The Ultra 4 runs the same App Store as every other Apple Watch on watchOS 27. What sets it apart is the hardware: up to 50 hours of battery, a 3,000-nit screen, dual-frequency GPS and a case built for diving. So the best apps for it are the ones that use those things: offline maps, dive computers, long workouts and sleep tracking you never have to plan a charge around.
What's new on the Ultra 4
- Up to 50 hours of battery. Or up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode. A 15-minute charge gives up to 18 hours.
- Longer GPS workouts. Up to 25 hours with Extended Workout, 25% more than Ultra 3, and up to 45 hours with Max Extended Workout, which still takes a GPS reading every second.
- S11 chip and Readiness. The same chip as the Series 12. It brings the daily Readiness score from 0 to 10, which Ultra 3 owners will not get.
- Heart rate every 5 seconds. The new Health Sensing System reads heart rate every 5 seconds and HRV as often as every 5 minutes.
- The Ultra basics. A 49mm titanium case, a 3,000-nit display, dual-frequency GPS, the Action button, 100m water resistance and satellite Emergency SOS, Find My and messages, free for two years.
- Price. From $799, the same as Ultra 3. It went on sale on September 18, 2026.
The case design is the one Apple has used since the first Ultra in 2022, and satellite features are unchanged from Ultra 3.
Best apps for the Ultra 4
The apps that make the most of an Ultra, then the everyday ones worth keeping on any watch.
1. Readiness, Vitals and Sleep (built in)
Price: Free
Before you install anything, look at what is already on the watch. Readiness gives you a score from 0 to 10 each morning with one of four suggestions: Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready or Go For It. Vitals checks your overnight readings, and Sleep scores each night out of 100.
On the Ultra 4: With a 50-hour battery you can wear the Ultra 4 through two nights without charging, so Sleep and Readiness get a full picture.
2. WorkOutDoors
Price: $8.99 one-time
Maps stored on the watch, routes loaded from GPX, TCX or FIT files, turn-by-turn directions, off-route alerts and a compass that points back to your route. You do not need your iPhone with you. The price covers the app for life; the only in-app purchases are optional tips.
On the Ultra 4: This is the app that makes the most of the Ultra. Long hikes are where the battery and the dual-frequency GPS matter, and the 3,000-nit screen keeps the map readable in direct sun.
3. Oceanic+
Price: Free basic features; $9.99/month or $79.99/year
A dive computer app with Scuba, Freediving and Snorkeling modes. It shows depth, dive time and ascent rate live, with visual and haptic warnings. Snorkeling sessions are mapped with GPS.
On the Ultra 4: Scuba and freediving modes are built for the Ultra, and you can set the Action button to start a dive. Full dive features need the subscription; there are also one-day passes.
4. Strava
Price: Free, subscription $79.99/year
Strava records runs, rides and walks on the watch without your iPhone. Subscribers also get Live Segments on the wrist.
On the Ultra 4: With up to 18 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking, a marathon or a long ride uses a fraction of the battery.
5. AutoSleep
Price: $9.99 one-time
AutoSleep tracks sleep on its own, with no button to press, and adds a smart alarm and complications for last night's sleep.
On the Ultra 4: The Ultra is the easiest Apple Watch to wear to bed every night, because you rarely need to charge it before sleeping.
6. Athlytic
Price: Free, Pro $29.99/year
Athlytic turns your heart data into Recovery, Exertion and Energy Battery scores, all available as complications, with live heart-rate zones during workouts.
On the Ultra 4: Readiness covers the basic idea for free. Athlytic adds the detail behind it, such as how hard each session was and how recovery trends over weeks. The useful parts are in Pro.
7. Overcast
Price: Free, optional Premium
Overcast downloads podcast episodes to the watch or streams them over cellular, with Smart Speed and Voice Boost on downloaded episodes.
On the Ultra 4: Every Ultra 4 has cellular, so you can stream on a long run with the phone at home, as long as your plan covers the watch.
Best games for the Ultra 4
No watch game needs an Ultra, but the 49mm screen makes small text and tiny grids easier. These four are still on sale and have a real watch app. For a longer list, see our Series 12 apps and games guide; every game there runs on the Ultra 4 too.
1. Belly
Price: Free, optional cosmetics
A pixel cat that lives on your watch. You feed it, play with it and dress it up with hand-drawn outfits and backgrounds. It reads your steps from Apple Health, so a long hike is a good day for the cat. It runs on the watch alone, with no iPhone needed and no ads.
On the Ultra 4: The 49mm display gives the pixel art the most room of any Apple Watch, and Belly's complications keep the cat on your watch face.
2. Lifeline
Price: $2.99
A text adventure told through notifications: a stranded astronaut messages you and you decide what they do next. Hours can pass between messages.
On the Ultra 4: It works anywhere you get notifications, and the large screen fits more of each message.
3. Tiny Armies
Price: $0.99
A small turn-based strategy game sized for the wrist, for a few minutes at a rest stop.
On the Ultra 4: Updated in July 2026, and a one-time price with nothing else to buy.
4. 2048
Price: Free
The sliding-number puzzle, with a watch version you swipe on.
On the Ultra 4: The 4x4 grid is at its biggest on the 49mm screen, which makes swipes easier to land.
Ultra 4 or Ultra 3?
For apps, the only difference is Readiness, which needs the Ultra 4's S11 chip. Everything else on this page runs on an Ultra 3. The Ultra 4 adds the all-day heart sensing, about 25% more Extended Workout time and the Max Extended Workout mode.
If you do not need the battery or diving, the Series 12 has the same chip and Readiness score for $400 less.
How we picked
Every app and game here has a watch app, confirmed on its US App Store listing in October 2026, along with its price. Ultra 4 specs come from Apple's September 2026 announcement. Prices can change.