WatchOS 5: Everything That You Need To Know

In Worldwide Developers Conference, 2018 Apple announced the new operating system for its wearable Apple Watch, WatchOS 5. It is somewhat a revolution for Apple gear lovers as many new features and a few changes to the old ones have been introduced.

Currently, the first developer’s beta version for the OS is available and the official release is set in fall of 2018.

In this post, we have discussed the changes and additions that you would see in upcoming watchOS 5 upgrade.

 Let’s get started!

Activity: Competition

Within the Activity app, a new feature called “Competition” is introduced. With this feature, you can challenge your friend to a 7-day competition for closing those rings. You can track your progress during the challenge and get awards.

Throughout the competition, you get a personalized coaching, get feedback and alerts when you are behind or ahead of your competitor, so that you stay motivated and strategize to outperform.

Workout App: Automatic Workout Detection

Another addition is done to Workout app, Automatic Workout Detection. With this feature, as soon as you start your workout, watchOS 5 will detect it. Moreover, it will detect the activity, it will prompt whether you want the watch to track it. It will give you post facto credit when you start recording the activity. It automatically prompts if you’re done with workout, whenever it detects a decrease in activity.

Also Read: How To Mute Sounds On The Apple Watch

Workout App: New Workouts

Two new workouts, Hiking, and Yoga have been added to Workout app so, now the app can track them as well. Hiking will provide you metrics such as elevation, calories burned, and with Yoga, it will concentrate on your heart rate.

Pace alerts

If you are into running and often make your Apple Watch your companion, then this new addition will help you keep up. With Pace alerts, you can choose your target speed for a run and with a simple tap on Apple Watch, it will keep you informed, whether you are maintaining the set pace. It tracks Rolling miles, with which you can stay updated with the time taken to run for the previous mile and current mile as well.

New App: Walkie-Talkie

With watchOS 5 upgrades, you get a new app, Walkie-Talkie for your Apple Watch which will work as Walkie-Talkie. If you and your friend have watchOS 5, press Talk button from Apple Watch screen and send small voice messages back and forth with ease. Walkie-Talkie app can work over both WIFI and mobile data.

Podcasts

With the arrival of Podcast to your WatchOS, you can now listen to your podcast on your wrist. You can continue listening to the podcast on the Apple Watch right where you paused if you are stepping out of your home.

Also Read: How to Unpair and Reset Apple Watch

Notifications

Notifications are getting an upgrade to iOS 12 and also with watchOS 5 as well. With the new update, your notifications will be grouped, so now instead of separated notifications, you will get a grouped notification, you can read all of them one by one, by tapping on it. Moreover, you can clear them all at a go. With WebKit now, you can open links on your Apple Watch. You can schedule, enable or disable and Do Not Disturb Mode on your Apple Watch. You can set a time or even tell the Watch to turn the notifications on after you leave the current location.

Siri

With WatchOS 5 comes Siri Shortcuts, which enables you to add shortcuts of apps to Siri. Furthermore, you can add phrases which you can use to make an app to perform tasks. With new OS, Siri is sturdy now, on getting to know your app habits, it will be able to provide suggestions on Siri Watch Face. Waking Siri doesn’t require the Wake word, just Raise the Apple Watch to speak and Siri will come up.

Student ID cards

Good news for Students of the US. With new watchOS 5 upgrade, students no longer need to carry their Student ID cards, as they can store it on Apple Watch. This will make easy for students to pay for their laundry, access dorm rooms, furthermore, pay for their food on and around campus with the Near Field Communication chip.

Currently, only six institutions have taken up the partnership with Apple for same. The University of Alabama, Temple University, The University of Oklahoma, Duke, Johns Hopkins University and Santa Clara University

Also Read: 9 Apple Watch Tricks You Should Know!

Compatibility:

According to Apple Website, watchOS 5 will work on Apple Watch Series 1, Apple Watch Series 2, Apple Watch Series 3 and along with this, you need an iPhone 5s or later with iOS 12 on it.

Pride and Summer Bands

Apple also launched new watch face to celebrate Pride, which can be downloaded from the Face Gallery of Apple Watch app. Moreover, Apple Pride Edition Woven Nylon band gets an update with a new rainbow stripe. Apple is also introducing new summer band colors Sky Blue, Marine Green, and Peach. These new colors of Apple Watch Sport Band will be available in Austria, the US, Canada, the UK, China, Hong Kong, Luxembourg Philippines, Australia, Finland, Ireland,  Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Malaysia, Mexico, Japan,  New Zealand, Poland, UAE, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Thailand, Netherlands, France, Italy, Norway, South Korea, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Switzerland, Russia, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Singapore and Sweden. The cost of Sports Band is $49 in the US.

So, these are updates and new features that Apple is planning to introduce in watchOS 5 this fall. Let’s wait and watch, how useful it turns out to be.