The 7 biggest Apple Watch features coming in watchOS 5
Improved fitness tracking, Walkie Talkie chatter, and plenty more inbound
The 7 biggest Apple Watch features coming in watchOS 5
Last night Apple announced that watchOS 5 will bring big upgrades to nearly any Apple Watch. We say “nearly” because the original 2015 Apple Watch has been lopped off of the upgrade list, but everything released later (including the lightly-enhanced Series 1 model) is still onboard. Apple will release watchOS 5 this autumn, likely in September around the same time as new iPhones and the also-just-announced iOS 12. Here are the biggest features it’ll deliver.
1) Walkie Talkie
The Apple Watch already puts calls on your smartphone, if you don’t mind talking towards your wrist – but with the new Walkie Talkie app, you’ll also be able to send quick voice messages to trusted contacts in an instant. Once both sides agree to be connected, you’ll be able to tap a contact, hold the screen down in the Walkie Talkie app, and send out whatever spoken missive you choose. Whether you’ll actually want your mates constantly bothering you is another story altogether…
2) Improved fitness tracking
With watchOS 5 installed your Watch will now be able to automatically detect when you start working out, so you’ll never miss out on any wrist-based kudos again. It’ll also remind you to end a workout once you’re done. The Workout app also adds Hiking as an exercise and will sense elevation to ensure that you’re properly tracking calories for all of those steep inclines. Yoga will also see a boost with improved tracking, while runners will get rolling mile tracking so that you can see your splits while sprinting, as well as pace alerts and your steps-per-minute cadence to try and improve efficiency.
3) Activity competitions
Find yourself in need of extra motivation… or just want to show up a mate in a bit of friendly competition? Apple has just the fix with watchOS 5’s Activity Competitions. Not only can you share activity with friends, but you’ll also be able to compete for points earned based on how well you fill your Activity rings. Meanwhile, personalised coaching during competitions will help you figure out what to do to catch up and squash your rival. And, of course, there are shiny new digital medals to earn for vanquishing your pals in wrist-tracked weekly battles.
4) Siri gets smarter
With new motion activation, Siri will be better-equipped to handle your requests with watchOS 5. You’ll be able to simply lift your wrist before issuing commands rather than dropping a “Hey Siri” every time. One less step: we like that. Siri is also invading your apps – in a good way. The Siri watch face will show prompts from apps like Citymapper with your daily commute home, or Nike Run Club with an invitation to get out and start a run. More automation should make the Apple Watch even handier.
5) Wrist-friendly notifications
WatchOS 5 will bring interactive notifications from apps, such as checking into a Quantas flight and adding a boarding pass to Wallet. You can also easily change the time and number of guests for a dinner reservation via Yelp, or add time to your parking meter via PayByPhone. It’ll also group together notifications from the same app (like Messages or Email) as seen in iOS 12, and if you get a web link, it’ll show you a view that’s resized to look reasonable on your tiny smartwatch screen. The iOS 12 Do Not Disturb features will also come into play on Apple Watch, letting you set a time-limited or location-based DND for your devices.
6) Podcasts on your wrist
Are you a big fan of listening to podcasts while you work out? Well, Apple’s Podcasts app will be equipped for Watch usage in watchOS 5, as the app will automatically sync several episodes of your favourite shows to your Apple Watch. Pair some AirPods and you’re ready to get moving even without your phone. You’ll also be able to ask Siri for shows and stream episodes via cellular connection if your Watch has the feature, or presumably over Wi-Fi if your phone is in range.
7) Uni ID cards
Seems like Apple is also making a big play for the Apple Watch to become ubiquitous on university campuses, as watchOS 5 will roll out the ability to add student ID cards to your Wallet. That way, you can use your Watch to pay for food and laundry or check out books at participating campuses. American schools like Duke, the University of Alabama, and the University of Oklahoma are already onboard, but we have to think that other tech-friendly universities will jump at the opportunity pretty quickly.
