Apple’s next Apple Watch update, WatchOS 11, is official. The company unveiled the new software on Monday during its annual WWDC keynote event held at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.
Software updates to Apple’s WatchOS typically cover fitness, health, and connectivity, among other areas. Last year, for example, the company updated the user interface with new widgets and added new tools and metrics for cyclists. It previously added new stats for runners with WatchOS 9 in 2022.
WatchOS 11 will be available as a full release in the fall, but you can download a developer beta now. It’s compatible with all Apple watches from Series 6 and up, and you’ll also need an iPhone running iOS 18. Apple dropped support for Series 4 and 5 with WatchOS 11.
When paired with an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, an Apple Watch running WatchOS 11 will forward aggregated notifications to the watch, a component of Apple Intelligence.
Training load
Apple Watch now offers a way to measure the intensity of your workout routine and how it might affect your recovery. Called training load, it uses data like your heart rate, pace and altitude and combines it with your weight and height to give a score of 1-10 on your training effort. You can also adjust the effort in case it doesn’t reflect how you feel.
Training load can better indicate how well your body is doing with your training routine. This can be useful when training for a marathon or other competitive event, when you may be at risk of over- or under-training. Training load is available for many cardio workouts, but for workouts where no rating is provided, such as strength training, you can enter an effort rating. Many other wearables offer a similar view of recovery and training load data, including Garmin watches.
You’ll be able to see a weighted average of your training load over a 28-day period, then compare your efforts over the past seven days to it.
An example of a WatchOS 11 training load.
Pause your activity ring
When you need to take a day off or are sick, Apple Watch now lets you pause your activity progress in WatchOS 11. You’ll also be able to further customize activity goals for each day of the week.
Watch this: WWDC 2021 in 11 minutes
Vitals app
The Vitals app is another new place to check your health metrics, like your heart rate. It will show you how your vital signs are tracking over time and whether they fall within a typical range based on your historical data. The app will also alert you when metrics are out of range and provide a personalized message with potential explanations.
The Vitals app on WatchOS 11.
New double tap features
Apple has opened up Double Tap to developers. This allows you to double-tap your thumb and index finger to interact with apps, such as skipping tracks in the Music app or sending a message, without touching the screen. Only available on the Series 9 and Ultra 2, Double Tap was only available for select Apple’s own apps, but now developers will have access to the feature. During the keynote, Apple showed a demo where a third-party baby tracking app lets you start a timer to track your baby’s sleep while he’s in your arms.
Double Tap can now scroll through any app, including Messages and Weather, so you don’t need to touch the screen.
Customize your watch face
WatchOS 11 now has a redesigned Photos watch face that uses machine learning to automatically curate photos it thinks will look best as a watch face. It will customize the photo, including creating a sense of depth in the image, then present clock options with different fonts and colors to display the time. Dynamic Mode is a new option that automatically gives you a new watch face every time you raise your wrist.
Live Activity is coming to Apple Watch
Smart Stack first appeared on Apple Watch with WatchOS 10 when you scroll with the digital crown or swipe up from the watch face. In WatchOS 11, it now shows additional widgets, including Live Activities at the top of the stack. For example, if you’re following a sports game, the score will appear at the top of your stack, or if you call an Uber, an ETA appears. Shazam, the Photos app, and Distance are also new to the Smart Stack, and you’ll see bad weather alerts like thunderstorm warnings.
The Apple Watch also now has a translation app, and this widget appears in the Smart Stack automatically when you travel to a location with a different language. Dictate into the watch and hear a response in another language.
More features on WatchOS 11
- Cycle Tracker now supports more pregnancy tracking options, including gestational age.
- The Workout app also now supports a check-in feature, so you can notify friends and family when you get home from a workout.
- Custom pool swim workouts are now supported.
- Apple Watch supports more interactive widgets for smart home devices.
- Apple Maps supports offline turn-by-turn navigation for custom hiking routes and hikes for all US National Parks.
- Tap to Cash lets you send and receive Apple Cash by holding your Apple Watch close to another watch or iPhone.
