Apple is already refining one of its key new software features, adjusting the classifications for its Sleep Score in the latest developer beta of watchOS 26.2.
The change, first spotted by 9to5Mac, effectively raises the bar for what the Apple Watch considers a good night’s sleep—a move that appears to be a direct response to user feedback.
The Sleep Score was a headline upgrade of watchOS 26, which debuted alongside the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 this fall.
It marked Apple’s first official foray into providing a single, nightly score (out of 100) to summarize sleep quality, based on duration, consistency, and interruptions.
In our reviews of those latest devices, we noted that Sleep Score was a simpler, more accessible metric than the more complex equivalents from Oura or Garmin.
Instead of judging factors that are difficult for the user to control (or notoriously difficult to interpret accurately, such as sleep stages), we like that Sleep Score instead focuses on factors like sleep duration and timing.
However, there’s also been plenty of rumblings from users that the summary of their score didn’t accurately reflect their night’s sleep.
The new Sleep Score grades
So, in a change, the new beta update makes the scoring stricter. With watchOS 26.2, Apple has tightened the thresholds, making it harder to earn a top-tier score.
The gradings in the latest beta update are as follows:
- OK: 61–80 points
- High: 81–95 points
- Very High: 96–100 points (previously ‘Excellent’)
This adjustment means a score of 70, for example, which was previously classified as “High,” will now only be considered ‘OK’.
This tweak aligns Apple’s scoring more closely with the classifications used by competitors like Fitbit, Oura, and Samsung.
It adds a bit of tough love to the metric, but, for some, it will no doubt make those restless nights more accurately represented.
It’s not clear when the watchOS 26.2 update will begin rolling out to all users, but the ongoing development of Sleep Score and this change (if indeed it does make it to the full release) is undoubtedly one to watch going forward.
