Apple has unveiled watchOS 11, introducing new health and fitness features, as well as enhanced customization options for the Apple Watch. The update uses Apple’s sensors and algorithms to provide a deeper understanding of health indicators and a more personalized user experience.
Vitals app for health indicators
The new Vitals app in watchOS 11 will offer a comprehensive view of key health metrics, including heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen levels. The app provides context for these readings, alerting users when values are out of the typical range and explaining potential causes, such as changes in altitude, alcohol consumption, or illness.
Improved support for pregnancy tracking
WatchOS 11, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18 will have additional features for pregnant women. The Cycle Tracker app will display your gestational age and allow you to record symptoms.
The Health program will also remind you to have a monthly mental health assessment and monitor your walking stability to warn you of potential fall risks during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Information about the training load
watchOS 11 will add a new feature called Workout Load, which will help users understand the impact of their workouts by comparing their intensity and duration over the past seven days to the past 28 days.
This feature uses effort ratings and workout data to provide a better understanding of physical activity, helping users optimize their workouts and avoid injury.
Customizable activity rings and fitness program
Activity rings can be paused for certain periods without affecting the reward series. Users will also be able to set daily goals for activity rings.
The Fitness app on iPhone will also offer a customizable Summary tab, new workout metrics, and advanced features in Apple Fitness+.
New widgets and watchfaces with photos
The Smart Stack widget in watchOS 11 includes new designs and interactive features that provide quick access to important information.
The Photos watch face will use machine learning to select the best shots and create personalized watch faces with customizable layouts and dynamic images.
Communication and convenience features
Users will be able to access the Check In feature directly in the Workout app so that a friend or family member can track when the workout is over.
The Translate app will be available on Apple Watch, so users can access translation into one of 20 supported languages directly on their wrist. Thanks to the new Smart Stack technology, Apple Watch will be able to automatically offer the Translate widget when users travel to a place where the language is different from their Apple Watch.
The double-tap gesture can be used to scroll through any application, such as notifications, calendar, or weather, making it easier to interact with Apple Watch with one hand.
Additional features of watchOS 11:
- New types of training, including soccer, American football and skiing;
- Special training for swimming in the pool with interval training;
- Offline guides to the national parks of the USA;
- Improved notifications and ticket information;
- Tap to Cash feature for transferring money between Apple devices.
The watchOS 11 developer beta is available through the Apple Developer Program, and the public beta is expected next month. The official release is scheduled for this fall.
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