The Best New Features in WatchOS 9
WatchOS 9, scheduled to release this fall, has a ton of new features you’ll want to check out. Most of these features are fitness-related, such as a new multisport mode for triathletes, the ability to track heart rate zones, and improved swim tracking. It also has new accessibility features and improved sleep tracking. Here’s everything to expect from watchOS 9.
Medication Reminders
If you keep forgetting to take your medication on time, you can set up reminders using watchOS 9. You can also use this feature to keep track of the vitamins or other supplements you take. Apple says people in the US may receive alerts for critical interactions with certain medications, such as abstaining from drinking alcohol while on a course of certain medications.
Atrial Fibrillation Tracking Improvements
Apple Watch can already track atrial fibrillation (AFib) cases , but with watchOS 9, you’ll get more information about the condition. If you’ve been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, watchOS 9 has added a feature that tells you how often your heart rate shows signs of atrial fibrillation. The ability to track your atrial fibrillation history is also new to the Apple Watch, and the company says it’s FDA-approved for people ages 22 and older in the US who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
New running form indicators
Even experienced runners tend to lose their running form towards the end of longer runs. Fatigue or lack of adequate strength training can impair your fitness, which can lead to injury. WatchOS 9 lets you monitor some of your running form metrics, such as stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation.
You can set up workout views on your Apple Watch to add these metrics or track them in the Fitness app on your iPhone.
Updated workout app
The Workout app on your Apple Watch will get some improvements in watchOS 9. It will let you create custom workouts to add work and rest intervals to your exercise routine. If you’re working on increasing your speed for your marathons, you can use a custom workout that consists of five minutes of hard running, two minutes of rest, and repetition.
In addition, the Workout app will let you track the intensity of your workouts using heart rate zones, cadence, and a dynamic pace tracker that alerts you when you’re too fast or too slow during your training runs.
Drive yourself
For those who love to run but don’t want to share their workouts with everyone , watchOS 9 has a feature that lets you race on routes you frequent. If you return to a recently completed route, your watch will ask if you want to try to improve your time. You can take on the challenge and have a healthy competition with yourself.
Check the intensity of your runs
When you’re trying to train your body to run at a higher intensity, you can use the watchOS 9 metric called “Running Power”. It measures the intensity of your runs and helps you find a sustainable way to do them.
Multisport mode for triathletes
Apple Watch will get a triathlete-focused multisport mode that lets you track different types of workouts — running, swimming, and cycling — without repeatedly switching between workout modes. While that’s good, Apple Watch battery life is still a limitation for endurance athletes like those who compete in Ironman triathlons .
Improved swimming tracking
For swimming pool workouts, Apple has added board detection to watchOS 9. If you are swimming with a board, your watch will be able to detect it and add the correct stroke type. An upcoming version of watchOS also allows you to track SWOLF , which measures swimming efficiency.
Improved sleep data
Sleep tracking data on your Apple Watch will also be improved to show how long you slept, when you woke up, and how much time you spent in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. You can get the most out of your sleep data by checking sleep trends in the Health app on your iPhone. In watchOS 9, this data will display breathing and heart rate along with sleep data.
Increasing accessibility
watchOS 9 brings some improvements to Apple Watch accessibility. This will allow you to use the double tap gesture to start your workout or take a photo. People with physical or movement disabilities will also be able to cast their Apple Watch to their iPhones and control wearables using the iPhone’s set of dedicated features.
Productivity increase
Finally, watchOS 9 will bring small but significant performance improvements to your Apple Watch. The dock, which can be opened by pressing the side button, will give priority to applications running in the background. This will make it easier to access the apps you actually use.
You’ll be able to create calendar events right from your watch, and notifications won’t take up the whole screen when you’re using a wearable. The watch keyboard will also get support for additional languages, including French and Spanish.