Your Apple Watch is getting an upgrade – here are the best features in WatchOS 11

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Apple hosted one in all its largest WWDC keynotes ever final week, and through the present, the corporate had lots to speak about, together with a brand new model of WatchOS. Referred to as WatchOS 11, the following replace heading to your Apple Watch has a handful of recent options that intention to make the pc in your wrist even higher.

Additionally: Everything Apple announced at WWDC 2024, including iOS 18, Siri, AI, and more

Beneath, we’re breaking down the good new options coming to your Apple Watch in WatchOS 11, in addition to when you may anticipate all of them to roll out. Notably, WatchOS 11 will not be supported by the Apple Watch Collection 4, Collection 5, or the unique Apple Watch SE. In case you have a kind of watches, it is time to upgrade.

1. Observe your pressure and restoration with Vitals and Coaching Load

One of many largest additions to the Apple Watch in WatchOS 11 is the brand new Vitals app, which helps you contextualize your well being by monitoring your coronary heart price, respiratory price, wrist temperature, and blood oxygen when you’re asleep. These metrics are processed via an algorithm and displayed on a chart the following morning to provide you an thought of whether or not you are in your regular vary. 

If two or extra metrics are out of whack, you may get a notification alerting you that sure way of life modifications, alcohol consumption, sickness, or different elements might contribute. It is primarily a restoration monitoring device like what Whoop and plenty of different health bands provide however in an easier-to-use bundle.

Additionally: The best Apple Watches of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Coaching Load can also be coming in WatchOS 11, permitting you to maintain observe of the pressure you set in your physique throughout exercises. It’s going to evaluate the final seven days of exercises to the final 28 days to point whether or not you make significant progress towards your objectives. Every exercise you document will obtain an effort ranking on a scale from 1 to 10 based mostly on a brand new algorithm that measures your exercise and gauges depth based mostly on issues like age, top, weight, coronary heart price, elevation, and extra.

Critical athletes will possible be drawn to those options since that is the primary time Apple has shipped restoration and pressure monitoring on its watches, however loads of informal customers can also discover these options helpful when within the technique of adopting more healthy habits.

2. Pause your rings

Ever get sick in the future or simply want a break, and also you’re involved about not protecting your streak to shut your Apple Watch’s rings? Now, you do not have to fret about lacking out on the day’s progress. In WatchOS 11, Apple is providing you with the power to pause your rings for a day, week, month, or longer till you are able to get again within the sport. I can already inform there’s going to be a lot of people that get behind this function — myself included.

3. Higher assist for being pregnant

WatchOS 11 will permit those that are pregnant to log their bodily and psychological well being throughout their being pregnant, in addition to show their gestational age and log any signs they incessantly really feel. Your watch may even advise you to evaluation options like excessive coronary heart price notifications since, when pregnant, your coronary heart price tends to extend.

Additionally: These Oura Ring updates are all-in on women’s health

The function performs into the Apple Watch’s cycle monitoring expertise, so all the things stays cohesive and straightforward to seek out.

Uber Live Activity in Apple WatchOS 11.

Apple

4. Extra widgets in your Good Stack, together with Dwell Actions

The Good Stack, launched in WatchOS 10, is enhancing barely with some new widgets.

Apple is including one for Shazam, Pictures, Distance, and extra. Plus, Good Stack can now recommend widgets based mostly on the time of day, the date, your location, frequent each day routines, and extra to make sure contextual data is extra precisely displayed. There are additionally some widgets which can be interactive, so you may management apps straight from Good Stack.

Plus, Dwell Actions are coming to Good Stack, so you may maintain tabs on stay occasions, Ubers, meals orders, and extra in your wrist.

The new Photos face in Apple WatchOS 11.

Apple

5. The Pictures face, powered by machine studying

The Pictures face is without doubt one of the hottest faces on the Apple Watch, given its excessive degree of customization, and it is getting a facelift (pun supposed) with WatchOS 11.

Additionally: One of the best iPhone features at WWDC steals a page from Android (and I’m glad)

Your watch will use machine studying to investigate your photograph library and discover the very best snaps to make use of as a watch face based mostly on aesthetics, composition, and facial expressions. Apple’s algorithm will then optimize the picture for the watch face and add depth results, totally different coloured backgrounds, fonts, and extra. You may customise it by yourself to your coronary heart’s content material, plus get handled to a brand new look each time you elevate your wrist.

6. Double Faucet now works with any app

One of many largest complaints customers had when the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 got here out was how restricted Double Faucet was. Up till now, the function has solely labored in choose apps that supported scrolling by tapping your fingers, however now, it is being expanded to all apps and third-party apps with WatchOS 11. Apple may even roll out the Double Faucet API which can give builders the power to implement the function of their apps.

Double tap gesture on Apple Watch Series 9

Double faucet gesture on Apple Watch Collection 9.

Jason Hiner/ZDNET

7. Examine In involves your wrist

With WatchOS 11, Apple is including Examine In. Initially from iOS 17, Examine In means that you can maintain observe of your pal or liked one by having them affirm once they’ve reached their vacation spot or have completed one thing like a fitness center session. Examine In works throughout the Exercise app and Messages.

8. Faucet to Money for fast funds

Additionally present in iOS 18, Apple is bringing Faucet to Money to WatchOS 11. Faucet to Money means that you can maintain your Apple Watch close to one other watch or iPhone to shortly ship Apple Money to another person. It is mainly the good model of Venmo I’ve ever seen, and I am right here for it.

9. Translate on the fly

Apple is including the Translate app to WatchOS 11 which can can help you translate in one in all 20 supported languages. Whenever you’re touring overseas the place a supported language is spoken, it’s going to routinely pop up in your watch’s Good Stack.

Additionally: Every Apple Watch model that will support WatchOS 11 (and which ones won’t)

10. Improved exercise monitoring for GPS-specific exercises

Soccer, American Soccer, Australian Soccer, Outside Hockey, Lacrosse, Downhill Snowboarding, Cross Nation Snowboarding, Snowboarding, Golf, Outside Rowing, and extra are being up to date in WatchOS 11 to make the most of enhancements in GPS positioning for extra correct outcomes. You can too view your route maps for extra exercise varieties.

11. Tickets in your Pockets get an improve 

Should you typically use your digital pockets in your Apple Watch, you may be intrigued by the improved ticketing expertise. In WatchOS 11, Apple is including extra data on the occasion you are going to see, reminiscent of when the venue opens, what time it begins, and extra. Plus, as soon as you have loaded a ticket into your pockets and that special occasion approaches, you may discover seating data and different notable tidbits in a widget in your Good Stack routinely.

When does WatchOS 11 come out?

Proper now, WatchOS 11 is accessible as an early developer preview, with public betas arriving this July. The software program replace will roll out to all supported Apple Watches come the autumn, and if historical past is any indication, that almost certainly means September.

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