At WWDC 2024 on June 10, Apple unveiled watchOS 11, the subsequent working system replace for Apple Watch. Apple will make the Apple Watch software program replace obtainable for suitable Apple Watches on Monday, September 16.
The software program brings new apps, new options, new face customization choices, an upgraded Sensible Stack, and intensive modifications to the Apple Watch’s well being and health features.
watchOS 11: Launch date
Apple’s watchOS 11 can be obtainable to obtain on September 16.
Updating to the brand new model ought to be easy, however if you happen to’re not sure how then you possibly can have a look at the detailed directions from our information to find out how to replace watchOS.
Even after Apple has launched watchOS 11 there can be additional updates to the software program all through the rest of 2024 and into 2025.
watchOS 11: Compatibility
watchOS 11 will work with the Apple Watch Collection 6 or later. The Apple Watch Collection 6 was launched in 2020, whereas the Apple Watch SE was additionally launched in 2020 it misses out on WatchOS 11.
So that features:
- Apple Watch Collection 6 (2020)
- Apple Watch Collection 7 (2021)
- Apple Watch SE 2 (2022)
- Apple Watch Collection 8 (2022)
- Apple Watch Extremely (2022)
- Apple Watch Collection 9 (2023)
- Apple Watch Extremely 2 (2023)
- Apple Watch Collection 10 (2024)
watchOS 9 and 10 had been suitable with the Collection 4, Collection 5 and unique SE.
What are the brand new watchOS 11 options?
Learn on for a style of the brand new options coming to your Apple Watch with watchOS 11.
New watch faces
We’ll begin with one thing that comes up practically yearly: new watch faces.
Or maybe we must always say upgraded relatively than new faces as a result of it is a change to the present Images face. The best way it will change in watchOS 11 is that you just’ll be capable of create customized faces extra simply, due to help from the OS. The Watch will analyze 1000’s of your pictures to make a suggestion of these that can work effectively as a face (primarily based on composition, facial features, and different components) after which assist you to to crop and zoom to get the most effective positioning throughout the body.
You’ll get a spread of personalization choices past this, together with font, structure, clock measurement, and extra, and there’s additionally a Dynamic mode that can push a distinct picture every time you increase your wrist.
Health
The Apple Watch’s major features revolve round well being and health, and it was no shock that Apple focuses closely on these areas in watchOS 11.
On the health aspect, there’s a brand new metric known as Coaching Load, designed to assist customers perceive the pressure that train locations on the physique and the best way exercises are impacting their physique. Exercises can be given an effort score on a scale of 1 to 10, primarily based on age, top, weight, coronary heart price, GPS knowledge, and the exercise kind, however customers can additional modify this to account for components corresponding to stress. Then longer-term knowledge can be utilized to research whether or not pressure on the physique “is ramping up, staying the identical, or easing off to allow them to regulate their coaching for the most effective outcomes.”
watchOS 11 additionally brings the flexibility to pause Exercise rings if you want a relaxation day or undergo an harm however don’t wish to break a streak. (That’s a function that’s been wanted so long as Apple Watch has been a factor.) You may pause rings for so long as you need—a day, per week, even a month or extra.
These rings can even be extra customizable than up to now. You may select to switch the ring targets relying on the day of the week, in order that calorie targets are decrease on Sundays, for instance, if that’s if you prefer to relaxation up. That’s one other function that’s been wanted for a very long time; it was all the time peculiar and rigid for the Apple Watch to insist that your health patterns ought to be the identical all through the week.
One other common function of watchOS updates is the addition of recent exercise varieties, and watchOS 11 isn’t any exception. On this case the important thing issue is enhancements in GPS positioning, which suggests extra exercise varieties can observe distance and supply GPS map knowledge, together with Soccer, American Soccer, Lacrosse, Cross Nation Snowboarding, Golf, Outside Rowing, and extra. The Customized Exercises function can now even be used for pool swims.
