Apple watchOS 9 First Impressions: Aimed at fitness enthusiasts
watchOS 9 update brings lots of upgrades to the health tracking front while polishing some other bits to make the Apple Watch more competitive.
Ever since the WWDC 22 event, most of the focus has been largely on iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 for all their new goodies. watchOS 9 has largely remained in the shadows with no headline making changes for the masses – the update has mostly minor updates to existing functionalities that could spruce up the user experience greatly. However, for those wear an Apple Watch as an indispensable accessory, watchOS 9 brings enough changes to actually make a difference to their fitness routine, and even lift the mood when you lift your wrist.
Prior to that, there are things you should know. watchOS 9 is in public beta and hence, if you want to download it right now, you will need to register for the Apple Beta Program. That means you agree to an unfinished software experience and all the bugs and issues associated with it. Additionally, watchOS 9 will only be compatible with an iPhone that is already on iOS 16 Beta. Hence, you are taking a lot of chances in order to try out the beta version of watchOS 9.
Do note that the watchOS 9 update will be compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4, Watch Series 5, Watch Series 6, Watch Series 7 and Watch Series SE.
watchOS 9 is ALL about finer health details
Oh yes, watchOS 9 takes details quite seriously. If you rely on your Apple Watch for your workout sessions, you now have a lot more data to play with. For example, if you take the watchOS 9 out for your morning run, it will now show you your heart rate zones, power, and more by simply turning the crown. You can check out the current pace vs the average pace, keep a track of your whereabout during the run, get more info on your running style, and much more. You can even customise your workout based on your convenience. Once done, the Health app on the iPhone will show all the stats in more detail.
Sleep stats now on par with fitness bands
Sadly, it took Apple watchOS 9 to provide basic details on health tracking; something that cheap fitness bands have been doing for ages. You will now be able to see REM, Light and Deep Sleep data on the watch and the iPhone. You still have to manually enable Sleep mode to do that.
Medication reminder
I am still at an age where my life doesn't depend on pills. However, if your does, the Apple Watch will now remind you to take your medicines, and then log the data on the watch. You can even log “Skipped” if you are unable to take it.
Revamped Notifications UI
It is slightly more spacious than ever, which is a big deal on the Apple Watch Series 7. Apple has also changed the font for uniformity, all of which looks nice. Additionally, when you are using any app on watch, the notification comes in the form of a floating banner, just like the iPhone. Neat.
New watch faces
Of course, a new version of watchOS and how can Apple not include new watch faces? There are three faces available with the update, the best looking being the Metropolitan face with its fancy type face. The Portrait mode watch face gets certain improvements while the Lunar face also gets more details.
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