With the arrival of watchOS 11, your Apple Watch has gained a number of new features. Here are the most important ones.
We saw a first glimpse of watchOS 11 three months ago at WWDC 2024, but now the operating system for your Apple Watch is finally out.
And watchOS 11 brings quite a few new features to your Apple Watch. Here come the most important ones.
Sleep detection on your Apple Watch
One of the most important new features on your Apple Watch is sleep apnea detection. The name says exactly what it does, and this is a very welcome feature. Sleep apnea is a pretty dangerous condition because it means you stop breathing several times during your sleep. These pauses in breathing last at least 10 seconds and can have serious consequences.
Although the feature was mainly presented during the Apple Keynote as an Apple Watch Series 10 feature, it is also coming to a number of older models. For example, the feature is also supported on the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
(Image: Apple)
Vitality as a new feature in watchOS 11
A new app is also coming to the Apple Watch called Vitality. In it, you can read some of the health features of your smartwatch.
This app is especially useful for people who want to measure their sleep. The Vitality app collects all your nightly data in one place. It additionally shows if values such as heart rate and breathing fall outside the normal range. This allows you to see if there are any irregularities, and with that information you can then go to the doctor to see if something is actually wrong.
Training Load
Measurements continue with the new Training Load feature. This feature charts the intensity of your workouts. It measures a baseline level for the first 28 days, and then it shows how hard you push yourself during workouts by comparing that level to the average.
In total, it supports 17 different workout types, including running, walking and cycling. This feature is displayed on both your iPhone and Apple Watch.
The new Series 10. (Image: Apple)
Smarter widgets
Your Apple Watch is getting smarter, too. The gadget is going to stack widgets smarter by taking all kinds of data into account. For example, when it’s raining, different widgets will come up than when the sun is shining.
In addition, an iPhone feature is also finding its way to the Apple Watch. You can now track live activities on your smartwatch. Think sports scores, the status of your flight or tracking exactly where your Uber is.
Another iPhone feature is also introduced on the Apple Watch in watchOS 11. For example, you can easily let your friends or family know when you have reached your destination via Check In. You do this by clicking the plus sign next to the text field in the Messages app on your smartwatch. There you enter where you are going and when you expect to arrive. By the way, you can do the same in the Workouts app. Handy if you’re going for a run in the dark, for example.
Here’s how to install watchOS 11 on your Apple Watch
If you have automatic updates turned on, this will just happen automatically. However, you do need to install iOS 18 on your iPhone first. Then you go to the Apple Watch app on your phone and in it go to General > Software Update. There you can manually install the latest version.