Vitals
There’s a brand new app for the Apple Watch, certainly a very new app on any of Apple’s platforms, known as Vitals. This brings collectively helpful health-related metrics (together with the brand new Coaching Load data mentioned above) and makes them simple to browse in a single place.
You may monitor your coronary heart price, as an illustration, and look at how the present measurement compares to what’s typical for you. Outliers are flagged, in case they’re value checking with a medical skilled, and the app explains what has modified from the norm and presents attainable causes of this.
Greater temperatures, for instance, “may very well be resulting from many components together with sickness or alcohol consumption.” Particularly, Apple says a notification might be triggered if two or extra metrics are out of their typical vary.
Being pregnant assist
Persevering with the well being and health focus, watchOS 11 (together with iOS 18 and iPadOS 18) is designed to assist pregnant individuals “to replicate modifications of their bodily and psychological well being throughout this essential time.” You’ll must log the being pregnant within the Well being app, after which the Apple Watch’s Cycle Monitoring app will observe gestational age, will let you log signs, and immediate you to regulate the edge to your excessive coronary heart price notification and comparable options. Fall detection can regulate its sensitivity to account for the sometimes better unsteadiness of pregnant individuals, whereas the Well being app might be set to immediate the consumer to evaluation their psychological well being regularly.
Translate
Right here’s one other new app, however on this case it’s solely new to Apple Watch. The Translate app makes use of machine studying that can assist you navigate conversations in different languages. (A complete of 20 are supported.) This additionally offers Romanized pronunciation guides for languages utilizing totally different alphabets.
Sensible Stack
Apple says the Sensible Stack function has grow to be extra succesful. It may now function Reside Actions, enabling you to observe sports activities occasions or the progress of your Uber driver. The function can use details about your routine, in addition to the time and site, to counsel applicable widgets–corresponding to a weather-alert widget when dangerous climate is on the best way. And there are new widgets primarily based on Shazam, Images, Distance, and extra.
The Sensible Stack also can counsel a related Translate widget if you journey to a distinct nation and contains entry to the Examine In function, which additionally involves Apple Look ahead to the primary time.
Examine In
Talking of which… this helpful personal-safety function, beforehand obtainable on iPhone as of the launch of iOS 17 final 12 months, allows you to simply let family and friends know that you just’ve reached your vacation spot. And it now involves the Apple Watch.
It’s been built-in into the Exercise app, which sounds excellent for these embarking on late-night runs, in addition to Messages (as on the iPhone).
What about Apple Intelligence?
The Apple Watch’s new Translate app and the Images watch face customization algorithm every depend on machine studying, but it surely was notable at WWDC that the Apple Watch is getting far much less entry to Apple’s new AI developments, a minimum of on this first wave. The Apple Intelligence options are coming to the iPhone, the iPad, and the Mac… however the Apple Watch wasn’t talked about.
It’s probably that watchOS will grow to be a part of Apple Intelligence in some unspecified time in the future, however not but. With one minor exception: Apple says “Summarised notifications, powered by Apple Intelligence, can be forwarded from iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max to Apple Watch.”
Apple Watch & watchOS historical past
watchOS 11 is on the market as a developer beta instantly and a public beta will grow to be obtainable in July. The ultimate model of watchOS 11 will roll out to the general public within the fall. We’re anticipating to see Apple Watch Collection 10, Apple Watch Extremely 3 and Apple Watch SE third technology, working watchOS 11, launch in September 2024 on the firm’s Glowtime occasion (see find out how to watch the September occasion). When you’re out there for a brand new Apple Watch, see our Apple Watch shopping for information, round-up of the greatest Apple Watch offers, and recommendation on whether or not you must purchase Apple Watch now or wait. You may also be fascinated with what different new Apple merchandise are coming this 12 months, and when is the subsequent Apple occasion. You could find hyperlinks to all our Apple Watch critiques under.