Latest iOS beta hints at notifications on non-Apple watches

Apple could soon improve the interoperability between iPhones and third-party smartwatches. The latest iOS 26.1 beta hints at a new “notification forwarding” feature that could surface iPhone notifications on a non-Apple device or accessory, as spotted by Macworld.

Code seen by Macworld suggests that users would only be able to forward notifications to one device at a time, while a new “AccessoryExtension” framework could improve the pairing process with third-party accessories as well. It’s still too early to tell how these features will work, but they seem related to an order from the European Commission that will force Apple to make iPhones work better with non-Apple accessories.

To comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple is required to give developers and device manufacturers access to certain features that will make it easier to pair, transfer data, and display notifications between the iPhone and third-party devices, such as smartwatches, headphones, and speakers. Apple has until the end of this year to open up most of these features, but it’s not clear if they’ll be available with the expected launch of iOS 26.1 next month, or if they’ll come to users outside the EU.