watchOS 26 Adding a Smaller Yet Useful New Watch Face Setting - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

watchOS 26 Adding a Smaller Yet Useful New Watch Face Setting

watchOS 26 is adding a new "Show Data When Locked" setting to the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications
MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered the new setting within the code for the first watchOS 26 beta, and a Reddit user has seemingly found it in action, but we have yet to figure out where it is exactly. Leave a comment if you know.

The new privacy setting allows you to toggle on or off the ability to view data in the little "complications" that appear on select watch faces.

There is one exception: Apple says data from the Health app will never be visible in complications when an Apple Watch is locked, regardless of the toggle's position.

This is one of the many smaller but useful quality-of-life improvements in watchOS 26 that Apple did not announce during its WWDC 2025 keynote.

watchOS 26 will likely be released in September.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11

Popular Stories

apple world surf league video

Apple Shares Video on How Pro Surfers Use Apple Watch During Competition

Tuesday June 23, 2026 9:57 am PDT by
Apple today shared a video showing off the Apple Watch in use at the World Surf League Championship Tour, with surfers describing how they use the watch when competing. Surfers can be hundreds of meters away from the beach during competitions and can't hear announcements over the sound of the water and the wind. The World Surf League has adopted the Apple Watch to solve the problem, linking...
series 10 apple watch titanium digital crown

Report: Apple Watch Redesign Coming Next Year With New Band System

Tuesday June 30, 2026 8:45 am PDT by
A "major overhaul" of the Apple Watch's design is due to arrive next year with a new system for connecting bands, according to a known Weibo leaker. In a set of recent posts, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" linked the new claim to older rumors about an "Apple Watch X" model, which was said to introduce a fresh design and break compatibility with the existing watch band system. Citing...
3 4 24 Sport Band Refresh Feature

Sketchy Rumor Claims Apple Watch Series 12 Could Introduce Sensor in Band

Friday July 3, 2026 8:54 am PDT by
The Apple Watch Series 12 could ship with a new health sensor built directly into one of its bands, according to a sketchy rumor from a known leaker. The leaker known as "Kosutami" says the sensor will be injection-molded into a silicone band, and only a silicone band, apparently because Apple has not yet solved how to embed similar hardware in bands made from other materials. No detail was...

Top Rated Comments

14 months ago

Modular Ultra, I believe!
Bah (but thank you)! And just for the Ultra. I hope 26 brings something similar to the table for the other watches.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
14 months ago

There is one exception: Apple says data from the Health app will never be visible in complications when an Apple Watch is locked, regardless of the toggle's position.
I get where they are coming from, but at the same time I really don’t care if someone sees how many calories I burned so far today. I would much rather be able to see it regardless of if I’ve unlocked. If they’ve got the setting, then just let us use it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
14 months ago
My watch is always unlocked when I wear it, so how many instances are there with folks wearing their watch locked?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacBeard Avatar
14 months ago

My watch is always unlocked when I wear it, so how many instances are there with folks wearing their watch locked?

My mother constantly walks out the door in the morning, forgetting to unlock her watch until she tries to pay for something. Would that count?
Occasionally, if I'm in a particular rush, I'll accidentally forget to unlock my watch when I'm leaving the house, and only notice halfway to work. My mother also takes it off pretty often, like when she's cooking, and will forget to unlock it after putting it back on.

I would appreciate a feature that will vibrate/ding if it notices movement while being locked. Additionally, if it's ignored and is away from its paired iPhone, it could send a notification via Find My.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FSMBP Avatar
14 months ago

My watch is always unlocked when I wear it, so how many instances are there with folks wearing their watch locked?
I didn't see where it said when the user is wearing it...When I take off my watch for a quick shower/bath, it would be nice to see the info when it's off.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
14 months ago
Nice to see this change. Very small but indeed it will be useful. Looking forward to trying it out later this year once I update my Series 10.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)