Apple introduces AI-driven audio features for Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4
Apple's new smartwatches will include sound recognition, music identification and upcoming Live Rewind and Siri Recap functions, expanding AI-powered audio capabilities on the wrist.
Apple unveiled its latest smartwatches, the Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, which incorporate new AI-driven audio tools under the label Audio Intelligence. The devices will initially support sound recognition, which alerts users to sounds such as sirens, alarms or doorbells via vibration and a pop-up notification. Users who have already enabled sound recognition on an iPhone will have the feature automatically active on the new watch, while others must opt in.
Two additional functions, Live Rewind and Siri Recap, are slated for a later beta release. Live Rewind allows users to double-tap the Digital Crown to retrieve the last 15 seconds of ambient audio, transcribing it to text and playing a chime to indicate activation. Apple describes the feature as optional and aimed at improving accessibility for hard-of-hearing users.
The updated Music Recognition feature, based on Shazam technology acquired in 2018, will continuously listen for nearby music and display the identified track in the watch’s Smart Stack. Like the other tools, it requires user opt-in and is expected to be available at launch.
Siri Recap, part of a broader Siri redesign, will capture brief notes from daily conversations and generate a summary that can be saved for up to seven days. Users can schedule the recap to run at specific times or locations, providing additional control over data collection.
Apple noted that Live Rewind and Siri Recap will be released in beta later this year, while the other audio features will be functional when the watches become available in September alongside the iPhone 18 lineup.