and context

No independent benchmarks or third-party commentary on the cutoff have surfaced yet. Earlier watchOS releases extended support to devices of similar age, making the sudden three-year compression unusual for the platform.

Why it matters

Owners of the affected watches lose access to the most visible new capabilities in watchOS 27. For anyone weighing an upgrade, the message is clear: hardware bought in 2020 or 2021 is now outside Apple’s active feature window. The precedent also signals that future watchOS releases may tighten support windows further as on-device AI workloads grow.

The five models remain functional for calls, notifications, and basic health tracking, but the gap between what they can run and what new Watches will offer will widen with each annual update.

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Sources:

• 9to5Mac
• MacRumors

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