Apple revamps WatchOS with widgets, new fitness and health features, and more
Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) has had a lot of announcements, from the new 15-inch M2 MacBook Air to a way to listen to your voicemails in real time, and a notable change to WatchOS.
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The company said WatchOS 10 is shifting its focus to a widget-based display to make things more glanceable and visual-friendly. The comprehensive app updates also reflect this new design. Here's a breakdown of everything that is coming to WatchOS 10.
Widgets
WatchOS 10 will let you view widgets in a smart stack using the digital crown. The smart stack uses machine learning to show you relevant information right when you need it.
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For example, if you have a meeting later in the day, you'll see some upcoming meetings in your stack.
You can long-press to add widgets that are important to you. Apple says this new way to display information will be great for active sessions like a stopwatch, workouts, or listening to podcasts.
Watch Faces
Two new watch faces are coming to WatchOS 17. One depicts a wide range of colors using three overlapping layers that change as the time shifts.
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Another is new animations that include the Snoopy and Woodstock Peanuts characters coming to life on your watch face.
Activities updates
Cycling
Cyclists will appreciate the new features made specifically for cycling, which include connecting to Bluetooth-enabled bike sensors and live activity on your iPhone. In addition, by using power, heart rate, and motion data, the Apple Watch will be able to estimate your functional threshold power which can give insights into your power zones and track how long you spend in each.
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Hiking
Compass and maps are getting updates in WatchOS 10 for hikers. In WatchOS 10, Compass will automatically generate two new waypoints for you. A new cellular connection waypoint will indicate the last place you had reception with your carrier if you ever need to check your messages or make a call to your family. Another new waypoint will indicate where on your route you can make an emergency call using any available carrier's network.
Maps on WatchOS 10 will get a new topographic map with contour lines, hill shading, and elevation details, as well as points of interest along trail heads.
Health updates
Apple is continuing its prioritization of mental health in new WatchOS 10 features. You'll be able to log your momentary emotion and your daily mood from the mindfulness app in WatchOS 10. The digital crown lets you scroll through emotions to choose how you're feeling, and you can even identify triggers that have been making you feel this way.
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This feature will be available on the Health app on the iPhone and the iPad as well.
In addition, Apple is helping combat nearsightedness (myopia) by having the watch measure the amount of time spent in daylight using an ambient light sensor.