Tech Desk
Aug 23, 2024
Apple on August 21, launched the fourth beta of watchOS 11 to public beta testers, letting non-developers offer the new features a try ahead of when the software releases this fall.
watchOS 11 can be installed after signing up on Apple's beta software website and updating your iPhone to the iOS 18 public beta version. You will be required to open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General, choose Software Update, and select the watchOS 11 Public Beta option under Beta Updates.
With watchOS 11, Apple integrated a new Vitals app that can be utilised to offer a daily overview of your health metrics, allowing you to know if anything is out of the ordinary. It compares details gathered at night such as heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate, and oxygen level to your levels over the previous weeks.
Read more: Apple unveils latest features for Final Cut Pro and Camera in new videos
Smart Stack has new widgets such as Translate and Shazam, and it's smarter because it can suggest widgets based on time, date, location, and daily routine. Interactive widgets allow you to access app features from the Smart Stack, and it also supports Live Activities.
Training Load is a new way of measuring how the intensity and duration of workouts affect the body over time, with Apple offering an effort level for cardio-based workouts to help you know when to rest and when to push harder.
Currently, you can customise Activity Ring requirements for different days of the week, and Apple includes support for rest days. Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin a streak because you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or more.
Other new features add more workout types, Check In for Messages, a revamped Photos watch face, advancements to Double Tap, and more, with additional information available in our watchOS 11 roundup.
