Apple finally adds Apple Watch feature fans have been waiting nine years for
Apple has unveiled a plethora of new features that will be introduced on watchOS 11 - including one setting that wearable tech users have been begging for since day one.
While talk at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24) has centred around iOS 18 and what it means for iPhones, the company has also announced an update is coming to its Apple Watches.
Later this year, consumers can download watchOS 11 onto their devices - the latest software that will change the game for wearable tech fans.
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One of the biggest announcements made at Apple Park in California on Monday is the debut of the new Vitals app.
Vitals will utilise built-in sensors to produce a more holistic picture of your body’s overall health.
This means your heart rate, wrist temperature and respiratory rate will be closely monitored alongside your blood oxygen levels and sleep duration.
So, if something strange is going on, the Vitals app will ping you to let you know your metrics have changed - genius, right?
Apple has also revealed the cycle tracking app is being improved so that pregnant people can understand their gestational age.
Mental health assessments will also be available for you to utilise during your pregnancy and walking steadiness will also be measured to warn you of potential falls during the third and final trimester.
Elsewhere, Apple Watch wearers are ecstatic to learn that watchOS 11 will be ushering in customizable Activity Rings and implementing a ‘pause’ option.
Say you are suffering from an injury or want to turn your ‘active rest day’ into a ‘rot in bed afternoon’, you can hit pause and preserve your ring activity streak.
Taking to social media to express their joy at the news, one X user, formerly known as Twitter, wrote: “Big day for people who have a toxic relationship with their Apple Watch activity streaks! Like me! #WWDC24.”
A second typed: “We can FINALLY pause streaks on Apple Watch.”
“The best thing out of WWDC is finally letting you pause your activity rings if you need to take a break for whatever reason,” commented another. “Having to reset a long streak when I had COVID was the most frustrating thing.”
A fourth penned: “I think my favorite Apple update is being able to pause the Apple Watch rings.
“As someone who is still struggles with BD and can sometimes fall back in ED patterns, I feel like sometimes my watch can be a bit triggering and make me feel guilty about resting.”
Elsewhere, a Training Load portion is being added to the Fitness section of the Apple Watch.
This will allow athletes and those in tune with their fitness regime to clock their efforts and discover whether they need to put more or less effort into their activities.
Elsewhere, the Fitness app will get a customizable face-lift when watchOS 11 is released while the Workout app will add GPS routes for sports such as American football, lacrosse and outdoor rowing.
Moreover, swimmers will be able to create unique pool workouts while hikers can view turn-by-turn navigation directly from the Maps app.
An exact date for watchOS 11 has yet to be announced but wearers can expect the software update to drop this fall.