Continuing to chronical the newest operating systems coming out of Cupertino, today we will examine WatchOS 4. With each iteration on the WatchOS Apple applies more and more polish to this wearable Operating System. So, let’s get down to it.
Watch faces – WatchOS 4 gives us a few new watch faces. In addition to the new Siri Watch Face, there is also a Toy Story Watch face as well as a Kaleidoscope face which can be generated from one of your pictures. The Siri face is the one I have been using since release. Using machine learning it figures out what information I need to see at any given time. It surfaces any information that I might need and when I need it. Currently Siri only works with the default Apple applications. However, in the future, 3rd party developers will be able to create applications that take advantage of Siri as well as utilizing machine learning. The Toy Story Watch Face has your favorite Toy Story character to greet you whenever you check the time. You have your choice of Woody, Buzz or Jesse. When you check the time, a small animation will play. The Kaleidoscope face is designed to take a picture and make a kaleidoscope design of it as it moves and shifts throughout the day or when the digital crown is turned.
Coaching – Are you one of those people that need to be motivated to get your tasks complete? I know I am. Apple watch is looking out for me. Near the end of the day, Apple Watch will tell me I need to do a 5-minute brisk walk to close my move ring for the day. Additionally, in the morning it will give you a breakdown of your activity form yesterday. With WatchOS 4 it is faster to start a workout with the new quick start interface. Apple has also added High Intensity Interval Training as a new workout option.
Music – Apple Music is redesigned in WatchOS 4, with multiple playlist support in addition to syncing Apple curated content. This will also be beneficial with the release of the LTE Apple Watch, so you could now stream music using the watch without the need for the iPhone.
Elements – One of the new features is if you “force press” on the main screen, there is an option to switch from a grid view to a list view. Personally, I like the list view myself. Another nice feature is the face can become a “flashlight” which can help cars see you if you want to go for a run at night.
Messages – It is going to be in iOS 11 as well as WatchOS 4, the ability to use Apple Pay to send money peer-to-peer. (This feature is currently in testing and has been pulled from WatchOS 4 for the time being. Should be released soon.)
Mail – In earlier versions of mail, you could read and respond to email. Now that has changed. With WatchOS 4 you can compose an email. This allows you to not only use Siri’s text-to-speech about the scribble function to spell out words as well.
Have you updated to WatchOS 4 yet? Are you planning NOT to? If so, why or why not.
