WWDC22: Apple Watch gets big health upgrades

by Jonny Evans · June 6, 2022

watchOS9 will bring more customizable watch faces, an enhanced Workout app, new sleep management tools and a built-in app to track medications, Apple said at WWDC 22.

The Apple boiler plate statement

“Users around the world love Apple Watch for helping them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the day, and better manage their health,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.

“This fall, watchOS 9 takes the Apple Watch experience to the next level with scientifically validated insights across fitness, sleep, and heart health, while providing users more creative ways to make their Apple Watch their own.”

OK. So. What does that mean to you? Here goes:

What you see: Watch faces

watchOS 9 introduces four new faces:

Lunar, which depicts the relationship between the Gregorian calendar and lunar calendar.
Playtime, a piece of art unique to Apple Watch created with artist Joi Fulton
Metropolitan, a classic, type-driven watch face where the style changes as the Digital Crown is rotated.
Astronomy, a remastered face that now features a new star map and cloud data.

watchOS 9 also improves some of the most classic watch faces, such as Utility, Simple, and Activity Analog and provides background color editing for Modular, Modular Compact, and X-Large for additional personalization. The new Portraits face showcases the depth effect on more photos.

What you do: Workout

The Workout app provides richer performance metrics and new training experiences. During a session you can use the Digital Crown to rotate between easy-to-read Workout Views, so users can see important metrics for different training styles.

Workout also provides Heart Rate Zones to monitor the intensity of a workout. These can be manually created or automatically calculated using personalized Health data. Workout also introduces Custom Workouts, which can be used to create a structured workout that can include work and rest intervals. New alerts, including pace, power, heart rate, and cadence, are also available, while Workout also offers a new Multisport workout type that automatically switches between any sequence of swimming, biking, and running workouts, using motion sensors to recognize movement patterns.

New running form metrics, including Stride Length, Ground Contact Time, and Vertical Oscillation, can all be added as metrics on Workout Views. Kickboard detection has been added as a new stroke type for Pool Swim workouts.

Do it better with Apple Fitness+

With watchOS 9, Fitness+ workouts now display on-screen guidance in addition to trainer coaching to help users get the most out of workouts. But, perhaps the biggest improvement is that Fitness+ subscribers without Apple TV can now use AirPlay to stream workouts and meditations with on-screen metrics to compatible third-party TVs and devices.

A new app called Sleep Insights

Sleep tracking in watchOS 9 introduces sleep stages. These use signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to detect when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep. Users will see sleep stage data on Apple Watch in the Sleep app and can view more detailed information, like time asleep, alongside additional metrics, like heart rate and respiratory rate, in sleep comparison charts in the Health app on iPhone.

Apple trained and validated the machine learning models it uses for this against the clinical gold standard, polysomnography, with one of the largest and most diverse populations ever studied for a wearable.

You will also be able to boost sleep research by contributing your own sleep stage data in the Apple Heart and Movement Study through the Research app.

The heart of the matter: AFib History

Currently, the ECG app and irregular rhythm notification on Apple Watch can identify potential signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Left untreated, AFib is one of the leading conditions that can result in stroke.

With watchOS 9, users who are diagnosed with AFib can turn on the FDA-cleared AFib History feature and access important information, including an estimate of how frequently a user’s heart rhythm shows signs of AFib.

Users will also receive weekly notifications to understand frequency and view a detailed history in the Health app to help them identify lifestyle factors that may influence the condition, like sleep, alcohol consumption, and exercise. Users can also download a PDF with a detailed history of their AFib and lifestyle factors, which can easily be shared with doctors and care providers for more informed conversations.

Apple Watch now provides estimates of Cardio Recovery after an Outdoor Walk, Run, or Hiking workout, even when the workout does not reach peak intensity. This

Don’t neglect to take your medicine

The new Medications app helps ensure you take medications, vitamins, and supplements on schedule. In the US, users can receive an alert if there are potential critical interactions with medications they have added to the Health app.

Accessibility for everyone

With new Quick Actions on Apple Watch, users can do even more with a double-pinch gesture, including answer or end a phone call, take a photo, play or pause media in the Now Playing app, and start, pause, or resume a workout. Apple Watch becomes more accessible than ever for people with physical and motor disabilities with Apple Watch Mirroring, which helps users control Apple Watch remotely from their paired iPhone.

With Apple Watch Mirroring, users can drive Apple Watch using iPhone’s assistive features like Voice Control and Switch Control — so they can navigate Apple Watch by using their voice, sound actions, head tracking, and external Made for iPhone switches as alternatives to tapping the Apple Watch display.5 Apple Watch Mirroring uses hardware and software integration, along with advances built on AirPlay, to ensure users who rely on these mobility features can benefit from unique Apple Watch apps like Blood Oxygen, Heart Rate, Mindfulness, and more.

The developer beta of watchOS 9 is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today. A public beta will be available to watchOS users next month at beta.apple.com.