While Apple Watch was not the focal point of WWDC 2017, the company did preview a software update rolling out this fall—watchOS 4—and Apple is clearly putting fitness front and center.
The Activity app is getting some much needed love. For starters, expect more push notifications intended to motivate you to stay on track. In the morning, look for quick progress updates and some encouragement to keep your streaks going. Likewise, if you're lagging at the end of the day, the app will provide specific suggestions, like taking a brisk 12-minute walk to hit your daily move goal. And just for eye candy, Apple is adding some sparkly celebration animations.
Apple also seems to be glomming onto some gamification features with Monthly Challenges. So if you complete eight workouts one month, the app will encourage you to hit the pavement nine times the next. It's not quite as community-based as the challenges you'll find on dedicated trackers like the Fitbit Charge 2 or Garmin Vivoactive HR, which allow you to compete with friends and strangers. For now at least, the Watch seems to be more focused on the individual experience.
The Workout app is also getting a bevvy of nifty tweaks. Instead of fiddling around with time or distance goals, you can jump right in with expanded Quick Start options. It also adds a High Intensity Interval Training workout, which uses custom heart rate and motion monitoring to better track more challenging routines. Swimmers can also celebrate; the new Pool Swim workout can track sets, rests, pace, and distance across different stroke types.
But the real gamechanger might just be the Quick Switch feature. Instead of having to stop and log two separate workouts, you can just switch activities within the same session. You'll also get one consolidated set of metrics at the end. This is perfect for triathletes, or anyone who likes break up their cardio routine with some strength training. While many fitness trackers have automatic logging, they're not always accurate at differentiating between activities.
Another neat update is that gym rats won't have to look at their wrists to get their stats. Using NFC, you'll be able to pair the watch to compatible machines to view heart rate, speed, and calories. Apple isn't the first to introduce this feature—the Polar H10 chest strap can also sync your heart rate to various gym equipment, though it suffers from some lag. How useful this feature will be in watchOS 4 will probably depend on the age of the equipment at your local gym.
Individually, these new features aren't exactly earth-shattering. But as a whole, it makes the Apple Watch a more well-rounded tracker suited to triatheletes and reformed couch potatoes alike.
Siri Gets a New (Watch) Face
At the end of the day, the Apple Watch is still a smartwatch. To that end, watchOS 4 will sport some new watch faces, including one with Siri.
Visually, it takes a page from Android Wear 2.0 with a list of Siri-curated card notifications. So if you're headed to work, you'll get traffic updates. Likewise, you might see a photo that was taken on the same day a year earlier. Or, if you're headed to the airport, your boarding pass will pop up.
There's also a psychedelic Kaleidoscope watch face, as well as some kid-friendly Toy Story faces featuring an animated Woody, Jessie, or Buzz Lightyear.
The Music app is also getting a redesign. It will automatically sync curated Apple Music playlists based on what you listen to the most. WatchOS 4 will also enable users to send cash with Apple Pay using Siri or the Messages app. Last, but not least, the News app will feed you curated headlines based on your interests.
Developers already have their hands on watchOS 4, but the public will have to wait for a free update in the fall. And while none of these updates is as drastic as last year's watchOS 3, Apple Watch users—especially fitness buffs—have a lot to look forward to.