As expected, watchOS 9, the new operating system for our Apple Watch, is now official. Thanks to the WWDC event we have been able to get a closer look at what this new operating system will be like for Apple’s smartwatch and, the truth is, it has several new functions that we are dying to try.
In addition to new faces with quite surprising designs (I declare myself a fan of the Lunar face that shows the phase of the moon), Apple has improved functions of its most popular app on the Apple Watch, that is, the WorkOut app. , as well as other improved sleep tracking or medication/supplement tracking tools.
We tell you all the news that we have been able to discover at the WWDC about the new watchOS 9.
New Apple Watch Faces
There are four new Faces that Apple has presented and, the truth is that we have loved all four. The Moon Face shows the relationship between the Gregorian calendar (the calendar we are used to) and the lunar calendar.
The Playtime Face is an Apple-exclusive dynamic work of art that displays animated numbers that will go to sleep when you’re not wearing the watch and wake up when you move your wrist.
Metropolitan offers a much more classic and typographic design although, as a novelty, you will see that the style changes as the digital crown is turned.
Finally, the face of Astronomy. Yes, it already existed, but with watchOS 9 it has been completely remastered and features a new star map as well as real cloud data and information.
What’s new in the Training app
At WWDC they made it clear: the Training app is one of the most popular apps on the Apple Watch. Therefore, it is not surprising that Apple has wanted to improve it. Now you can find more complete metrics, as well as new training experiences.
You will be able to use the Digital Crown in the training screen of each session, something that could not be done before. This will allow for much easier reading.
Perhaps the biggest news, though, is the fact that watchOS 9 now allows for custom workouts so you can create the workout at the pace your body needs. For this, you can add alerts that have to do with rhythm, power or heart rate, among others.
WatchOS 9 with the runners and swimmers
Runners are in luck (especially if they have an Apple Watch) since watchOS 9 promises much more data and functions that allow users to control the efficiency of running. This means that there will be new metrics, such as stride length, ground contact time or vertical oscillation.
On the other hand, new metrics have also been added for swimmers. Sensor fusion has been used in the Apple Watch that will be able to detect when Apple Watch users swim with a certain swim board and thus classify the type of stroke.
WatchOS 9 introduces SWOLF scoring, a score that counts your strokes combined with the time in seconds it takes to swim a length.
Improved sleep analysis
When we use a smart watch or an activity bracelet, one of the most useful functions is sleep tracking. Normally, this function allows us to know the quality of our sleep in order to improve our habits if necessary.
Apple knows that sleep has a direct impact on our health, so it is not surprising that they want to give importance to the Sleep app.
It was already possible to add schedules to relax or go to sleep and carry out that sleep monitoring that we mentioned. However, thanks to watchOS 9, sleep tracking will be much more detailed. To do this, the signals from the accelerometer and the heart rate sensor will be used to know when you are in REM, basic or deep phase.
More detailed information includes heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as sleep comparison graphs in the Health app on your iPhone.
AFib tracking like never seen before
Health is the key point of the Apple Watch, which is why Apple is working on making its operating system more and more capable of detecting possible health problems in its users.
There is already an ECG app that allows you to identify signs of atrial fibrillation. This type of condition, if not treated in time, can be one of the main causes of a stroke.
Apple says research suggests the amount of time spent in atrial fibrillation can affect a person’s symptoms, overall quality of life, and risk of complications.
A new feature built into watchOS 9 will allow you to track the rate of atrial fibrillation over an extended period of time. If you have been diagnosed, you can activate this function. You will be able to receive weekly notifications to know the frequency and see a detailed history in the Health app.
If you wish, you can also download a PDF with this information, a document that you can easily share with your doctor.
Track your medications
On the one hand, we have found it to be a super useful tool since, if you take medications frequently or, as in my case, vitamin supplements, you will realize how easy it is to forget to take them.
In this case, you will be able to write down all the supplements or medications you take to keep a detailed track of when you take it and when not, as well as the fact of activating alerts that remind you to take those medications.
On the other hand, it seems to us one more way that Apple will have to be aware of quite personal information. In this case, of our possible diseases and medications.
When will watchOS 9 be available?
Apple has presented during the key note inaugural of the WWDC 2022 the new watchOS 9 operating system. However, it has not confirmed when the new OS can be installed on the Apple Watch.
Surely, this is expected to happen when Apple launches the new generation of smartwatchesthe Apple Watch Series 8 and possibly the Apple Watch SE 2.
We think that will be september 2022Well, this has been the case in recent years. It will be then when the official version arrives, although the developers and the most curious will have been able to test the beta for developers and the public beta respectively months before, already in June or July.
Which Apple Watches will be compatible with watchOS 9?
These will be the Apple Watch that will surely be able to install watchOS 9 once the latest version of the software:
- Apple Watch Series 4
- Apple Watch Series 5
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch SE
- Apple Watch Series 7
- 2022 models
There are rumors that Apple will discontinue the Apple Watch Series 3 soon and that is why we are not surprised that this 2017 model stops receiving updates from softwarealthough we thought that watchOS 9 would be the last version to arrive for the Series 3.
