At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5, Apple announced that it is introducing the brand-new watchOS 10 for users. Apple is updating the Apple Watch's software with new widgets and redesigned apps to show more information at a glance. Widgets will be able to surface the contextual information throughout the day, such as medication reminders or calendar alerts, similar to how they function on the iPhone.
The Apple Watch is also getting two new watch faces - the color-palette themed, and another featuring the Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock. watchOS will also feature more metrics and workout views for cycling, including the ability to show extra statistics when connecting to other bluetooth-enabled bike sensors.
Apple is adding new benefits for cyclists and hikers as well. Cyclists can track their performance through the workout power view feature and hikers can make use of the Compass app to show the last area where one can catch the cell reception. Now, users can also send SOS messages and calls by using the Compass app.
Apple is adding new mood logging features to the Mindfulness app, which users can access on both the watch and the phone. Users will also be able to take standardized assessments often used in clinics to understand more about how they are feeling.
With watchOS 10, Apple Watch also introduced the ability to measure time spent in daylight using the ambient light sensor. Users can view the amount of time spent in daylight detected by their Apple Watch in the Health app in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
Children who do not have their own iPhone can use Family Setup to pair their Apple Watch to their parent’s iPhone, giving parents visibility into the amount of time their kids are spending in daylight with Health Sharing. ‘Time spent in daylight can provide additional benefits to physical and mental health, so this feature is available to all watchOS 10 users,’' said Apple in its statement on June 5.
watchOS is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on iOS, the operating system used by the iPhone, and has many similar features. It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS.
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