Apple has introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 with new Audio Intelligence features that can recall recent conversations, summarize discussions and recognize important sounds. The watches also receive a redesigned health-sensing system that measures heart rate more frequently and supports new readiness and Health Age features.
Apple announced both devices at its September 9 Surprise and Shine event. The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799.
Audio Intelligence Can Recall Recent Conversations
Live Rewind lets users double-press the Digital Crown to retrieve a text snippet covering the previous 15 seconds of a conversation. Users can then ask Siri about what was said or save the text in the Siri app for later.
Siri Recap takes a different approach by producing high-level summaries after conversations when users opt in. Apple Intelligence automatically generates a title and key points, which could be used to recall details from meetings or other discussions.
Apple says these Audio Intelligence features do not create or store audio recordings. Raw audio is processed in an isolated part of the S11 chip and deleted immediately, while Live Rewind also plays an audible chime and displays an indicator when activated.
Sound Recognition can identify noises including sirens, alarms, doorbells and babies crying, primarily to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing. The watches also add faster Shazam recognition.
Health Sensors Take Readings More Frequently
Both models introduce a new Health Sensing System with redesigned optical and electrical sensors. Larger green LEDs and redesigned photodiodes allow background heart-rate readings every five seconds throughout the day, compared with much less frequent measurements previously.
The system also measures heart rate variability more frequently and powers a new readiness score based on recent activity, training load, vitals and sleep. Users receive a score from 0 to 10 with recommendations including Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready or Go For It.
A redesigned Health app arriving later this year will add Health Age, which compares metrics such as VO2 max and sleep against a user’s actual age. The new features were part of the wider range of products introduced at Apple’s September event.
Live Rewind and Siri Recap are scheduled to arrive in beta later in 2026 and initially support English. Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are available for preorder now, with retail availability beginning September 18.
Featured image credits: Apple
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