You’ve probably seen it by now. You press that side button on your Apple Watch—the flat one, not the spinning crown—and there it is. A weird little icon you don’t recognize. Or maybe you noticed the whole Control Center looks... different. Sort of glassy?
Apple pushed out watchOS 26 recently, and honestly, they changed more than just the wallpaper. They introduced something called the Liquid Glass design. It makes the icons look like they're floating in a pool of water, which is cool and all, but it’s also led to a lot of "wait, what does this do?" moments.
If you're staring at a new symbol and wondering if your watch is broken or if you’ve just been drafted into a secret beta, don't worry. You're not alone. Most people miss the fact that the Control Center isn't just a list of Apple's own tools anymore. It’s now a gateway to your entire iPhone.
The Mystery Symbol: It’s Not Just a Glitch
The "new icon" most people are asking about is usually one of the Third-Party Controls. In watchOS 26, Apple finally opened the gates. For years, the Control Center was a walled garden. You had your flashlight, your "ping my iPhone" button, and your battery percentage. That was it.
Now? If you have an app on your iPhone that supports the new Control Widget API, its icon can show up right there on your wrist.
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- The "From Your iPhone" Section: This is the big one. If you scroll to the bottom and hit "Edit," you’ll see a section called "From Your iPhone." These are icons for apps that don't even have a watch version.
- Actionable Shortcuts: You might see a new icon for your smart home locks, a specific Tesla command, or a "Start Coffee" button from your espresso machine app.
- The "Suggested" Row: Apple’s AI (they’re calling it Apple Intelligence now, obviously) tries to guess what you need. If you're at the gym, a "Workout Buddy" icon might appear. If you're in a dark parking lot, the flashlight might jump to the top.
It’s basically gone from a static menu to a living, breathing dashboard.
Why Liquid Glass Changes Everything
Apple's new design language isn't just about looking pretty. It’s about refraction. When you scroll through the Control Center now, the background "bends" around the icons.
This helps with legibility, but it also means some old icons got a facelift to fit the aesthetic. The "Water Lock" (the little droplet) and "Theater Mode" (the masks) have more depth now. If an icon looks "new," it might just be the old icon wearing a 3D suit.
But there is one truly new system icon: Workout Buddy. This one looks like a little glowing Siri-esque orb inside a square. It’s part of the generative AI push. If you tap it, the watch uses on-device smarts to give you audio coaching based on how you’re actually moving, not just a pre-recorded voice telling you to "close your rings."
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The Hidden "Long Press" Trick
Most users just tap an icon and move on. That’s a mistake.
In the latest update, holding down on certain icons reveals a second layer of depth. For example, if you press and hold the Wi-Fi icon, it doesn't just turn off; it opens a mini-menu of available networks. You can switch from your home Wi-Fi to your guest network without ever touching your phone.
Same goes for the "Ping iPhone" button. A quick tap makes your phone beep. A long press makes it beep and flashes the camera light. If you’ve ever lost your phone in the couch cushions at 11 PM, you know why that’s a lifesaver.
How to Get Rid of the Clutter
If your Control Center is starting to look like a messy junk drawer because of these new third-party icons, you need to prune it.
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- Open Control Center: Click that side button once.
- Scroll to the bottom: Keep going past the toggles until you see "Edit."
- Delete the junk: Tap the red minus sign on anything you don't use. (Note: You still can't delete the battery or Airplane Mode icons. Apple is firm on that.)
- Add the useful stuff: Tap the plus sign at the top left. Look through the "From Your iPhone" list.
I’ve found that adding a "Remote" icon for my Apple TV saves me about ten minutes a day of searching for the actual remote that my kids hide.
What if You Hate It?
Some people find the Liquid Glass look a bit too "busy." If the transparency is making your eyes hurt, there’s a workaround. You can’t turn off the design entirely, but you can go into Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on Reduce Transparency. It flattens the icons and makes them look more like the watchOS of old.
It’s not a perfect fix, but it gets rid of that "floating in water" effect if you find it distracting.
The Verdict on the Update
The Apple Watch Control Center is finally becoming what it should have been years ago: a customizable hub. The "new icons" aren't just there for decoration; they represent a shift toward the watch being a remote control for your life, not just a fitness tracker.
Whether it’s the AI-powered Workout Buddy or a shortcut to your garage door, the goal is to keep you from pulling your phone out of your pocket. It’s faster, but it takes a minute to learn the new visual shorthand.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit your icons: Spend two minutes in the "Edit" menu today. Delete at least three icons you haven't touched in a month.
- Test the long press: Try holding down the Silent Mode icon. You’ll see options to silence it for "1 hour" or "Until this evening"—way better than forgetting to turn it back on after a movie.
- Check your iPhone apps: Open the Watch app on your iPhone and see which third-party controls are available. You might be surprised to find your favorite productivity or smart home app has a shortcut ready for your wrist.