Apple’s famously “walled garden” may be cracking open—at least a little. The latest iOS 26.1 beta, released to developers earlier this week, includes evidence that iPhone notifications could soon be sent to non-Apple smartwatches like those from Garmin and others. This change has been spotted by Macworld, which dug into the beta’s code and found references to a new feature called “Notification Forwarding.”
If you’ve ever wanted your iPhone notifications on a smartwatch that isn’t an Apple Watch, this could be a potential game-changer. Currently, Apple only lets you properly interact with notifications if you’re using its own wearable. For third-party watches, you might see messages mirrored, but you can’t really do much else—not reply or take action directly from your wrist. The new code hints that Notification Forwarding will let alerts be not just displayed but possibly acted upon from your third-party device. And yes, that means you might finally get to respond straight from your Garmin or another non-Apple wrist gadget.
One Device at a Time—and Maybe Not Everywhere
There are some catches (this is Apple, after all). For now, the code suggests users will only be able to forward notifications to one device at a time—so if you use both an Apple Watch and another smartwatch, you’ll have to pick one for notification handling. Plus, the feature might initially roll out in select markets only, with Europe being a likely candidate due to recent regulatory pressure.
Why the sudden shift? Earlier this year, the European Commission set a deadline of June 2026 for Apple to allow third-party devices better access to iPhone features—including notifications. Apple seems to be getting ahead of the curve, perhaps to avoid last-minute scrambles or even bigger regulatory headaches down the line.
Not Ready for Prime Time (Yet)
Don’t start unboxing that new Garmin just yet. While iOS 26.1 is expected to launch publicly in October, industry watchers—including Macworld—say Notification Forwarding doesn’t look finished enough for immediate release. They’ve also spotted hints of new frameworks like AccessoryExtension lurking under the hood, which could power even broader compatibility with non-Apple wearables in future updates.
For now, it looks like Apple is laying the groundwork for a more open ecosystem—at least when it comes to wearables and notifications. Whether this finally brings true parity between Apple and third-party watches remains to be seen, but for many users (especially outside Apple’s loyal fanbase), it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
