watchOS

watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc.. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone and iPod Touch, and has many similar features.[5] It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS. Its API is called WatchKit.

watchOS
The homescreen of watchOS 6
DeveloperApple Inc.
Written in
OS family
Unix-like, iOS
Working stateCurrent
Source modelClosed, with open-source components
Initial releaseApril 24, 2015 (2015-04-24)
Latest release6.2.8[1] (17U63)[2] (July 15, 2020 (2020-07-15)) [±]
Latest preview7.0 beta 5[3] (18R5361d)[4] (August 18, 2020 (2020-08-18)) [±]
Marketing targetSmartwatch
Update methodFOTA (via iPhone 5+ running iOS 8.2+)
Platforms
LicenseProprietary software except for open-source components
Official websitewww.apple.com/watchos
Support status
Supported

The second version, watchOS 2, included support for native third-party apps and other improvements, and was released on September 21, 2015.[6][7][8] The third version, watchOS 3, was released on September 13, 2016, emphasizing better performance and including new watch faces and stock apps. The fourth version, watchOS 4, was released on September 19, 2017. The fifth version, watchOS 5, was released on September 17, 2018,[9] adding more third-party support and new workouts, along with the “Walkie-Talkie” feature.[10] The sixth version, watchOS 6, was released on September 19, 2019.[11] The seventh version, watchOS 7, was announced on June 22, 2020 at the WWDC event and is scheduled to be released later this year.[12][13]

Interface overview

The home screen (rendered by and also known as "Carousel")[5] is composed of circular application icons, which can be zoomed in and out with the Digital Crown and dragged and launched by touching the display. Many of the apps are miniaturized, simplified versions of their iOS counterparts.

Prior to watchOS 3, Glances provided fast access to a summarized view of the most popular native or third-party applications used on Apple Watch.[14] The Glances view was opened with a swipe up gesture from the watch face screen. With watchOS 3, Glances has been replaced by a redesigned Control Center – much like the one in iOS. The friends menu, invoked with the side button, now acts as a dedicated dock for apps.

Different actions and options appear depending on if the user taps or deep presses which an Apple Watch detects with its pressure-sensitive (Force Touch) Display.[15] Force Touch was completely removed in watchOS 7, and all actions have been moved.[16]

HealthKit

For several years now, Apple has been developing its HealthKit product in a bid to change the way people interact with their devices. There is also a conscious attempt to penetrate the lucrative healthcare and wellness industry, which many observers believe to hold a huge growth opportunity for Apple.[17] This was confirmed by Jony Ive, Apple's former chief designer, in an interview. He said that health was a crucial element in the Apple Watch since the day of its inception and that the developmental trajectory of the hardware and the watchOS were geared towards health-based capabilities.[18] Ive pointed out that one of the primary apps that shipped with the first watchOS allowed users to track and communicate as well as encourage them to move, exercise, and stand. He said:

Many of us have our phones with us all the time, but they aren't connected to you. Imagine having something this powerful with you at all times, and what opportunities that might present to the user. The opportunity is phenomenal. Particularly when [you] don't understand just where we are today in terms of technology and capability, but where we are headed.[18]

One of the most recent updates to the watchOS included applications that do not only keep users active but also diagnose illnesses. For example, there is the app called DeepHeart, a deep learning network that can detect atrial fibrillation, hypertension, sleep apnea, and diabetes.[19] It taps the HealthKit platform to collect data, particularly those collected by the Apple Watch's heart sensor.[20]

Version history
Legend:   Obsolete   Discontinued   Current   Beta

watchOS 1

WatchOS 1 was the first version of watchOS to be released. It came with iOS 8.2, instead of the initial release.

The first version of watchOS 1 was 1.0 and was based on iOS 8.2. The second version of watchOS 1 was 1.0.1 and was based on version 8.3.

watchOS 2

watchOS 3

watchOS 4

watchOS 5

WatchOS 5 was first shown to the public at the San Jose WWDC developer conference held by Apple. It had an instant watch-to-watch Walkie-Talkie mode.[31] With this release, Apple dropped support for Apple Watch / Series 0.

watchOS 6

Apple announced a new version of watchOS that would contain features such as the App Store, a calculator with tip tools, an audiobooks app, noise level monitoring, and Apple's Voice Memos app.[41][42][43] It also enables special games that can only be played on the Watch interface. However, watchOS 6 has limited support on Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.

