Software program updates breathe new life into our gadgets with out essentially needing to improve their {hardware}. In spite of everything, we spend extra time interacting with the person interface’s software program components than pushing bodily buttons. So should you’ve purchased a new Apple Watch or iPhone, your machine will stay recent for years to return. This implies you get to benefit from the most recent options and adjustments launched within the main annual updates with out investing in a more moderen mannequin.
Final 12 months was no exception, with Apple asserting iOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 at WWDC22 in June and launching them publicly within the fall. Regardless of WWDC23 nonetheless being months away, I’ve already constructed psychological lists of what I need to see in iOS 17 and macOS 14. Now it is time to take a breath, focus, and transfer on to watchOS 10.
Face actuality, Apple, and convey third-party assist
The long-lasting Apple Watch is a vogue accent past its options, functionalities, use instances, and advantages. It has an outlined design that makes it stand out in an ocean of health trackers and smartwatches. I’ve even come throughout individuals who rely on the Apple Watch to test the time and date solely. They do not want a sophisticated laptop on their wrist. It is why I am hoping for third-party watch face assist in future Watch OS releases.
After we tilt our wrists, the watch face is the very first thing we see. The display easily transitions from At all times-On show (AOD) mode, revealing extra particulars and colours of the face. Even in public, you’ll be able to inform from afar which watch face an individual is utilizing as they gesture with their arms.
Yearly, I desperately await the most recent main watchOS developer beta solely to check out the recent faces.
Since its unique launch all the best way again in 2015, the Apple Watch has restricted customers to first-party faces. You get a preset gallery with varied choices to customise and decide from. There’s presently an amazing number of customizable watch faces, and the corporate tends so as to add a few new ones with each main OS model bump. Yearly, I desperately await the most recent main watchOS developer beta solely to check out the recent faces. Many instances the current additions find yourself being too disappointing or underwhelming. This pushes my annual watch face refresh for one more 12 months
By permitting builders (and even customers) to construct their very own faces on watchOS 10, we will specific ourselves via extra various and artistic appearances. And since devs might want to publish these functions on the App Retailer, Apple would earn cash out of it, too.
QWERTY is the one acceptable sort of keyboard
Previous to the discharge of the Apple Watch Collection 7 and its software program exclusivities, third-party QWERTY keyboard apps existed on the Apple Watch App Retailer. These supplied customers with a sensible typing technique that did not contain them tracing every letter one after the other or relying on Dictation. Apple took these apps down after which launched the Collection 7 with bigger display choices and a built-in QWERTY keyboard. Nothing like that’s accessible on the Collection 6 or SE fashions.
For these unfamiliar with the scale variations, the Collection 6 and SE fashions have 40mm and 44mm variants, whereas the Collection 7 and Collection 8 go for 41mm and 45mm choices. Apparently, third-party QWERTY keyboards labored simply high-quality on the 40mm and 44mm smaller screens, although Apple nonetheless restricts it to the Collection 7, Collection 8, and Extremely, whereas the brand new SE 2 mannequin and similarly-sized older watches miss out. If third events may do it, so can Apple. That is to not point out that the 41mm Collection 7/8 is smaller than the 44mm of the Collection 6/SE. So the corporate may at the very least assist the bigger watch variants that presently miss out on the QWERTY keyboard on watchOS 10.
Robust, unbiased Watch that wants no iPhone
I would like Apple to announce the watch’s independence from the iPhone with watchOS 10. The corporate already permits non-iPhone customers to arrange their cellular-enabled Apple Watches via a member of the family’s iPhone, to not point out that customers can obtain apps, set up software program updates, and do virtually another important duties via the watch itself. Usually, an individual can get a correct well being and health expertise whereas their iPhone is turned off.
The Apple Watch additionally collects well being information virtually independently proper now. It is determined by the paired iPhone to optionally present 4 different sorts of information revolving round an individual’s strolling. So an iPhone, or another telephone, is not precisely wanted for this laptop to execute its principal and important duties.
This is not the case with Android. Many Android telephone customers despise iOS and wouldn’t migrate to the darkish aspect ever, and an amazing watch is not going to sway them. As an alternative, they will accept an inferior, suitable smartwatch from a unique model. Whereas some folks would possibly simply purchase an iPhone to have the ability to pair with an Apple Watch, the Cupertino tech big must be fascinated about all of the potential prospects they is likely to be shedding as a consequence of its restrictions.
Can iPadOS and macOS be a part of the Watch band?
If Apple is not able to unshackle its watch, it may at the very least add iPadOS and macOS assist via the upcoming model updates. By bringing the Watch app to the iPad and Mac, Android customers can depend on a non-iPhone Apple machine to arrange and customise the Apple Watch. iPhone customers would additionally get extra management over their watches by with the ability to tweak watchOS 10 settings from any of their Apple merchandise.
Lay out some concepts, then alter the app structure
watchOS presently affords customers two structure choices: a grid and an alphabetical checklist. The grid is just too annoying to flick through, and the checklist consists of the app identify tags, which occupy beneficial house on the tiny show. Mixing the 2 choices to provide a 3rd structure possibility in watchOS 10 could be splendid.
I would like an alphabetical checklist that reveals three or 4 massive icons per row as an alternative of displaying the app identify label. This manner, we will simply and rapidly scroll via the apps. It is the perfect of each worlds.
SMS sync continues to be damaged — let that sink in
I have been complaining about SMS iCloud sync being damaged on watchOS for years now — right here we go once more.
