As had been widely expected, Apple today unveiled watchOS 3 during the keynote for its latest Worldwide Developer’s Conference. The latest version of Apple’s wearables operating system promises “significantly improved performance” with apps that launch instantly, improved navigation and new fitness and health capabilities.
“Apple Watch is the ultimate companion for a healthy life and with watchOS 3, there’s now even more to love,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Favorite apps launch instantly and are simple to access, and the breakthrough new fitness and health features like the Breathe app make it feel like a whole new watch.”
Performance and navigation have been improved with the introduction of the new Dock. Pressing the side button brings it up along with recent and favourite apps instead of bringing up the contacts menu. Your favourite apps will also benefit from background refreshes and will start up to seven times faster by being kept in memory. The Control Center has also been enhanced and new watch faces, including a Minnie Mouse one, have been added along with new complications.
On the communication side, Apple introduced Scribbles which lets you scribble a message using your finger. watchOs uses handwriting recognition to convert it to text. Messaging now offers a richer set of features including improved Smart Replies, stickers and invisible ink which requires the recipient to swipe over the message to reveal it. SOS is another new feature that lets you initiate a call through an iPhone over over Wi-Fi with emergency services simply by pressing and holding the side button.
Apple has also given watchOS 3 improved health and fitness capabilities. The new Breathe app encourages you to perform deep breathing exercises regularly to help you relax and reduce stress levels. The Activity app has been optimized for wheelchair users, helping track calories burned, offering “time to roll” reminders instead of “time to stand” ones and suggesting wheelchair specific workouts. It is now also easier to share, compare and compete on fitness goals with others.
watchOS 3 will be available this fall as a free update to Apple Watch. Developers can get a head start on it with the already available WatchKit for watchOS 3.
Source : Apple