watchOS 4 came out yesterday, and is a free update for all Apple Watch models. The latest versions brings you three new watch faces including ToyStory and Siri. It also gives you new version of Music and the Heart Rate app. The update includes enhancements to the Activity and Workout apps including High Intensity Interval Training. Which means, this is definitely something you should get immediately, if not sooner.
watchOS 4 was announced back in June, and was launched along side iOS 11 yesterday. The new Siri watch face features a proactive timeline that shows relevant information in a vertically scrolling timeline. It features a new Siri complication and configurable data sources including Home, Now Playing and Workout. You can change which show in the Watch app on iPhone. Kaleidoscope is a vibrant analog watch face that twists and turns photos to create color effects. You can even create new Kaleidoscope faces using photos you shoot from the iPhone.
Toy Story faces join the other characters (Mickey and Minnie Mouse). You can choose between Woody, Buzz, Jessie or the whole toy box and watch each character come to life each time you check your watch. These characters are a draw for my two year old nephew, so I’m not sure that I want to put any of these new ones on there. Especially when he finds it fascinating and then wants to play with the Watch. The Toy Story characters are cute, but I don’t necessarily find them all that professional. Yes, I can change the faces, but I find that kind of thing to be unnecessary.
watchOS4 focuses on enhancing the fitness tracking experience with Apple Watch starting with the Activity app. New monthly challenges are tailored to push you further with a unique goal, and daily Activity alerts are personalized and much smarter. Apple Watch can now suggest a brisk 15 minute walk to finish your Move goal towards the end of the day, for example. Rather than updating on a set time. I definitely like the idea of this update. Especially on weekends. I work out hard during the week, but find that I can slack a bit on the weekends. And I usually regret it Sunday night. With this feature, I can now have a better idea of what it will take to meet my Move goal.
I use my Apple Watch mostly for fitness tracking. I shouldn’t say mostly, but it does take up a large portion of my use for it. That being said the Workout app has been redesigned with a new look and more features. Each workout is now a quick start so you can just tap and go, or tap the “more” indicator to set a goal for your workout. The Watch now notifies you during a workout when you complete an Activity goal as well, which is really helpful. In addition, you can now track High Intensity Interval Training workouts, and pool swim workouts have been enhanced for swimmers. You can also access Now Playing controls during your workout. Or, you can also turn on Do Not Disturb when your workout begins.
watchOS 4 includes an upgrade to the Heart Rate app with a new graph that shows your heart rate over time. This includes the ability to receive alerts when your heart rate is higher when you’re not active. You can also see some new metrics including resting rate, walking average, workout average and high, recovery time and sessions within the Breathe app.
In addition to everything we’ve already mentioned, watchOs4 also gives you these changes:
- News app with summaries of Top Stories and save for later to read on iPhone
- Flashlight and Safety Light in Control Center
- Vertical scrolling through recently used apps in the Dock
- App home screen available in an alphabetical list view
- Mail compose and swipe gestures
- Dialer pad in the Phone app
- Conflicts displayed in Calendar invites
- Scribble support for German
- Sub-minute and repeating timers
- Suggested and recent locations in Maps
- Contacts and locations in smart replies