Table of versions: watchOS 6.x – Apple Watch
Watch family:

Limited support on the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2.

watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
6.0 13.0 17R575 September 19, 2019 (2019-09-19)

Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 5

Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2

Drops support for iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

  • Cycle Tracking
    • New Cycle Tracking app for keeping your menstrual cycle and fertility metrics
    • Notifications predicting a person's next menstrual cycle and fertile window.
  • Noise (Series 4 or later only)
    • New Noise app for detecting decibel levels in your surroundings.
    • Notifications can be pushed when it detects that the noise in your surrounding is too high.
  • Voice Memos
    • New Voice Memos app for recording and listening to voice memos directly on Apple Watch
    • Synced across all your devices as well.
  • Audiobooks
    • Now you can sync up to 5 hours of audiobooks to your Apple Watch
    • Stream them when your Watch is connected via Wi-Fi or cellular
  • App store
    • New built-in App Store where you can find and download apps for your Watch.
    • Supports Sign in with Apple
  • Activity Trends
    • Activity Trends in Activity app which includes all three activity rings, stand minutes, walking distance, walking pace, running pace, and VO2 max.
    • These are compared with data averaged over the last 90 days to the wearer's performance over the last year.
    • Tips are given if a single trend is going down.
  • Workout
    • New elevation metrics for Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, and Hiking workouts (Series 2 or later only)
    • Stopwatch app can now be viewed on your watch face during workouts
    • GymKit support for True and Woodway
  • Siri
    • Now you can identify songs directly on your Watch -- with the ability to add identified songs to your Apple Music library
    • New Siri Web Search -- shows up to 5 online results with the ability to view optimized Web content.
    • Siri integration into the redesigned Find People app
  • Watch Faces
    • New Faces
        • Numerals Mono and Numerals Duo (Available in Arabic, Arabic Indic, Roman numerals, and Devanagari)
        • Meridian -- black or white dial which fills the screen and includes 4 complications (Series 4 or later only)
        • Gradient -- Design dynamically changes as time passes. Available in full screen or circular with 5 complications (Series 4 or later only)
        • California -- Supports multiple numeral styles in Roman, Arabic, and Devanagari in fullscreen or circular (Series 4 or later only)
        • Solar Dial -- Depicts the Sun's path in circular form across a 24-hour dial (Series 4 or later only)
        • Modular Compact -- With many complications and the option to choose between analog or digital time (Series 4 or later only)
    • Tap to speak on all watch faces, supports up to 30 languages
    • Receive and customize time-keeping chimes (An alert on the hour, every half hour or every 15 minutes, either with haptics or customizable chimes)
    • Now you can reorder your Watch faces directly on your Watch
    • New complications
      • Audiobooks
      • Calculator
      • Cellular connectivity
      • Cycle Tracking
      • Noise
      • Wind
      • Rain
      • Voice memos
    • New monochrome complications for Infograph and Infograph Modular faces
  • Miscellaneous
    • New Calculator app with the ability to calculate tips and split checks
    • Support for custom stations in the Podcasts app
    • Smart Guidance and spoken navigation in Maps
    • Redesigned Now Playing app with Apple TV Remote controls
    • Personalized music picks in the For You tab
    • Support for automatic software updates
    • Redesigned Walkie-Talkie app
    • Redesigned Find People app which allows you to add friends, set notifications, and change settings directly on your Watch
    • Redesigned Reminders app with shared lists, subtasks, and the ability to add new reminders
    • More settings for Accessibility, Workout, and Health
6.0.1 13.1 17R604/17R605 September 30, 2019 (2019-09-30) Not released for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2

