(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Apple announced several new software features for its devices during WWDC in early June. Coming later this year are some big updates to iPhone with iOS 26, while iPad will become more like Mac with iPadOS 26.

Some great features are being added to Apple Watch too, with watchOS 26. This includes Workout Buddy that uses Apple Intelligence to offer encouragement during workouts, plus a smarter Smart Stack.

An enhanced SWWmart Stack was revealed during DC, and it's probably one of the more exciting features coming to the smartwatch later this year, as pointed out by 9to5Mac.

What are Smart Stack hints in watchOS 26 and how will they work?

The Smart Stack on Apple Watch was first introduced a couple of years ago as a selection of widgets that appear at the bottom of the smartwatch's display when you scroll using the Digital Crown. Last year, Apple introduced Live Activities to Smart Stack, which made the feature more relevant, and this year, that relevance and timeliness will get even better.

That's thanks to Smart Stack hints, which are circular icons that will appear at the bottom of an Apple Watch face when something within the Smart Stack might be helpful. It's a nudge to draw your attention to a feature you may otherwise forget about.

These hints will come in the form of things like a camera icon when you open the camera app on your iPhone, suggesting you use the Camera Remote feature on Apple Watch, for example.

"In watchOS 26, the Smart Stack improves its prediction algorithms by incorporating more contextual data, sensor data, and data from a user’s routine to provide Smart Stack hints, a proactive prompt for actionable suggestions that are immediately useful," Apple explained at WWDC.

"Made of Liquid Glass, Smart Stack hints will appear on the display as a gentle visual prompt. For example, a hint for Backtrack may appear when a user is in a remote location with no connectivity, or a hint for a Pilates workout may show up when a user arrives at a studio location at their usual time."

It's expected that Smart Stack hints will appear when watchOS 26 launches later this year – likely to be in September.

How accurate they will be at predicting what you might need – such as the Workout app at a particular time every day – remains to be seen, but if they work as intended, they should present a great example of AI being used to actually help users have a better overall experience.