Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 Add AI Recaps and New Health Features

Apple has unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4, adding new AI-powered conversation features alongside upgraded health sensing and fitness insights.

Apple says the biggest software addition is a set of “Audio Intelligence” tools designed to help users recall details from conversations without creating or storing audio recordings.

Live Rewind and Siri Recap add AI memory features

A new Live Rewind feature lets users double-press the Digital Crown to view a text transcript of the previous 15 seconds of a conversation. Users can then ask Siri about the transcript or save it in the new Siri app.

Siri Recap goes further by using ambient listening to generate high-level notes from conversations such as team meetings or parent-teacher conferences. When enabled, Apple Intelligence creates a title and key points after the conversation ends.

Apple is also adding Sound Recognition, which can detect noises such as sirens, alarms, doorbells and babies crying for users who are hard of hearing.

Health sensing gets more frequent

Both watches include a redesigned health-sensing system with a larger electrode surface area for ECG readings and updated photodiodes intended to improve optical sensing.

Apple says background heart-rate readings are now taken every five seconds throughout the day, including while users are moving. That is 60 times more frequent than before.

The watches also introduce a readiness score that combines recent activity, vital signs and sleep into a single daily measure of how prepared the body is for the day ahead.

A new Health Age feature compares selected health metrics, including VO2 max and sleep data, with the user’s actual age.

The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $499.