Apple’s 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference is less than two months away. The Cupertino tech giant will likely introduce its major software updates at the event including watchOS 9, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and tvOS 16, bringing new features and a streamlined experience to its devices.
An outline of watchOS 9 features expected to be announced at WWDC 22
Earlier reports from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, The Wall Street Journal, and TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo help paint a picture of what is coming to watchOS in 2022. From what we know so far, the software update will bring improvements to health monitoring, activity tracking, and the Workout app.
In terms of system features, the update is expected to bring a refresh to existing watch faces. In addition, Apple is expected to introduce a new Low Power Mode designed to let users use the watch’s apps and features without them using as much battery life. Similar to Fall Detection, a new Crash Detection feature will also be coming to watchOS will be able to register a car accident by measuring a sudden change in g-force. Crash Detection will subsequently contact emergency services.
watchOS 9 will also feature improved health tracking. One of the biggest features of the update will be improved atrial fibrillation detection which will calculate a measure of how long a user is in a state of atrial fibrillation across a certain period. The update will also bring improved activity tracking, more workout types, and details metrics for running workouts.
According to Kuo, 2022 may be the year Apple drops support for the Apple Watch Series 3 because its computing power will not be able to meet the requirements of watchOS 9. Therefore, the update may only be available for the Apple Watch Series 4 or newer. The analyst predicts Series 3 will be discontinued once the tech giant launches Apple Watch Series 8 in the fall.
The tech giant is expected to preview watchOS 9, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and tvOS 16 at WWDC, which is slated for June 6. After the announcement, the new operating systems will be seeded to developers for beta testing. Apple will then start a public beta test later in the summer.
After beta testing is complete, the new operating system will be released to the general public in the fall alongside the release of new hardware products like the iPhone 14 lineup.
