At this yr’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced small however important updates to watchOS 11.
This yr is the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Apple Watch, and rumors abound that we’ll see a serious redesign of Apple’s wearable this fall, with a brand new suite of well being options that will embrace blood stress monitoring and sleep apnea detection. This summer time’s replace does not embrace that stuff, however it does embrace the brand new Vitals app, in addition to a complete algorithm known as Training Load. These options, mixed with new partnerships with the real-time glucose monitor Dexcom, make the watch a extra complete well being monitoring gadget.
The new capabilities come together with different upgrades, like a redesigned Photos face and updates to final yr’s Smart Stack, which helps you to scroll by means of your widgets extra simply. Here, we break down the working system’s high new options. And as all the time, don’t neglect to take a look at our guides to the Best Smartwatches and the Best Fitness Trackers.
Is Your Apple Watch Compatible?
WatchOS 11 is appropriate with the Apple Watch SE (2nd genration) and newer. However, you’ll need an iPhone Xs or later that runs iOS 18. Not all of the options listed right here will likely be accessible on each watch.
When Will WatchOS 11 Be Available?
The developer beta is at the moment accessible to folks enrolled in Apple’s developer program. The public beta will likely be accessible quickly as an elective free software program replace for customers of the Watch Series 6 or newer. The ultimate model of watchOS 11 will roll out this fall to everybody.
Top WatchOS 11 Features
Most of the highest new options are listed right here, however take a look at Apple’s information for the total record.
Photograph: Apple
A New Vitals App
Heart fee, respiratory fee, pores and skin temperature, and blood oxygen (properly, perhaps) are just some of the essential well being options that the Apple Watch at the moment screens. A brand new Vitals app in WatchOS 11 enables you to rapidly view these metrics at a look in a tidy dashboard. The app additionally lets you understand when these numbers drift out of a protected vary, utilizing real-world knowledge derived from Apple’s Heart and Movement examine. If your numbers drift too excessive or too low, Apple will ship you a notification to test if perhaps you’re sick, or should you drank some wine final evening, or should you’re doing one thing else unhealthy.
One of these behaviors (ahem) might consequence in being pregnant, which is why Apple can be launching a brand new being pregnant characteristic in the Cycle Tracking part of the Health app. Cycle Tracking will now additionally let customers document the gestational age of a fetus, in addition to monitor different knowledge factors that may present perception right into a mom’s well being throughout a being pregnant, similar to their coronary heart fee.
Photograph: Apple
Training Load
For the previous a number of years, Apple has included an increasing number of granular health options into its watch. These superior options are supposed to permit the Apple Watch to raised compete with Garmin’s premium out of doors sports activities watches. One large gap in Apple’s characteristic record? A complete algorithm, like Garmin’s Body Battery or Fitbit’s Daily Readiness, that helps wearers perceive what to do with all that granular knowledge.
At WWDC, Apple introduced Training Load, which measures how the depth and length of your exercises influence your health over time.
Training Load takes into consideration calorimetric knowledge like coronary heart fee, tempo, and elevation, plus private knowledge like age and weight. If you are doing a well-liked cardio exercise whereas sporting your watch, the wearable can routinely generate a 1 to 10 effort score rating. Otherwise, you may enter your personal effort score by selecting a quantity between 1 and 10. Apple then generates a 28-day Training Load rating that can allow you to examine your previous month of exercises to the final seven days to see should you’re enhancing to your subsequent objective, whether or not that is a 5K or a marathon. You can even manually modify this estimate to account for elements like soreness or sickness.