This year’s WWDC was a spectacular event for Apple, with the company debuting a look at its latest operating systems for the Apple Watch, iPhone, Mac and iPad. Along with these new operating systems, it also showcased Apple Intelligence, the company’s special AI that will power various features coming to its devices later this year.
Now that we’ve had a chance to get hands-on with the latest Apple Watch update, watchOS 11, there are a few features that Apple didn’t highlight but that I think are worth discussing.
Snooze detection
I’ve already reported on this in more depth today, but I think it’s worth diving in here because it’s just a great feature.
Before watchOS 11, you had to use the Sleep Focus feature to get your Apple Watch to actually track your sleep. He also couldn’t track down anything like an afternoon nap. However, that changes with watchOS 11. Hopefully, this is just the first step towards a fully automated sleep tracking system.
Finally you can change the ringtone
I’m honestly surprised Apple didn’t show this one because it’s something many have wanted since the first Apple Watch came out. With watchOS 11, you can now change the ringtone on your Apple Watch.
This includes the ringtone, text ringtone, and even alerts for reminders, calendar, and your email notifications. Apple has also added some new sounds to the Apple Watch to give you a little more customization. You can find all these options in Settings > A sound & Haptics.
The Translation app is now native to Apple Watch
Translate isn’t a new app for the Apple Watch, but before watchOS 11 you had to go out of your way to download it. Now, however, your Apple-powered smartwatch will come pre-installed.
This means more people will have access to the Translate app than ever before – I know a lot of people who didn’t even know it existed. What’s even cooler is that Apple plans to offer real-time translation using the app on your Apple Watch.
Smart Stack displays Now Playing information in Live Activities
Apple indicated that it is finally bringing live activities to the Apple Watch in watchOS 11. This includes things like tracking your Starbucks order, scores for sporting events, information about your concert seats, and more. What Apple didn’t mention, however, is that this will also affect your “now playing” information.
In watchOS 11, if you’re watching a YouTube video, listening to music, or anything else that would previously bring up the now playing screen on your Apple Watch, then you’ll be treated to a handy new widget in the Smart Stack. You can pause the music or video directly from the executable or tap it to go to the Now Playing screen.
It’s a nice little feature that I like a lot more than the full-fledged Now Playing window — but if you prefer the old way, you can turn off media inclusion in the Live Activities menu.
Apple Watch Ultra gets a new training complication
This last hidden gem is only for my fellow Apple Watch Ultra users, unfortunately. If you’re wearing an Apple Watch Ultra or Ultra 2, then you’ll be able to take advantage of a new training complication on the Ultra watch face. The complication appears on the outer edge of the dial, giving you an easy place to keep track of your current progress.
It’s not a huge change, but it’s one that gym-goers and fitness fans will likely find useful.
As future watchOS 11 betas roll out, we’ll likely discover more hidden features that Apple hasn’t highlighted. If you want to try out the new features in watchOS 11 but don’t want to wait until fall, you can always install the beta right now. I would advise most people to avoid beta versions of watchOS as you cannot easily revert to the previous version.
If you still want to install the beta, just open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Software update > Beta updates and then select watchOS 11 Developer Beta to get started.
