Everyone knows that adding customisation to your tech products is always going to be a winner – and that’s why Apple has enabled customisable faces like cute dogs and cats or inspiring landscapes on the watchOS 9. You can even choose Lunar faces or Chinese scripts, or opt for a variety of colour editing.
It means Apple Watch users get to express their personal styles by being able to choose a watch face that suits their personality.
In today’s preview of the watchOS 9 at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple outlined the many new features being planned such as an updated Workout app, advanced metrics for those serious exercise junkees, and training experiences inspired by athletes to help take your workouts to the next level.
There are even new sleep stages being added to the Sleep app and a new Medications app to help users more easily and conveniently manage and track medications.
“Users around the world love Apple Watch for helping them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the day and better manage their health,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Later this year, watchOS 9 takes the Apple Watch experience to the next level with scientifically validated insights across fitness, sleep and heart health, while providing users more creative ways to make their Apple Watch their own.”
Work out updates to the watchOS 9
There will be important new metrics introduced for different training styles. Heart Rate Zones, which can be manually created or automatically calculated using personalised Health data, can be used to monitor the intensity of a workout. Interval training is an important part of any training plan, and in watchOS 9, the Workout app introduces Custom Workouts, which can be used to create a structured workout that can include work and rest intervals. New alerts, including pace, power, heart rate and cadence, can be added to guide users throughout the workout.
It also supports a new Multi-sport workout type that automatically switches between any sequence of swimming, biking and running workouts, using motion sensors to recognise movement patterns. Clever, huh?
Get More Out of Apple Fitness+ Workouts
Apple Fitness+ is the first fitness and wellness service built around Apple Watch, designed to be welcoming to all. It intelligently incorporates real-time workout metrics from the Apple Watch right on the screen with iPhone, iPad or Apple TV, motivating users of all levels from start to finish.
With watchOS 9, Fitness+ workouts now display on-screen guidance in addition to trainer coaching to help users get the most out of workouts, including Intensity for HIIT, Cycling, Rowing and Treadmill; Strokes per Minute (SPM) for Rowing; Revolutions per Minute (RPM) for Cycling; and Incline for walkers and runners in Treadmill.
Fitness+ subscribers without Apple TV can now use AirPlay to stream workouts and meditations with on-screen metrics to compatible third-party TVs and devices, allowing them to train anywhere, anytime.
Better Sleep Insights
The Sleep experience on Apple Watch already empowers users to create Wind Down and Bedtime schedules, as well as track their sleep to help them meet their goals.
Sleep tracking in watchOS 9 provides even more insights with the introduction of sleep stages. Using signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor, the Apple Watch can detect when users are in REM, Core or Deep sleep.
Users will see sleep stage data on Apple Watch in the Sleep app and can view more detailed information, like time asleep, alongside additional metrics, like heart rate and respiratory rate, in sleep comparison charts in the Health app on iPhone.