For a long time, if you owned an iPhone and wanted to reply to texts straight from your wrist, you had to buy an Apple Watch. Apple kept this feature locked away from other companies. However, things are changing. Thanks to new rules from the European Union, Amazfit smartwatches can now do much more when paired with an iPhone.
An update called iOS 26.5 introduces a feature called “Notification Forwarding.” This allows non-Apple smartwatches to see and interact with iPhone alerts in a way they never could before. Amazfit is among the very first brands to use this new technology.
Which Watches Get the Update First?
Right now, three specific Amazfit models are leading the charge. If you own the Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra, the Balance Ultra, or the Balance 3, you can turn this feature on right away using the Zepp companion app.
Do not worry if you have a different model. Amazfit plans to bring this update to several other devices very soon. These include the T-Rex 3 series, the Active 3 Premium, the Bip Max, and the Balance 2.
Three Major Changes for Users
This new software update brings three big upgrades that make these watches much more useful for iPhone owners:
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Quick Replies: You can finally type or send quick replies to incoming messages directly from the watch. This works for standard texts and popular third-party apps like WhatsApp.
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More Control: You can handle your notifications without touching your phone. For example, you can clear an alert, mark a message as read, or tap to call someone back.
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Media Previews: When someone sends you a picture, or if your smart doorbell rings and sends an image of a visitor, you will see that media right on your watch screen.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Since this technology is very new, Amazfit is currently testing it as a “beta” feature. This means it might still have a few small software bugs or glitches that need to be worked out over time.
Additionally, because this change was forced by European regulators, the new notification system is currently rolling out to users living within the European Union.
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