I’ve Messages in iCloud enabled on all of my Apple merchandise. When an SMS arrives on my iPhone, it will get pushed to all linked gadgets. Nevertheless, deleting an SMS from any non-watch machine will take away it in all places besides on the watch. Equally, deleting an SMS from the watch does not take away it from the remainder of my iDevices. So mainly, the deletion sync mechanism is damaged on watchOS, which has been the case for a very long time. Notably, deleting an iMessage syncs correctly and removes it in all places. This bug solely impacts SMS texts, and I definitely hope watchOS 10 fixes it. Deleting threads on a 41mm display is not enjoyable.
Will Apple ‘translate’ my ideas into actuality?
Apple Translate is a useful utility for these residing the De-Googled life, however to this point, it is solely accessible on iOS and iPadOS. Whereas it is extra seemingly that the corporate will introduce it on macOS 14, I nonetheless desire a watch model of it on watchOS 10. I would not count on Translate to assist the identical options current on iOS/iPadOS, however it may at the very least have the Dialog mode, which interprets speech on the go. This manner, two folks not sharing a lingua franca can discuss to certainly one of their wrists and have it translate the dialog stay. In fact, one may at all times take their iPhone out and use it, however because the Apple Watch turns into more and more unbiased, we wish it to stay as much as these expectations.
Breaker 1-9, Walkie-Talkie assist on iOS, please? Over and out
Walkie-Talkie is a comparatively unknown watchOS app that depends on FaceTime audio servers to ship voice messages in real-time between two Apple Watch customers. With watchOS 10 and iOS 17, I would like Apple to increase this app’s availability to the iPhone, so folks with watches can work together with non-watch iPhone customers.
I acknowledge that we will simply ship voice recordings via iMessage already. The characteristic works throughout iOS and watchOS seamlessly. Nevertheless, Walkie-Talkie is easier and performs the audio on the spot. Not sufficient folks use the Apple Watch, and retaining Walkie-Talkie as a watchOS-exclusive will maintain it as a uncared for app that only a few customers truly know of or rely on.
Cease sleeping on correct bedtime metrics
For a sophisticated well being tracker from Apple, it should not take greater than seven years for us to get entry to correct sleep monitoring. Proper now, the supplied information and statistics revolve across the bedtime schedule that you just manually set. For those who nap throughout the day or have irregular sleep patterns, you are out of luck. The Apple Watch will solely monitor these metrics throughout your specified schedule. In watchOS 10, I would like Apple to introduce correct sleep monitoring that routinely detects once I lie down and finally go to sleep. Different useful additions may embrace an audio detector that measures how typically I’ve coughed or for a way lengthy I’ve snored throughout a sleep session.
Apple has talked about a watchOS app known as NightWare that lightly vibrates in your wrist when it suspects you are having a nightmare. The vibrations are sturdy sufficient to tug you out of the dangerous dream, however they’re additionally light and should not wake you up. The app is presently unavailable on the App Retailer, and getting your palms on it is not simple as a result of it requires you to get a particular Apple Watch/iPhone equipment that has it pre-installed. Having this performance constructed into watchOS 10 may widen its attain and assist many individuals, particularly these coping with energetic traumas and PTSD.
Health must get again in form
Since its debut, the Apple Watch hasn’t modified a lot relating to day by day health targets. Sure, we do have an Apple Health Plus subscription service, however boosting the health options on the Apple Watch does not essentially revolve round guided exercise movies. After years of closing your Transfer, Train, and Stand rings virtually each single day, the motivational system will get boring. What I need to see on watchOS 10 is a revamped Health app the place the three Exercise rings have extra depth.
For starters, customers ought to be capable of assign break days for after they’re sick, injured, or simply want a while off. The Health app will get more and more extra demanding the extra you meet your targets, so you will end up struggling and overworking to realize them sooner or later. It is an ever-increasing checklist of calls for that solely get tougher. Customers will both unintentionally skip a purpose, lose their streak, or cease caring.
A wholesome life does not revolve round rising calorie burn indefinitely. In reality, it may change into dangerous to some folks, particularly these within the underweight vary or these with a historical past of disordered consuming. watchOS 10 ought to take a person’s registered weight, peak, age, and different situations to develop a wholesome and average program. Moreover, we must always be capable of set our personal targets — are we making an attempt to shed some pounds or simply keep match and preserve the present physique construct? Apple does not know.
watchOS 10: Ultimate ideas
With watchOS 10 being months away from being revealed, we will solely speculate, want, and place bets. Sometimes, software program leaks aren’t as frequent as {hardware} ones. So till WWDC23, we would not get any sneak peeks revolving across the upcoming Apple Watch OS or the additions and adjustments it’d embrace. Hopefully, the wait can be value it, and the Cupertino agency surprises us with some respectable and notable watchOS 10 choices.
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Apple Watch SE 2
The Apple Watch SE 2 misses out on some inessential options accessible on higher-end fashions, corresponding to an At all times-On show, quick charging, and ECG. But it surely’s nonetheless the right wearable for these on a restricted funds.
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Apple Watch Collection 8
The Apple Watch Collection 8 is the most recent smartwatch from Apple. It isn’t an enormous change from the Collection 7, however it affords recent options like crash detection, a brand new temperature sensor, and extra.
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Apple Watch Extremely
The Apple Watch Extremely is the highest-end smartwatch Apple makes. It isn’t for everyone, however should you spend plenty of time outdoor, are a severe athlete, or simply need the final word safety, that is the watch to choose.
What options would you like Apple to introduce in watchOS 10? Tell us within the feedback part beneath.
