watchOS 11 brings Live Activities to the Apple Watch
What new health and fitness features does watchOS 11 bring to the Apple Watch?
watchOS 11 brings several new health and fitness features to the Apple Watch. Some of these features include:
-
Training Load: This feature offers personalized insight to manage workout schedules. It uses sensor data and health parameters to provide an effort rating, which is then used to calculate your training progress. This helps users understand whether they are over or undertraining.
-
Pause Activity Rings: Users can now take a day off from closing their activity rings without risking their awards progress. This feature is beneficial for rest days or when users are sick or injured.
-
Vitals App: This new app provides health metric insights and highlights abnormalities1. It offers a unified snapshot of your health trends, and users can receive notifications if their health metrics change.
-
Improved Pregnancy Tracking: The Cycle Tracking app now offers more intuitive health features for pregnant users. It tracks gestational age and allows users to log pregnancy-related symptoms.
-
Smart Stack Upgrades: The Smart Stack feature gets more intelligent with watchOS 11. It curates the most relevant information and can show widgets like translation when you’re in a new country or a weather forecast when rain is on the way.
-
Customizable Activity Rings and Fitness App: Users can now customize the Fitness app's summary tab with the information that matters most to them, such as metrics for biking, hiking, running, and mindfulness6.
-
New Photos Watch Face: The Photos watch face has been completely modernized, complete with machine learning. Your watch will now suggest which photos to use as your watch face based on the best finds in your library.
-
Double Tap API: The Double Tap motion is now available to developers, allowing users to interact with more apps using the simple thumb-to-forefinger tap4.
These features aim to enhance the overall health and fitness experience on the Apple Watch, providing users with more personalized and insightful data.
How do Live Activities on the Apple Watch mirror those on the iPhone?
Live Activities on the Apple Watch mirror those on the iPhone by automatically syncing the real-time information from the iPhone's Live Activities to the Watch. This happens when there's a Live Activity running on the iPhone paired to the Watch. The Apple Watch displays Live Activities in the Smart Stack, which can be accessed by rotating the Digital Crown upwards. When there's a new status update, the system automatically shows you the Smart Stack with Live Activity at the top. This mirroring feature allows users to stay updated about live events, activities, or tasks directly from their Apple Watch, even if the iOS app doesn't have a watchOS version.
Can you explain what Live Activities are and how they function on the Apple Watch with watchOS 11?
Live Activities are real-time updates from apps that can be displayed directly on the Lock Screen or Dynamic Island of an iPhone. They offer a more flexible way to keep users informed about live events, activities, or tasks that go beyond the existing push notification system.
With watchOS 11, Live Activities are now available on the Apple Watch. The Watch mirrors the iPhone's Live Activities, displaying them in the Smart Stack. This happens automatically when there's a Live Activity running on the iPhone paired with the Watch. The system will show the Smart Stack with Live Activity at the top when there's a new status update.
For developers who want to customize Live Activities for the Apple Watch, watchOS 11 provides APIs that allow them to create a specific look and feel for the feature. This enables a seamless experience for users who rely on Live Activities for real-time information.
In summary, Live Activities on the Apple Watch with watchOS 11 offer users real-time updates from apps, enhancing the overall experience and keeping users informed about important events, activities, or tasks12.