Apple today previewed watchOS 11, the next major software update for the Apple Watch that introduces several new health and workout features.
Activity Rings can now be adjusted by day of the week and paused for a rest day, allowing users to keep their award streak going. Users can set workouts to alert a friend that they have been safely completed, such as a late-night run.
watchOS 11 includes a new "training load" feature, helping users to track intensity over time. A new algorithm uses heart rate, altitude, workout duration, and age and weight data to give a calculation of your estimated effort rating and training load.
A new Vitals app provides an overview of daily health, comparing daily health statistics to historical data and highlighting when health data is outside your typical range. If multiple metrics are out of range, you will receive a tailored message to see how they could be affecting you.
Cycle tracking now shows estimates of gestational age, showing pregnancy across charts to review metrics like high heart rate notification thresholds.
Widgets will be automatically added to the Smart Stack. For example, the Translate app will show automatically when you go to a different country and the Weather app will show up when rain is imminent. watchOS 11 also brings Live Activities to the Apple Watch for the first time.
An improved Photos watch face gives users more control and uses machine learning to automatically crop photos. The update also brings the Translate app to the Apple Watch.
The first developer beta of watchOS 11 is available starting today, with a public beta following in July, and official release to the public in the fall.
