On the first day of WWDC 2020, many announcements have been made and the watchOS is no exception. As Apple continues to dominate the wearable market with their Apple Watch series, the company revealed the watchOS 7 with a few customization tools, a new hearing health feature, handwashing detection, Siri language translation and more.
With the main theme of customization for the watchOS, Apple Watch series owners can now personalize their wearables' watch face for any occasion from a tennis player to a photographer. During the conference, the developers showcased a watch face, Glow Baby on how it can display multiple notifications to help new parents to monitor bottle-feeding, breastfeeding, pumping statistics, and nap times. They also showcased Dawn Patrol, which allows the user to check the surf tide, wind speed, and water temperature from a favourite surf spot.
New customizable watch faces can also be downloaded from the Apple App Store, social media channels or websites
Automatic Handwashing Detection
In view of the on-going pandemic, Apple is also introducing an Automatic Handwashing Detection. As a first-of-its-kind, the watchOS 7 will help Apple Watch to detect handwashing motions and sounds (which aren't recorded). It will have a 20-second countdown timer and if the user finishes early, the watch will prompt the user to keep watching. On top of that, the user can set a reminder for the handwashing routine via Health App, alongside information on handwashing frequency, duration, relating to the overall health.
Speaking of overall health, the Sleep Tracking feature is updated with more in-depth analysis for the user to get the desired amount of sleep, get to bed on time, and create a pre-bedtime routine to meet their sleep goals. As the Apple Watch records the user's sleeping patterns, it will create a visual report and a chart of how they are sleeping well. To support this, Wind Down allows Apple Watch and iPhone users to create a customised routine before bed, including setting up a specific scene in the Home app, listening to a soothing soundscape, or using a favourite meditation app.
Improved Sleep Tracking
New workout types
Of course, no smartwatch is complete without workout tools for sports enthusiasts. Apple is integrating four more new exercises which are core training, dance, functional strength training and cooldown. The Activity app has also been redesigned and it's now called Fitness, which now provides a streamlined view of data such as Activity, Workouts, Awards, and Activity Trends on one tab, and Activity Sharing and Activity Competitions with your friends and family.
The Noise app will be upgraded as well in watchOS 7 with new support for hearing health with headphone audio notifications. For example, if the user has reached 100% of the weekly safe listening amount, he or she will receive a notification that it's down to put down. Moreover, they can also monitor the high decibel levels each week and control the headphone volume in the Health app via iPhone. The safety measure is based on the World Health Organization recommendations and no audio will be recorded.
Improved Noise app feature
Besides that, there are other minor additional watchOS 7 updates too. You can check out the list below:
- Cycling directions - The directions are large and easy to read, and Maps can direct when to dismount and walk the bike, or take the stairs to save time. The wearer can choose a route that avoids steep hills, gets to the destination the quickest or takes the most direct path
- Language Translation - Siri can now translate languages on the spot and support Announce Messages as well as access to Siri Shortcuts
- New SwiftUI - The new SwiftUI is for developers to create graphics with Xcode Previews
- Mobility Metrics - A new feature in the Health app which includes low-range cardio fitness, walking speed, stair-descent speed, stair-ascent speed, six-minute walk distance, double support time, step length, and asymmetry
- Privacy - All health data is encrypted on the device or in iCloud with iCloud sync, and data is always in the user’s control
The watchOS 7 public beta will be available this coming fall as a free software update. The only wearables that are available for this are the Apple Watch Series 3, Apple Watch Series 4, or Apple Watch Series 5 paired with iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14 or later. Apple also mentioned that some features may not be available in all regions or all languages or on all devices and the features are subject to change.
So what do you think of the new watchOS 7? If you would like to learn more, you can visit the link here or read our other WWDC news below. Stay tuned for more trending tech news at TechNave.com.
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