One of the most hyped Apple events, the WWDC 2022 (Worldwide Developers Conference) was held on June 6. At this event, Apple announced its watchOS 9 with many new features and additions to existing features.
The WWDC 2022 event was not just about watchOS 9, the tech giant also launched the much-awaited M2 Chip an all-new MacBook Air, macOS Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS16, and much more. In case you missed the event have a look at this quick roundup to know everything that was announced at Apple WWDC 2022.
The next generation of watchOS includes commendable improvements, especially for the Fitness and Health apps., Some of the life-saving updates include AFib history tool and medication tracking.
watchOS 9: Top New Features
New watch faces
watchOS 9 included 4 new watch faces i.e. Lunar face, Astronomy Face, Playtime Face, and Metropolitan Face. These new watch faces are designed specially to take full advantage of the large display of the Apple Watch.
The Lunar face gives users options to use Pre-Modern calendars such as Islamic, Chinese and Hebrew calendars. The Metropolitan watch face contains fonts with multiple color options which can be stretched by rotating the Digital Crown as well.
The Astronomy face is not a new watch face but it has been redesigned completely. The new continuously changing 3D models of the Moon, Earth, and Solar System can be adjusted to any specific region for a more delightful user experience.
Not only that the existing watch faces have gotten more features like better portrait lock screens and the freedom to let users pin their favorite apps on compatible watch faces.
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Medications app
The all-new Medications app allows users to track their medications right from their watch. Although most of the management and tracking setup can be done only on the iOS Health app. watchOS 9 ensures you receive active reminders and notifications to take medicines on your Apple Watch.
Moreover, when you add a new medicine or supplement to the Health app you’ll get information about the drug, its reciprocations and critical concerns if any.
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Afibrilation history
watchOS 9 supports atrial fibrillation detection (the irregular or very fast rhythm of heartbeat) and history tracking. Patients who are already diagnosed with this problem can track their heartbeat rhythm and review the data of their electrocardiograms (ECGs) over time. This watchOS feature can also help people identify potential signs of atrial fibrillation.
While using the Health app users can also check their daily activities and lifestyle habits for improvement. Patients diagnosed with AFib can share their AFib History data with their doctors for better management of their condition to avoid potential health issues.
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Create calendar events on Apple Watch
With Apple watchOS 9 users can create and edit Calendar events and appointments right from the Apple Watch itself. This will come in handy during spontaneous plans or brainstorming sessions. The added Week view makes it easier to see all the events throughout the week and plan them accordingly.
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New languages included
The full-size QWERTY keyboard in watchOS 9 keyboard now supports multiple different languages like German, Japanese, Spanish (Latin America, Mexico, Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), French, and Italian. As a result, this makes replying to messages on the Apple Watch much easier for a lot of people.
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watchOS 9: Fitness & Wellness Features
New running metrics
watchOS 9 has included new running metrics with better data visualization and monitoring. These metrics include Stride Length, Vertical Oscillation, and Ground Contact Time. Users can access these detailed running metrics in the upgraded live workout interface by rotating the Digital Crown. Users can also dive deeper into these metrics in the Fitness app on iPhone.
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Fitness+ Workouts
The Fitness+ Workouts in watchOS 9 can now show on-screen guidance on the Apple Watch itself. Moreover, it also supports streaming workouts via AirPlay on
supported 3rd party TVs and displays.
Cardio recovery
Another useful feature introduced with watchOS 9 is Heart Rate Zones. It tracks different heart rate zones while working out and allows users to monitor the intensity of a workout and their heart rates. As a result, users can plan and create custom workouts with intensity training and recovery workouts.
The different Heart Rate Zones help the user to observe the intensity of a workout, with new included alerts like power, cadence, heart rate, and pace.
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Better sleep tracking
With watchOS 9, Apple has improved Sleep tracking in the sleep app to monitor various stages of sleep. This is accomplished by using data collected from the heart rate monitor and the accelerometer on the Apple Watch. Users can see this data in the Sleep app to see how much time they spent in each sleeping stage and when they’ve woken up. The sleep cycle stages that the Apple Watch tracks are Awake, REM, Core, and Deep sleep. This data helps users to plan their Wind Down and sleeping schedules more efficiently for a better and healthy lifestyle.
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Multisport workout
For triathletes, a new Multisport workout type has been added that can automatically detect a transition between biking, swimming, and running in any order.
watchOS 9: Availability and Release Date
The new update for the Apple Watch will be available for developers from June 7 2022 onwards. The public beta of watchOS 9 will be released in July 2022. There is no official confirmation about the final release but it is scheduled for this fall when the next generation of Apple Watch starts shipping.
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watchOS 9: Supported Devices
The following Apple Watches are compatible with the new watchOS 9 update:
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple watch SE
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