The WWDC keynote may have been dominated by the Apple Vision Pro augmented reality headset, but don’t forget that WWDC is first and foremost a software show. With watchOS 10, the company offered its vision for the future of wearables. Here are the 10 most important features coming to Apple Watch this Fall.
Apple pushes widgets to the fore
Apple is offering a complete redesign with watchOS 10, with a new widget-heavy way of interacting with your Apple Watch. Rotating the digital crown direct from the watch face will bring up a “smart stack” of widgets, letting you scroll through a range of relevant heads-up information extremely quickly.
App refreshes all round
Part of watchOS 10’s new design language involves a complete reworking of the Weather, Stocks, Home, Maps, Messages, and World Clock apps, with a new look that maximizes screen space with more glanceable information.
Two new watch faces
Two new watch faces are being added with watchOS 10. Palette depicts the time in a range of new colors across three distinct, ever-shifting layers. The Snoopy and Woodstock watch face presents a range of animations featuring the famous dog and bird duo, some of which react to your activities.
Reworked button functionality
Your Apple Watch’s side button now grants easy access to Control Center, letting you bring it up over any app. Meanwhile, a double-click of the Digital Crown will send you back to recently used apps.
Apple gives cyclists more inputs
When starting a cycling workout, your Apple Watch can now connect to Bluetooth-enabled bike sensors for things like speed and cadence monitoring. WatchOS 10 will use this data to provide an estimated Functional Threshold Power (FTP) rating. You can also view expanded data readouts on your iPhone.
Compass helps hikers find their way
Compass now automatically generates two new waypoints for you –the last place you got a successful cellular connection, and the closest place from which you can place an SOS call using any carrier’s network. You can also now see a 3D view, using altimeter data to show the relative heights of your waypoints.
Maps goes topographic
Starting in the US, Maps for Apple Watch is gaining a new topographic map, with contour lines and elevation details. You can now use search to find nearby trails and other points of interest.
New workout APIs
Developers can now make use of more advanced sensor data from your Apple Watch, such as utilizing high-frequency motion data for recording your golf or tennis swings.
Take care of your mental health
It’s now possible to log your state of mind in the Mindfulness app. Use the digital crown to scroll through and select emotional states, which are represented by colored shapes.
Improve your kids’ vision health
WatchOS 10 can help reduce the likelihood of developing myopia in kids by tracking the amount of time they spend in daylight, using the ambient sensor on their Apple Watch.