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Apple has unveiled watchOS 11, bringing new features to enhance daily health tracking and workout analysis. Highlights include the ability to pause Activity Rings, customised ring goals, the Vitals app for overnight health metrics, and Training Load insights for athletes. Other features include improved Photos Face customisation, pregnancy tracking in Cycle Tracking, Smart Stack widgets with Live Activities, enhanced GPS positioning for workouts, and a more capable Translate app. The update also introduces Double Tap gesture support and Ultra Wideband home keys.
Finely Tuned to You
WatchOS 11 brings significant enhancements to daily health monitoring and workout tracking. Users can now pause their Activity Rings for more flexible tracking, and customise ring goals for each day. The Vitals app consolidates overnight health data, providing a comprehensive view of metrics like respiratory rate and heart rate, along with notifications for outliers.
Enhanced Activity Tracking
Activity Rings: You can pause your rings for a day, week, or month without losing your streak. Customisation options for daily goals are now available, offering more personalised motivation.
Training Load: This new feature helps athletes monitor workout intensity over time, comparing weekly and monthly trends to optimise training routines. Post-workout metrics like pace, elevation, and heart rate provide detailed effort analysis.
Personalisation and Convenience
Photos Face: The redesigned Photos face uses machine learning to curate and display your best photos. It offers customisation for time size, font, and colour, along with support for additional languages.
Cycle Tracking: Now includes pregnancy tracking, displaying gestational age and pregnancy progress, with data privacy ensured through device encryption.
Smart Stack and Widgets
Smart Stack: Widgets update based on time and location, with new additions like severe weather alerts, training load metrics, and Live Activities for real-time updates.
Check In: This feature lets you notify friends or family when you arrive at a destination, providing peace of mind during travel or late-night workouts.
Workout Enhancements
Enhanced GPS Positioning: Improved distance and route mapping for various workouts, including swimming intervals with haptic feedback for timing transitions.
Communication and Accessibility
Translate App: Supports 20 languages, allowing translations through typing or dictation, even offline. The app integrates with the Smart Stack for easy access.
Double Tap: The new gesture control enables hands-free scrolling and interaction within apps, available for third-party developers to integrate.
Additional Features
Ultra Wideband Home Keys: Unlock your door with your Apple Watch as you approach.
Tap to Cash: Easily exchange Apple Cash with other users through your watch.
Maps: Explore hikes in all 63 U.S. national parks with offline maps and turn-by-turn voice guidance.
Compatibility
WatchOS 11 is compatible with Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Series 6 and later, and requires iPhone Xs or later with iOS 18.
WatchOS 11 introduces a range of features to make your Apple Watch even more personal and useful, with enhancements across health tracking, workouts, customisation, and convenience. Stay tuned for its release this fall and explore all the ways it can enrich your daily routine.
For more details, visit the Apple WatchOS 11 preview.
