Apple has just released watchOS 11, a significant update for the Apple Watch. This update brings new Translate and Vitals apps, AI-powered Smart Stack curation, and other exciting features.
To install watchOS 11, go to Settings > General > Software Update on your watch. Alternatively, you can use the Watch app on your iPhone. Open the Watch app, select My Watch, then navigate to General > Software Update and follow the instructions. Your watch needs at least 50% battery to complete the update.
Please note that watchOS 11 is not compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 (2018), Series 5 (2019), or the original Apple Watch SE.
New Widgets and Smart Stack Enhancements
watchOS 11 introduces new widgets for Shazam, Photos, and Distance. You can interact with them directly within your Smart Stack. Also, Live Activities from your iPhone now appear on your wrist, providing real-time updates for deliveries, sports, and more without needing to open apps.
The Smart Stack feature leverages AI to present the most relevant widgets at the right time. In watchOS 11, the Smart Stack considers additional factors like time, date, location, and your daily habits. For instance, a severe weather alert widget might automatically appear before a thunderstorm.
Double-tap on watchOS 11, Apple Intelligence, and Maps
The double-tap gesture has been enhanced in watchOS 11. It now lets you scroll within any app. Moreover, your iPhone will now display notification summaries generated by Apple Intelligence.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the Maps app offers hiking trails for all U.S. national parks, complete with offline support, turn-by-turn directions, and customizable routes.
Apple Pay and Developer Tools
Apple Pay has a new feature called Tap to Cash, which allows you and a friend to send or receive Apple Cash by simply tapping your watches together.
Developers can now create interactive widgets for the Smart Stack and display more timely information using new APIs in watchOS 11. They can also assign complex actions to the double-tap gesture.
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Vitals App on watchOS 11
The Vitals app in watchOS 11 provides insights into your sleep metrics, including heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen levels. You can explore these measurements in detail, and the app utilizes an algorithm derived from real-world data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study to alert you when two or more metrics deviate from expected ranges. It can even correlate these changes to factors such as alcohol consumption, elevation changes, or illness.
Enhanced Photos Watch Face and New Features
The Photos watch face in watchOS 11 employs machine learning to select images based on aesthetics, composition, and facial expressions. It can now showcase a different photo each time you raise your wrist, and offers various customization options like time sizes, layouts, and font choices.
The Check In feature, previously introduced in the iPhone’s Messages app, has now made its way to the watch. You can access it within the Messages and Workout apps. Additionally, the Translate app, which was originally available on the iPhone, has been integrated into the watch. It supports 20 languages directly on your wrist and utilizes AI to automatically suggest a Translate widget when you’re in a foreign location.
Better Fitness Tracking on watchOS 11
For fitness enthusiasts, watchOS 11 introduces a new feature. It tracks your training load over the past seven and 28 days. Then, it categorizes it as Well Below, Below, Steady, Above, or Well Above. This helps you gauge whether the current strain on your body is increasing, remaining consistent, or decreasing.
The app can warn you of potential injury risks or changes to your body if you continue to exert excessive pressure. This app utilizes data from onboard sensors for that.
Besides, the Workout app now includes additional workout types with route maps. That includes:
- Soccer
- American Football
- Australian Football
- Outdoor Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Downhill Skiing
- Cross Country Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Golf
- Outdoor Rowing
Pool Swims workouts now support sets of work and recovery with haptic feedback. Additionally, a new Up Next view provides information on the remaining interval and a preview of the upcoming one.
