WatchOS 6: Driving Change in Wearable App Development

Several features have made wearables an integral part of lives – such as advanced functionality, lighter and less bulky hardware and improved connectivity. Enhanced intelligence would probably be the number one element to define this market across different verticals. It is essential to partner with a leading wearable device app development company to gain an edge.

Wearable technology, which started with things like hearing aids and calculator watches, has grown into advanced applications and fitness trackers that keep tabs on distances walked or users pulses.

watchOS: New Era in Wearable App Development

Apple’s Watch is pioneering change in wearables app development. Introduced at the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference, watchOS 6 is the newest version of watchOS, the operating system designed to run on the Apple Watch. watchOS 6 brings new watch faces, updated apps, new health features, and, for the first time, a dedicated App Store.

Apple’s latest watchOS 6, operating system designed to run on the Apple Watch will take wearable app development to the next level. watchOS 6 is a leap ahead offering several new features for Apple Watch owners.

There are multiple new watch faces in watchOS 6, including Numerals Mono and Duo with large numbers, Modular Compact, a new Gradient watch face that shifts over the course of a day, a Solar Dial that visualizes the sun in a 24 hour path around the dial, and a California watch face with a mix of standard numbers and roman numerals.

Quick Glance of New Updates

• App Store
  1. New App APIs for Developers
  2. Software Updates Without iPhone
• New Watch Faces
• New Complications
• New & Updated Apps
• New Health Features
• Activity Trends
• Cycle Tracking
• Noise

Here are the features of watchOS 6

DEDICATED APP STORE

For the first time, Apple App Store will be available on the Apple Watch for the first time, allowing apps download on Apple Watch independent of the iPhone something not possible in the previous versions. Developers can build apps that function on Apple Watch without an iPhone. The App Store on Apple Watch is a complete App Store that allows to browse apps curated by editors, search via dictation or scribble, and look for apps by category.

You can access app right on your wrist, you don’t need your iPhone to download apps.

Users can view product pages for each app for information

• Reviews
• Screenshots
• App details
• Ratings

These product pages allow to purchase and install apps. With the watchOS App Store, Apple has made some pre-installed apps watch only, which means a larger number of pre-installed watchOS apps can be deleted.

In watchOS 6, you can remove apps like Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Remote, Camera Remote, Radio, Walkie-Talkie, ECG, Breathe, Noise, Cycle Tracking, and more.

NEW APP APIS FOR DEVELOPERS

Apps can take advantage of new APIs allowing to walk along with a workout or listen to streaming music from third-party services, and some built-in Apple Watch apps can be removed now that they’re not tied to the iPhone. Previously, streaming audio was limited to Apple Music.

LOADS OF NEW WATCH FACES

Meridian, Modular Compact, Solar Dial, California, and Gradient work with Apple Watch Series 4 and later. Nike versions of Series 4 and later include new Nike faces as well. Apple Watch Series 1 and later include new versions of Numerals faces.

NEW HEALTH APPS

watchOS 6 introduces two new health apps:

• Cycle Tracking for logging menstrual cycles and viewing fertile windows for reproductive health.
• Noise app for detecting decibel levels above recommended volumes. Notifications are sent whenever the decibel level reaches 90 decibels.

NEW APPS

• watchOS 6 will launch three new apps for your wrist.
• Apple Books: Allows to listen to audiobooks using Bluetooth headphones rather than you reading a hefty tome on your wrist.
• Voice Memos: Speak into your wrist to make notes rather than whipping out your iPhone.
• Calculator App: Coming to watchOS soon, for the first time the official Apple Calculator application has been included.
• Reminders: To match the updated Reminders app in iOS 13 and macOS Catalina, the Apple Watch Reminders app has been updated too.
• Get a tool that enables to calculate tips or your share of the bill easily. The best news! You’ll be able to delete any of these, or any of the other existing default Apple Watch apps.

NEW SIRI FEATURES

• Siri on Apple Watch can showcase web results for search queries with voice (a useful feature when away from iPhone).
• Siri can locate family and friends using the updated Find People app (replacement of Find Friends).

COMPATIBILITY

• watchOS 6 is compatible with all Apple Watch models: Apple Watch Series 1, 2, 3, and 4. The only exception is the original Apple Watch.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD WATCHOS 6

• watchOS 6 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update.
• To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in the range of the iPhone.

CONCLUSION

watchOS 6 is bound to change the wearable app development with its latest new features. If you are looking to leverage the latest functionality, get in touch with a development partner.

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Albert Smith

Albert Smith, Marketing Manager at Hidden Brains, drives brand growth with innovative strategies in web, mobile app, and software development.