Meta Watermelon Model: What We Know
Watermelon is the reported codename for Meta's next large AI model. Meta has not launched it or published a specification as of October 2, 2026. This page separates what Meta has confirmed, what named outlets have reported, and what is still unknown.
Last updated: October 2, 2026
Meta Watermelon is the reported internal codename for the next large AI model from Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL). Meta has not launched Watermelon, has not announced a release date, and has not published a specification as of October 2, 2026. The name "Watermelon" comes from press reports about internal Meta meetings and documents, not from a Meta product page.
This page sorts the available information into 3 parts: confirmed by Meta, reported by named outlets, and still unknown. The confirmed part is short. Treat every item in the reported part as unverified until Meta publishes it.
What is Meta Watermelon?
Meta Watermelon is a codename that Business Insider attributes to Alexandr Wang, Meta's chief AI officer. Business Insider quoted Wang telling employees: "Watermelon, our next model after Avocado, is currently in training." Avocado is the reported codename for Muse Spark, the model Meta released on April 8, 2026.
A codename is an internal label. Meta has not said what public name the model will carry, and The Next Web reported on August 26, 2026 that it was unclear whether the model would launch under the Muse name or under a separate name.
Confirmed: what has Meta stated officially?
Meta has stated 2 things officially, and neither statement uses the word "Watermelon" or gives a specification.
- A next generation exists. Meta's Muse Spark announcement from April 8, 2026 says "we have larger models in development" and "the next generation is already in development." The announcement names no codename and no date.
- A release is "coming soon." Mark Zuckerberg's Threads post from September 2, 2026 announced Muse Spark 1.3 and ended: "Next up 🍉 and Muse Spark open weights releases coming soon." The post shows a watermelon emoji, not a model name, and gives no date.
That is the full confirmed list. Meta has published 0 benchmark scores, 0 prices and 0 access details for Watermelon. Meta's Muse agent announcement from September 8, 2026 and Meta's Connect 2026 recap do not mention Watermelon. Meta declined to comment on Business Insider's report.
Reading the emoji as a reference to the Watermelon codename is an inference. Techmeme made that inference in its headline for the post. Meta has not written the name in an official statement found for this page.
Reported: what have named outlets published?
Named outlets have published 4 claims about Watermelon, from 2 original reports. Each claim traces back to an internal meeting or internal documents.
| Date | Outlet | Reported claim |
|---|---|---|
| July 3, 2026 | Business Insider | Watermelon is in training |
| July 3, 2026 | Business Insider | 10 times Avocado's compute |
| July 3, 2026 | Business Insider | Parity with GPT-5.5 on benchmarks |
| August 24, 2026 | The Information | October 2026 release target |
The Business Insider report (July 3, 2026)
Business Insider reported that Alexandr Wang spoke about Watermelon at an internal town hall. The report, by Charles Rollet and Pranav Dixit, quotes Wang saying "Watermelon uses an order of magnitude more compute than Avocado."
Business Insider reported that Wang said Watermelon had caught up with OpenAI's GPT-5.5 on AI benchmarks. Wang did not name the benchmarks, per the report. No outside party has checked the claim, and Meta has not published the results.
The Information report (August 24, 2026)
The Information reported that Meta planned to release Watermelon in October 2026, citing internal documents. PYMNTS summarized the report on August 25, 2026 with this sentence: "Meta is planning to roll out its latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, known as 'Watermelon,' in October."
An internal target is a plan, not a release date. October 2026 has started, and Meta has not announced a launch.
The same report gives a reason for caution. The Information described a consumer agent codenamed Hatch and said Meta had considered a premium tier of up to $199.99 per month. Meta launched its consumer agent as Muse on September 8, 2026 with paid plans at $20 and $100 per month. Meta has not said whether Hatch was the codename for Muse. Details in internal documents can change before launch.
How does Watermelon relate to Muse Spark and the Muse agent?
Watermelon is reported as the successor to Muse Spark, the model family that runs Meta's Muse agent today. There are 3 dated facts from Meta that frame the reports:
- April 8, 2026: Meta released Muse Spark, "the first in a new series of large language models" from MSL.
- September 2, 2026: Mark Zuckerberg announced Muse Spark 1.3 and called it "the biggest jump we've made so far on coding and agentic work."
- September 8, 2026: Meta introduced the Meta Muse agent, which Meta says runs on Muse Spark.
Meta has not said whether Watermelon will replace Muse Spark inside the Muse agent, the Meta AI assistant or Meta's developer API. Readers who want to know what the Muse agent does today can start with the Meta Muse agent guide.
Still unknown: what has Meta not published?
Meta has not published 8 details that a model launch normally includes:
- Release date: no official date exists, and the October 2026 target is a report.
- Public name: no official name exists, and "Watermelon" is a codename.
- Price: no API price or plan price exists.
- Access: no list of apps, plans, regions or developer platforms exists.
- Benchmarks: no published scores exist, and the GPT-5.5 parity claim is unverified.
- Context window: no figure exists.
- Open weights: Zuckerberg's post promises "Muse Spark open weights," and the post does not say whether Watermelon's weights will be open.
- Modalities: no statement covers text, image, audio or video support.
Figures for any of these 8 details on other websites are estimates until Meta publishes them. Muse Spark 1.3 figures are not Watermelon figures.
Where to check for an official Watermelon announcement
To check for an official Watermelon announcement, watch 2 channels Meta used for its 2026 AI launches: the Meta Newsroom at about.fb.com and Mark Zuckerberg's Threads account. Meta used the Newsroom for Muse Spark in April and for the Muse agent in September, and Zuckerberg used Threads for Muse Spark 1.3. Meta has not said where or when a Watermelon announcement will be published.
This page will be rewritten around the official announcement on the day Meta publishes one.
Frequently asked questions
Has Meta released Watermelon?
No, Meta has not released Watermelon as of October 2, 2026. Mark Zuckerberg wrote "Next up 🍉" and "coming soon" on September 2, 2026, with no date.
When is the Meta Watermelon release date?
The Meta Watermelon release date is not published. The Information reported on August 24, 2026 that internal documents set an October 2026 target, and Meta has not confirmed that target.
Is Watermelon better than GPT-5.5?
No public evidence shows that Watermelon is better than GPT-5.5. Business Insider reported that Alexandr Wang told employees Watermelon had caught up with GPT-5.5 on benchmarks, and Wang did not name the benchmarks.
Is Watermelon the official name of the model?
No, Watermelon is a reported internal codename. Meta has not used the name in an official announcement found for this page, and the public name is unknown.
Does the Meta Muse agent use Watermelon?
No, Meta's announcement says the Muse agent runs on Muse Spark. Meta has not said whether a later version of the Muse agent will use Watermelon.