Apple officially announced watchOS 11 at its WWDC 2024 developer conference, including new features. Now we have the iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series 10 official, the smartwatch operating system has its final release date and compatibility specifics.
Here’s everything you need to know about the operating system that will power the Apple Watch range for the next year or more.
When will watchOS 11 be released?
Apple has a set rhythm for when new versions of watchOS make their debut. It’s normally in September, as you can see from the schedule below:
- watchOS 10: September 18, 2023
- watchOS 9: September 12, 2022
- watchOS 8: September 20, 2021
- watchOS 7: September 16, 2020
- watchOS 6: September 19, 2019
- watchOS 5: September 17, 2018
At the iPhone 16 announcement event, Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 10 (but no Ultra 3 or SE 3), and reaffirmed that watchOS 11 will be available on September 16th.
Apple has confirmed that you’ll need an iPhone Xs or later running iOS 18, and that “not all features are available on all devices and in all regions.”
For example, the Series 10’s new sleep apnea detection feature will be rolled out to previous watches, but only the Ultra 2 and Series 9.
Which Apple Watch models will be compatible with watchOS 11?
Apple has confirmed which models will run watchOS 11 and you can see the list below. There are two surprising omissions in the Series 5 and Watch SE (1st gen).
- Apple Watch Ultra 2
- Apple Watch Ultra
- Apple Watch Series 10 (assumed)
- Apple Watch Series 9
- Apple Watch Series 8
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Apple Watch Series 6
- Apple Watch SE (2nd gen)
As noted above, you need to pair it with an iPhone Xs or later running iOS 18.
What new features will there be in watchOS 11?
Apple introduced the majority of the watchOS 11 enhancements during WWDC in June.
The presentation revealed a surprising fact: Apple’s expected AI software, known as Apple Intelligence, will not be available for the Apple Watch.
At least it looks to be that way, as Apple made no mention of it during the Apple Intelligence portion, merely mentioning that it will be available for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
Nonetheless, these are the major new features coming to watchOS 11.
Customizable Activity Rings
In wearOS 11, you’ll be able to have additional control over the famous activity rings, which have long been a feature of Apple Watch. If you need to take a break, you can pause them for a day, week, month, or longer.
You’ll also be able to set different goals for different days of the week, so you don’t feel like you’re doing too much during the week or on weekends.
Live Activities
As part of the more intelligent Smart Stack, Live Activities appear automatically to provide you with relevant information when you need it, eliminating the need for you to search for it.
This could include everything from the gate number of an aircraft to the time a meal order is ready.
Training Load
The ability to measure workout intensity has been added to wearOS 11. According to Apple, “Training load helps users understand the strain on their body from workouts over the last seven days compared to the last 28 days.”
This will enable you to make more informed decisions about training progress and recovery times.
Vitals app
You may monitor vital signs like blood oxygen levels, heart rate, respiration rate, wrist temperature, and length of sleep with the new Vitals app.
When two or more metrics deviate from the usual range, you’ll additionally receive a notification explaining the possible causes, such as illness.
Translate
Traveling is about to become easier with the arrival of the Translation app, which supports 20 languages. When you visit a location with a language other than the one specified on your Apple Watch, the current version of the Smart Stack will additionally recommend a Translate app widget.
Double tap API
The double tap feature on Apple Watch is excellent, but it will be even more handy with wearOS 11. Apple’s addition of a double tap API allows developers to exploit the gesture as a shortcut in their apps.
Soon, tapping your finger and thumb together will be able to accomplish much more. In the WWDC keynote, Apple used the example of tracking a baby falling asleep without waking them up.
It may be used to scroll through any app.
Improved Photos face
Apple Watch owners enjoy utilizing photos as watch faces, and this is about to improve. For starters, the new Dynamic mode allows you to be presented with a fresh photo each time you raise your wrist.
It will also recommend the best photographs from your library to create a face from, cropping them exactly for you. Of course, you may then modify it in a variety of ways.
What features would we like to see in watchOS 11?
Programmable Action Button
The Side button on the Apple Watch lets you access the Quick Settings menu easily, but as the iPhone 15 range of devices now features an Action button which can be assigned to a variety of functions, we think it’s time that Apple did the same for the Side button on its Watches.
Being able to instantly start an exercise session, measure your heart rate, or get to the music controls just by tapping the Side button would make the Watch a lot more customised to the needs of the individual user.
