Apple may finally be preparing to open the iPhone to smartwatches outside of its own lineup. The latest iOS 26.1 beta includes references that suggest support for third-party wearables, which could include Samsung’s Galaxy Watch and Google’s Pixel Watch. If this change ships in the public release, it would represent one of the biggest shifts Apple has made in how devices interact with non-Apple hardware.
Apple’s iOS 26.1 beta suggests Notification Forwarding and new frameworks could finally bring third-party smartwatch compatibility to iPhones
According to analysis spotted by Macworld, the iOS 26.1 beta 1 introduces a feature called Notification Forwarding. This would allow iPhone notifications to be pushed to “one accessory at a time.” The code also indicates that if you own an Apple Watch, forwarding to a third-party device would disable notifications on the Apple Watch, which would prevent overlapping.
The beta also references a new software framework called AccessoryExtension, which appears to be designed to improve how third-party accessories pair and communicate with the iPhone. At this stage, the functionality is not complete, but its mere presence is a sign that the company is actively working on expanding the list of wearables that can be used as an alternative option to its stock ones.
The latest iOS beta code includes an unreleased feature called Notification Forwarding. As the name suggests, it will let users choose to show notifications from their iPhone on another non-Apple device or accessory. Once available, the feature can be enabled in Settings.
One of the strings found in the code suggests that notifications can only be forwarded to “one accessory at a time,” and that enabling this option disables notifications on the Apple Watch.
Apple’s upcoming changes could be the result of the EU’s DMA requirements, where the company is guided to open its doors to third-party accessories. The same regulations are also pressuring Apple in the United States, and the latest changes could be the company’s way of pre-empting any further legal action.
At this point in time, we are not familiar with how far the support will go. What this means is that Apple could be opening its entire ecosystem to third-party apps, which includes fitness tracking, advanced health metrics, or deep system integrations. We believe that the company would only offer basic functionality, which includes notifications.
While it would give iPhone users more choice, it would also attract new users who wish to keep using their smartwatch or wearable of choice but still want to keep their iPhone as their main device. The company will possibly add new extensions to the feature in upcoming beta builds of iOS 26.1, so be sure to keep an eye out for that.