At its developer conference in June 2023, Apple officially presented the watchOS 10 operating system for the first time. Many innovations are already known that will come to the Apple Watch via an update in late summer.
watchOS 10 will be one of the biggest updates to the Apple Watch in years. According to the information that Apple announced about the new smartwatch operating system at the WWDC 2023 (Worldwide Developers Conference), users will get a fundamentally revised interface, among other things. There are also new watchfaces and a focus on mental health. TECHBOOK summarizes all known information about watchOS 10.
When is watchOS 10 coming for the Apple Watch?
At the WWDC, Apple only presented the new operating system for its smartwatch. As always, the big update will come in late summer when Apple holds its big keynote. Usually, the US company then presents a new hardware generation such as the expected iPhone 15 or the Apple Watch Series 9, but also the appropriate software. In July 2023 but already a beta version available for watchOS 10.
TECHBOOK followed the WWDC 2023 live. You can find information on all the innovations presented in our overview article.
The most important innovations for watchOS 10
At the WWDC 2023, Apple presented, among other things, its mixed reality headset “Apple Vision Pro”. In addition to this major innovation, a new MacBook Air with a 15-inch screen was also presented, as well as new software. For example, there were already detailed insights into the innovations in iOS 17 for Apple’s iPhone. Almost as big fell this year the performance from watchOS 10.
Apple brings back widgets prominently
A very fundamental change concerns the surface of the Apple Watch. The early versions of the operating system mainly relied on dedicated widgets. However, if you press the crown on the side of your Apple Watch today, you will end up in a scrollable app overview. With watchOS 10, Apple wants to replace these again with widgets, which are arranged in a so-called “smart stack”. The order should be based on the preferences of the users using a machine learning algorithm. The selection can also be adjusted individually by long tapping on the display.
The assignment of the side button should also change with watchOS 10. Currently, this brings users to the overview of recently used apps. You can get there by pressing the crown twice. After the update, however, the button should bring you to the control center.
New design and watch faces
In addition, some basic apps such as the world clock are to be adapted in terms of design. This primarily means: new colors and a slightly modified handle. For example, the activities app should appear more prominently on the display, show more information in a small space and thus encourage more movement in everyday life.
External app developers already have access to this new design with watchOS 10 in order to be able to adapt their functionality accordingly at an early stage. In addition, Apple Watch owners can look forward to two new dials. On the one hand there is an official Snoopy watch face, on the other hand a dial called Palette. This changes the color of the display depending on the time of day.
New training features with watchOS 10
Cyclists in particular should be happy about the announced innovations for watchOS 10. So far, they had to be content with external apps. There is already automatic fall detection, among other things, but the new watchOS finally integrates bike training into the normal training app. This has the advantage that important parameters such as heart rate or altitude are tracked and displayed live.
The Apple Watch should then also be able to be automatically connected to compatible bike accessories. In addition, a new training value is planned: FTP (Functional Threshold Power). With its help, you can divide your cycling training into different zones and determine the highest intensity that a rider can theoretically achieve based on his previous performance.
On the other hand, if you prefer to walk, you can use the compass app to see where you last had reception. In the event of an emergency, it is easier to find your way out of a dead zone. Especially for owners of an Apple Watch Series 8 or Ultra, watchOS 10 also allows you to analyze hand movements in sports with a racquet such as golf or tennis.
mental health
The mindfulness app is already available for Apple users. This includes, among other things, training for deep and conscious breathing and a function called reflecting. With watchOS 10, the scope of this app should be expanded and the topic of mental health should be further brought into focus. In the future, the Apple Watch should be able to analyze emotions based on certain parameters and then record them in a logbook. All information then also ends up extensively in the health app. This should help with self-reflection, for example by being able to identify the situations in which you felt uncomfortable. A questionnaire is also used to identify signs of depression at an early stage.
watchOS 10 introduces additional tips to take care of your eyes and thus improve your vision health. The distance to a smartphone display can also be measured in the future. To do this, Apple uses the same sensors on the iPhone that are also used in Face ID technology. Ambient light sensors can also track how much time you spend in sunlight.
Other innovations with watchOS 10
In addition to these major adjustments and innovations, Apple lists a number of other functions that are coming for the first time with watchOS 10. The “NameDrop” function introduced in iOS 17 also applies to the Apple Watch. This makes it even easier to synchronize your contact information within the Apple cosmos. Speaking of contacts, starting with watchOS 10, Apple Watch users can also view FaceTime video messages from their smart watch.
In addition, the reminder function of the medication app will be improved and the offline maps stored on an iPhone will be more accessible via the Apple Watch.
Which Apple Watch models will get watchOS 10?
As of now, all smartwatch models that are generally still being updated by Apple are getting watchOS 10. This also includes the Apple Watch Series 4. It is important that you have at least an iPhone Xs (or newer).