Apple has unveiled the new watchOS 9 with new watch faces, health features like sleep stages, AFib History, Medications app, and more.
Here is everything new on watchOS 9 update
New and improved watch faces
- Users will have four new watch faces.
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- Lunar face will display the relationship between the Gregorian calendar and the lunar calendar which are used by Chinese, Islamic, and Hebrew cultures.
- Playtime is a unique watch face which is created in collaboration with artist Joi Fulton.
- Metropolitan is a type-driven watch face with a changing style as the Digital Crown rotates.
- Astronomy face remastered with a new star map and current cloud conditions.
- In addition, watchOS 9 also brings improved and modernized complications on classic watch faces like Utility, Activity Analog, and background color editing for X-Large, Modular and Modular Compact.
- New Portraits face shows the depth effect.
- Integrated with iPhone, Focus enables users to select an Apple Watch face to appear automatically when a specific Focus is started on an iPhone.
New AFib History feature
The ECG app on Apple Watch can detect undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AFib) or irregular rhythm but previously, it could not track the frequency of AFib over a longer period of time.
Now, watchOS 9 enables users who are diagnosed with AFib to turn on FDA cleared AFib History feature to access more insightful information like an estimate of how frequently users’ heart rhythm shows signs of AFib, and get weekly notifications to understand the frequency in the Health app. Users will also be able to save a PDF of their AFib History to share with a doctor.
New sleep stages in the Sleep app
Using the accelerometer and heart rate sensor, the Sleep app on Apple Watch will be able to detect users’ sleep stages: REM, core, or deep sleep. The new feature will allow users to better understand their sleep patterns and make improvements if needed.
Medications app on Apple Watch
The new Medications app allows users to easily track and manage their medications. Users will be able to create a medications list, set up reminders and customer schedules for each medication, and see the information on their medication in the Health app. In the United States, users will also receive alerts if critical interactions with medications have been added to the Health app.
New features on the Workout App
The Workout app is updated with richer metrics for measuring performance and exciting new training experiences.
- In-session display uses the Digital Crown to rotate between easy-to-read Workout Zones.
- New Custom Workouts allow users to create a structured workout featuring work and rest intervals.
- New alerts like power, heart rate, pace, and cadence can be added.
- The new Multisport workout type is designed for triathletes that allows them to switch between swimming, biking, and running workouts, automatically by recognizing their movement patterns.
- New Running form metrics like ground contact time, stride length, and vertical oscillation can be added on Workout Views.
- For swimmers, the new Kickboard detection is added in stoke type for Pool Swim workouts. And s SWOLF score is added to track their efficiency to swim one length of the pool.
- Fitness+ workouts on watchOS 9 will display on-screen guidance to help subscribers to get the most out of their workouts like strokes per minute (SPM) for rowing or Revolutions per minute (RPM) for cycling.
- watchOS 9 users can also AirPlay their Fitness+ workouts on compatible third-party TVs and devices with on-screen metrics.
Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer said:
“Users around the world love Apple Watch for helping them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the day, and better manage their health. This fall, watchOS 9 takes the Apple Watch experience to the next level with scientifically validated insights across fitness, sleep, and heart health, while providing users more creative ways to make their Apple Watch their own.”
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