Apple today announced the next major operating system for the Apple Watch family: watchOS 6. While the update doesn't make any major changes, it will bring an App Store directly to the Apple Watch, adds new health features such as period tracking, and introduces a couple of new first party apps.
With an on-device App Store, the Apple Watch will become more independent - you won't need to use your paired iPhone to install a new app. In addition, watchOS 6 will give developers the ability to create apps specifically for the Apple Watch that doesn't require a corresponding iPhone app installed.
As part of these changes, developers will be able to get apps to stream audio directly to the Watch, which would help bring apps like Spotify and Pocket Casts to your wrist.
On the health front, watchOS 6 introduces an Activity Trends feature that compares your last 90 days of activity to the previous year. If you're falling behind, you'll get coaching suggestions on how to get back on track. In addition to monitoring your Move, Exercise, and Stand metrics, Activity Trends will also provide data on your walking pace, cardio fitness, and flights climbed.
watchOS 6 will add native menstrual cycle tracking, that lets you log key aspects such as flow level and symptoms such as headaches or cramps. Using this data, your Apple Watch will give you notifications about upcoming periods and will attempt to predict your fertility window. This functionality will also be available in the Health app in iOS for all iPhone owners.
Lastly, watchOS 6 features a Noise app that will tell you if your environment is too loud and could damage your hearing.
Other new watchOS 6 functionality includes an Audio Book app, a Voice Memo app, a Calculator app, and at least five new watch faces.
We're expecting watchOS 6 to launch in September. It will work on every Apple Watch other than the original. You'll need an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 13 to install watchOS 6.
Alex Choros
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