Apple used WWDC 2024 to present many innovations. These included a comprehensive update for the Apple Watch – WatchOS 11.
WatchOS 11 only for current versions of the Apple Watch
At WWDC 2024, Apple not only announced details about iOS 18 and presented Apple Intelligence. The tech company also announced WatchOS 11 – the latest operating system for the popular Apple Watch. It boasts a number of new features, which we will only see on selected watches, however.
After all, WatchOS 11 appears to be so sophisticated that the latest software will not be available for Series 4, 5 and the first generation of the Apple Watch SE. According to a report by Forbes, this is because the latest operating system requires at least an S6 chip. The update for the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models is due to be launched in the fall. One highlight is the adapted recording of training sessions.
With “Training Load”, WatchOS 11 will offer the option of recording the intensity of workouts, among other things. During the training session, you will be shown how intense the intensity is. A rating on a scale of one to ten helps you to classify the intensity. If you have to take a break from training for a while due to illness or other reasons, you can also pause the activity rings in WatchOS 11. This way, a summer flu won’t destroy your training statistics.
Health, widgets and personalized watch face
It’s not just the activity rings that are designed to improve the health of smartwatch wearers. The smartwatch is also known to measure the wearer’s vital signs. Apple is introducing the new Vitals app with WatchOS 11. This is designed to enable a detailed analysis of your health data and alert you to sudden changes.
Apple also wants to make its widgets and watch faces smarter. Smart Stack gives you the opportunity to benefit from smart widgets on the Apple Watch. Apple says that the weather widget, for example, will be automatically prioritized when a weather warning is imminent.
The corresponding widget will then be displayed first to the watch wearer. Last but not least, the watch faces should also have learned and continue to learn. This is made possible by machine learning. With WatchOS 11, the Apple Watch will be able to learn your taste in watch faces and automatically create suitable backgrounds.
