These modern smartwatches are in their last year of updates

There are several popular smartwatches that are going to reach end-of-life in 2026, from the Pixel Watch 2 to Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro, as well as a whole slew of Apple Watch models. These devices won't stop working, but they'll stop receiving new features and, in some cases, security patches.

A lot can change in three years. The smartwatch on your wrist may have felt cutting-edge when you first strapped it on, but for a growing number of popular models, 2026 marks the final year of guaranteed software support. That's true among all three major platforms: Apple, Google and Samsung.

What does that actually mean? Your older watch model won't suddenly stop working, but it will stop moving forward. They'll work just fine tracking steps and delivering notifications, but if you're using the watch for contactless payments or storing sensitive health data, the lack of ongoing security updates should fire up some alarms.

It's also worth noting the scale of this year's changes. Apple alone is dropping five models with a single watchOS update — an absolutely massive cut. Add in Google's three-year support window expiring and Samsung's Wear OS cutoffs for the Watch 5 lineup, and 2026 shapes up as a significant moment for smartwatch owners to take stock of where their device stands.

Right now, the latest models from Apple are Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and the budget-friendly Watch SE (3rd generation). The only Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27 are Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE (3rd generation).

That means that, with the upcoming release of watchOS 27, the Apple Watch Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Apple Watch SE 2nd gen and the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra will no longer be supported. This seems to be a hardware-related situation where modern Siri works best with the chips inside Apple Watch Series 9 and up. Apple usually gives Watch models between three and six years of major OS support before being phased out, and the Series 8 and Ultra (1st gen) both released in 2022.

The release of watchOS 27 is expected to happen sometime in mid-September 2026. Apple usually releases major watchOS updates around the same time new iPhone and Apple Watch hardware launches in September. WatchOS 27 was initially announced in June and went through developer and public beta testing over the summer.

According to Google's official support page, the Pixel Watch 2, which was released in October 2023, has a guaranteed software update window running until October 1, 2026. That includes both Wear OS version updates and security patches. Once that date passes — and we're not that far from it — the Pixel Watch 2 will no longer receive either.

Google's current Pixel Watch lineup follows a clear three-year support policy from the device's release date on the Google Store. Therefore, here's when to expect end-of-life for your device:

• Pixel Watch 2: October 2026

• Pixel Watch 3: October 2027

• Pixel Watch 4: October 2028

Google offers an industry-leading seven years of support for its Pixel smartphones, but has yet to apply a similar policy for the Pixel Watch lineup. At this point, Google offers the shortest watch support lifespan out of the major brands.

Which Samsung Galaxy Watch models are nearing the end of Wear OS upgrades?

Samsung's own approach to support is a bit different, splitting its commitment into two tiers. First of all, you get one timeline for Wear OS upgrades and another for security updates. In recent years, Samsung has offered four major OS upgrades and five years of security patches per device.

Here's the timeline for Samsung's models:

• Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic (August 2021): Wear OS support already ended; security upgrades will stop in the near future.

• Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro (August 2022): will get Wear OS upgrades until December 31, 2026; security upgrades continue.

• Galaxy Watch 6 and Watch 6 Classic (August 2023): will get Wear OS upgrades until December 2027; security upgrades continue.

• Galaxy Watch FE: will get Wear OS upgrades until December 2028; security upgrades continue.

The words "end of support" sound a bit more alarming than they should be. The end of the world is not approaching, you do not need to immediately get an upgrade and you won't be left with a brick on your wrist. Your watch won't suddenly stop working, and you'll still be able to track your workouts, get notifications and use most of the features you rely on daily.

What you lose is forward momentum. There will be no OS features, no app compatibility improvements and potentially no security patches, depending on the manufacturer. This can be quite risky if you use your watch for payments, for instance, as a lack of patched vulnerabilities might allow hackers room to exploit payment data. The same happens with these massively popular smartphones that are in their last year of software support. 

As 2026 is a major checkpoint for smartwatch owners across major platforms, it might be time to look into an upgrade.