Code inside the iOS 26.1 Beta 1 suggests that iPhones may get better support for non-Apple wearables.
While people are looking for ways to escape iOS 26’s Liquid Glass redesign, Apple has released the first beta of iOS 26.1, which may hide more surprises than anyone would’ve guessed. Part of the beta code has revealed that Apple may start supporting third-party smartwatches on the iPhone.
Part of the iOS 26.1 Beta 1 code suggests that Apple is working to make iPhones more compatible with third-party smartwatches and other accessories. The discoveries made by Macworld include an unreleased feature called Notification Forwarding. With it, users will be able to choose to see their iPhone notifications on other non-Apple devices or accessories.
Other parts of the code suggest that the feature will allow forwarding notifications to “one accessory at a time.” The feature will be available in Settings, and activating it will disable notifications on the Apple Watch.
