What’s
new with
Apple
Watch
Wrist–friendly features
WHILE PUBLIC BETASof macOS
10.15, iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and
tvOS 13 are expected in Muly,
watchOS 6 will be limited to registered
developers until its release alongside
the mobile OSes in the autumn. Like the
other upgrades, it’s free of charge, and
like watchOS 5 it’ll run on any Apple
Watch except for the very Ľrst model.
This year’s release continues the trend
of making the Watch less dependent on
the iPhone. It already has its own GPS
and Wi-Fi, plus optional 3G/4G. Until
now, however, the only way to install
apps on the Watch was through the
Watch app on your iPhone; the app
would then appear on both devices. In
future, you’ll be able to browse the App
Store on the Watch, search it via Scribble
handwriting recognition or Dictation, or
just tell Siri what you want. Not all apps
will need an iPhone companion.ABOUT TIME...
watchOS also gains the ability to stream
audio without your iPhone’s help,
which will be available to apps through
a developer API. Apple’s own new
Audiobooks app will sync your Apple
Books from the cloud, so you can play
them through your favorite Bluetooth
headphones. And Shazam (which Apple
acquired and integrated into iOS last
year) is now available to Siri on the
Watch, so you can ask what song is
playing and get the details on your wrist.
The Health app oļers more insight
into trends over time, although you’ll
need your iPhone for the full beneĽt.
New built–in Watch apps include the
potentially very handy Voice Memos as
well as Calculator, Cycle Tracking and
Noise (see right). To keep constant track
of sound level, among other data, you
can add it as a complication to your
favorite Watch face: there are more of
these to choose from, but still only from
Apple. An option to buzz your wrist on
the hour, every hour, is at least discreet,
unlike the alternative — demonstrated
by Kevin Lynch (Apple’s Vice President
of Technology) — of emitting a
coworker-enraging chirp.Noise
This new app measures
the ambient sound level
and lets you know if it’s
too high for the safety
of your ears. Hearing
damage is scarily
common, so listen up.Cycle Tracking
We’re talking periods,
not pelotons. HealthKit
gets a built–in menstrual
calculator, with easy
entry of daily data and
charts generated on
your iPhone.Calculator
It’s not clear why this
app wasn’t on the Watch
from the start. Third
parties have filled the
gap, but the familiar
orange buttons
might tempt you back.Check out your trends to see which activities are
going well, and which metrics may be indicating
that you need to step things up a gear.maclife.comAUG 2019 27WWDC 2019