In a somewhat overdue move, Apple plans to open up the Apple Watch Control Centre to widgets from third-party developers with watchOS 26.
After years of keeping the Control Centre strictly limited to its own toggles and tools, Apple appears ready to loosen its notorious grip with watchOS 26 by introducing third-party widgets.
I’ve been covering Apple’s wearable strategy since the first Watch launched, and this shift represents one of the most meaningful functional improvements in years. According to a source for 9to5Mac familiar with Apple’s plans, developers will soon have the ability to create their own widgets for the Control Centre—a change that expands what users can do on their Watch without diving into apps.
For those unfamiliar with the current setup, the Apple Watch Control Centre provides quick access to essential functions like Wi-Fi settings, battery levels, and Focus Mode toggles. However, it’s remained stubbornly closed to outside developers since its introduction.
Widgets on mobile devices were once associated with Android but have become an increasing focus of Apple in recent years. The company has gradually embraced widgets across iOS and iPadOS, making this watchOS expansion feel somewhat inevitable—if significantly overdue.
Beyond simply allowing third-party widgets, sources claim Apple is completely overhauling how users manage the Control Centre of their Watch. The current method of customising this space on the watch itself is frankly cumbersome. The new approach will move these controls to the Watch app on iPhone, letting users easily add, remove, and reorder widgets through a far more intuitive interface.
The practical implications are substantial. Imagine a quick-glance weather forecast when you’re deciding whether to grab a brolly, or a one-tap smart home control to lock your doors without fumbling through apps. Fitness enthusiasts could benefit from instant workout activation, while health-conscious users might appreciate hydration trackers with single-tap logging capabilities.
Support for third-party widgets is precisely the type of quality-of-life improvement that many Apple Watch users have been requesting. The ability to access critical information and functions without navigating through applications dramatically enhances the user experience on a small-screen device.
I’ve previously spoken with several developers who’ve expressed frustration at the limitations of the current watchOS framework. Many have clever ideas that would benefit from Control Centre integration but have been unable to implement them due to Apple’s restrictions. This opening up represents a major shift in Apple’s wearable strategy.
The timing feels appropriate, too. The Apple Watch interface has started to feel somewhat dated compared to the company’s other platforms. While complications on watch faces offer some customisation, they’re constrained by space and design limitations that the Control Centre doesn’t share.
This change will likely be announced alongside a suite of other updates at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9th. Substantial design refreshes and functional improvements appear to be the focus across Apple’s platforms this year.
For Apple Watch enthusiasts, particularly those who’ve invested in the ecosystem of third-party apps, widgets from outside developers can’t come soon enough. It reflects a maturing of the platform and acknowledgement from Apple that even their carefully-controlled environments occasionally benefit from a bit more openness.
See also: Epic Games notches win as court rejects Apple’s App Store appeal
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