From digital house keys to overnight respiration tracking, lots of new features are headed to Apple Watches this fall.
WatchOS 8, the next generation of Apple’s smartwatch operating system, will also deliver new workout tracking options, mindfulness features, watch faces, texting tools, and more. The Cupertino tech giant offered a first look at these new features during its Worldwide Developers Conference virtual keynote on Monday.
“With watchOS 8, we’re bringing more convenient access to places users live, work, and visit with significant updates to Home and Wallet, expanding support for both physical and mental well-being, and enabling richer personal connections with the new Portraits face and updates to Messages,” Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, said in a statement.
When it arrives, watchOS 8 will be free to download on the Apple Watch Series 3 and later. To get the upgrade, your Apple Watch will need to be paired with an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15.
If you can’t wait that long, a public beta will be available to watchOS users next month. For now, the developer beta is only available to members of the Apple Developer Program. We will be trying out the public beta as soon as we can get our hands on it, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, these are the watchOS 8 features we’re most excited for.
Digital House, Car Keys
Sick of fumbling with your house keys? With the updated Wallet app in watchOS 8 and a compatible HomeKit smart door lock, you may never have to again. You’ll be able to access your home by simply holding your Apple Watch near the lock. Hyatt and Disney resorts are planning to implement this feature, so guests can check in and access their rooms with their Apple Watch.
Moreover, you’ll soon be able to unlock, lock, and start certain cars right from your Apple Watch via the Wallet app. BMW announced support for iPhone-based digital keys in December, and this feature will also soon be available on Apple’s Series 6 wearables. In some states (which have yet to be named), you’ll be able to add your driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, then use your digital ID when you go through select TSA checkpoints.
Respiration Tracking During Sleep
The Apple Watch can already track your sleep, but it will soon keep tabs on a new overnight metric: your respiration rate. Using its integrated accelerometer, the watch will measure the number of breaths you take per minute while you’re sleeping. You’ll be able to view that information, as well as your trends over time, in the Health app.
This isn’t necessarily a revolutionary feature; many wearables including the Whoop Strap, Oura Ring, Garmin Venu 2, and even the new Nest Hub smart display can already track your overnight respiration rate. But it’s nice to see the world’s leading wearables brand implement it, especially given that a sudden spike in your respiration rate can be an early indicator of COVID-19.
An Updated Home App
Apple is planning a complete overhaul of the Home app in watchOS 8 to make it easier to control compatible smart home devices from your wrist. At the top, it will show which devices are currently in use and let you quickly control them. A new Intercom feature will let you broadcast an audio message throughout your home, or to specific rooms, via the HomePod, HomePod mini, and other devices.
The app will also surface relevant accessories and scenes based on the time of day and how often you use them. In the morning, it might offer a good morning scene and controls for your bedroom lights. When you get home from work, it can offer controls for the door lock, thermostat, and outdoor lights, for instance.
The updated Home app will also feature a dedicated section for your connected security cameras, so you can view all of your feeds in one place.
New Mindfulness Features
Apple is encouraging Watch wearers to carve out a couple of minutes for self-care with some new meditation features. The company is changing the name of the Breathe app to Mindfulness, and adding a new session type called Reflect.
Instead of just guiding your inhales and exhales for a set amount of time, Reflect sessions will offer a meditation prompt to help put you in a positive mindset. You watch may invite you to, “Recall a time recently when you felt a sense of calm. Bring that feeling into this moment,” or, “Reflect on one thing you’re grateful for and think about why you appreciate it so much.” The app will also offer new mindfulness tips and fresh animations.
Two New Workout Types, Fitness+ Updates
Pilates and Tai Chi practitioners will soon be able to track their sessions with the Apple Watch. The new additions come after Apple updated the Workout app with tracking options for Dance, Core Training, Cooldown, and Functional Strength Training last year.
Meanwhile, Apple Fitness+ workouts will support picture-in-picture viewing on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. That way, you’ll be able to quickly check the weather during your morning workout. Apple is also introducing some helpful new filtering options for Fitness+ that should make it easier to find workouts you’re into. You’ll be able to filter yoga sessions by type (slow or energetic flow), and strength workouts by muscle group (upper, lower, or total body). You’ll also be able to filter yoga, strength, core, and HIIT workouts by equipment needed.
New Texting Features
WatchOS 8 promises to make it a lot more convenient to send messages from your wrist. You’ll be able to Scribble, dictate, and add emojis all from the same place. You can, for instance, start out dictating a message, then switch to Scribble, then include emojis.
Apple is also making it easier to edit dictated messages. This should be helpful, since dictation is one of the most popular ways to text using the Apple Watch. If you spot an error in a dictated message, you’ll be able to use the Digital Crown to move the on-screen cursor to the offending spot for editing.
And best of all, GIFs are headed to the Apple Watch. When you really want to get your point across or give the recipient a chuckle, you’ll be able to enter a word, then select from hundreds of related animated images.
Portraits Watch Faces
With watchOS 8, you’ll be able to turn all of your Portrait mode snaps into watch faces. Apple says the existing Photos watch face is the most popular choice, so people should love the new Portrait option. This new watch face will intelligently layer the time in the background and place the subject in the foreground. When you raise your wrist or scroll the Digital Crown, the subject in the foreground will slightly zoom.
Personally, I can’t wait to turn portraits of my pitbull Bradley into watch faces so everyone who glances at my Apple Watch can see how cute he is. On the downside, this is the only watchOS 8 feature that isn’t supported on the older Apple Watch Series 3.
Enhanced Photos App
In addition to the Home app, Apple is also redesigning the Photos app to make it easier to view and manage your image library. The app will feature highlighted Memories and Featured Photos, which will refresh daily, just like on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Photos synced from Memories will appear in a mosaic-style grid, highlighting your best shots with a larger photo.
Apple is also making it easier to share photos from your Apple Watch via text and email. And when you want to add a photo to your library, or delete one, you’ll be able to do that right from your wrist.
The Best New Features Coming to iOS 15
WatchOS 8 isn’t the only update we’re excited for. With iOS 15, Apple opens up FaceTime, digs even deeper into security, and beefs up its Weather and Maps apps. We check out its best new features.