Improvements and bug fixes

  • Resolves an issue where the Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse watch faces do not speak time.
  • Addresses an issue where the calendar complication may not display events.
  • Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data.
6.1 13.2 17S84 October 29, 2019 (2019-10-29) First version of watchOS 6.x to support Apple Watch Series 1 and 2
  • Support for AirPods Pro
  • Other improvements and bug fixes
  • Brings watchOS 6 to Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2
6.1.1 13.3 17S449 December 10, 2019 (2019-12-10)
  • Important security updates
6.1.2 13.3.1 17S796 January 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)
  • Important security updates
6.1.3 17S811 February 18, 2020 (2020-02-18)
  • Heart rhythm notification bug fix
6.2 13.4 17T529 March 24, 2020 (2020-03-24)
  • Brings ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications to Chile, Turkey, and New Zealand
  • Brings in-app purchases to Apple Watch apps
  • Fixes music playback issues when switching from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth
6.2.1 13.4.1 17T530 April 8, 2020 (2020-04-08)
  • Fixes an issue that prevented FaceTime audio calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or Macs running OS X El Captain 10.11.6 and earlier from working
6.2.5 13.5 17T608 May 18, 2020 (2020-05-18)
  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Saudi Arabia
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Saudi Arabia
6.2.6 13.5.1 17T620 June 1, 2020 (2020-06-01)
  • Important security updates
6.2.8 13.6 17U63 July 15, 2020 (2020-07-15) Final release supported on Apple Watch Series 1 / Series 2
  • ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa
  • Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Bahrain, Brazil, and South Africa
  • Digital car keys support for Apple Watch Series 5

watchOS 7

Apple announced watchOS 7 at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference. With watchOS 7, Apple will drop support for Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.

Table of versions: watchOS 7.x – Apple Watch
Watch family:
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features
7.0 beta 5 14.0 beta 5 18R5361d

August 18, 2020 (2020-08-18)

Public beta: August 10, 2020 (2020-08-10)[44]

 Drops support for the Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2
  • Watch Faces
    • Updated Faces
      • Chronograph Pro gains a tachymeter (Series 4 or later only)
      • X-Large adds support for one large complication
      • Photos face provides colour filters for pictures and more customization options
      • Updated colours for many watch faces
    • Complications
      • Apps may now include more than one complication
      • New and/or updated Sleep, Shortcuts, Camera Remote, Moon Phase and World Clock complications
    • Watch Face Sharing
      • Ability to share custom Watch Faces through Mail, Messages, or posting a link
  • Sleep Tracking
    • Ability to analyze sleep
    • See logged sleep, manage schedules and set alarms in the new Sleep app
    • New alarm sounds and haptics
    • Wind Down mode
    • Sleep Mode automatically enables Do Not Disturb and disables Raise to Wake
    • Reminders to charge your Apple Watch in the evening if below 30% charge
    • Notifications on iPhone when Apple Watch is finished charging
  • Fitness
    • Workouts
      • New Dance, Functional Strength Training, Core Training and Cooldown workouts
    • Mobility Metrics
      • Support for low-range cardio fitness, walking speed, stair-descent speed, stair-ascent speed, six-minute walk distance, double support time, step length, and asymmetry metrics in the Health app on iPhone, tracked by Apple Watch
    • Activity app renamed Fitness app on iPhone and Apple Watch
  • Maps
    • Cycling Directions
      • Cycling specific directions in Maps in supported areas
      • Choose routes based on intensity and duration
      • Alerts about upcoming stairs and dismount locations
  • Handwashing (Series 4 and later only)
    • Automatic handwashing detection with a 20 second timer
    • Handwashing reminder when arriving home
  • Siri
    • Translation support for 10 languages
    • Support for Announce Messages with Siri
    • New Siri UI
  • Shortcuts
    • New Shortcuts app, and ability to choose visible shortcuts on Apple Watch from iPhone
  • Dictation
    • Dictation is processed on-device (Series 4 or later only)
  • Privacy
    • Microphone icon appears onscreen when in use
  • Headphones
    • Ability to set a decibel volume limit for headphones
    • Reminders to reduce volume if above World Health Organization's limits

See also

References
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  2. "watchOS 6.2.8 (17U63) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. Juli Clover (August 18, 2020). "Apple Seeds Fifth Beta of watchOS 7 to Developers". MacRumors. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  4. "watchOS 7 beta 5 (18R5361d) - Releases - Apple Developer". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
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  18. Phelan, David. "Apple Watch Secrets Revealed By Jony Ive, Health A Big Focus". Forbes. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  19. "Apple Watch's heart rate sensor can detect diabetes, Cardiogram study finds". Macworld. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  20. "DeepHeart: Semi-Supervised Sequence Learning for Cardiovascular Risk Prediction". AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence: 2079–2080. 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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