Last yr, Apple launched the Apple Watch Ultra, a health wearable meant to compete with Garmin within the premium out of doors watch class. The Ultra didn’t fairly meet the mark—for starters, battery life that hardly lasts three days is just not sufficient for the shortest backpacking journey—however Apple’s quest continues. The firm introduced the subsequent model of WatchOS at WWDC, WatchOS 10, and lots of the new options are determinedly creeping into Garmin territory.

That’s along with the standard roundup of recent and improved software program, like simpler navigation on the watch face, newly redesigned apps, and new watch faces. We break down the highest new options beneath. Read our guides on iOS 17 and MacOS Sonoma to be taught what’s new on these platforms, and don’t overlook to take a look at our Best Apple Watch and Best Apple Watch Accessories guides.

Is Your Apple Watch Compatible?

Apple’s WatchOS 10 replace can be out there for the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer. However, you will have to have an iPhone XS or iPhone XR or later working iOS 17 (discover out which iPhones support iOS 17 here). To discover what mannequin you might have, look in the back of your Apple Watch. 

When Will WatchOS 10 Arrive?

WatchOS 10 is at the moment in developer beta, however a public beta is predicted to land in July. You’ll be capable of try it out then however anticipate to run into just a few bugs. The betas will proceed via to the autumn, and the ultimate model will possible launch in September. 

Top WatchOS 10 Features

We’ve parsed out a few of the prime new options arriving within the subsequent model of WatchOS. To learn the total checklist, you may check out Apple’s preview page here.

Biking Updates

We first noticed Apple start to concentrate on out of doors actions with 2021’s Apple Watch Series 7, which was extra dustproof than ever, and supplied improved fall detection and the power to distinguish between ebiking and common biking when auto-sensing exercises. Last yr, WatchOS 9 launched running-specific options, like measuring vertical oscillation and stride size. 

Now, the watch and the iPhone collectively have gotten a specialised biking software that appears lots like a devoted bike computer. When you obtain WatchOS 10 and begin a biking exercise on the watch, it instantly exhibits up as a Live Activity in your telephone. Tap it, and the Live Activity instantly switches to a full-screen Workout View that shows essential info like your coronary heart charge zone and your route. This means that you can mount your phone in your handlebars, be sure to’re within the appropriate coronary heart charge zone, and never get misplaced.

The Apple Watch also can mechanically hook up with Bluetooth-enabled sensors in WatchOS 10, like energy meters and cadence sensors, which helps you to see metrics like your rotations per minute (RPM) in your watch or Workout View. It can use all this new information to calculate your Functional Threshold Power (FTP), which is a measure of your highest biking output over the course of an hour. The watch makes use of this information to calculate your personalised Power Zones as you’re employed out. Zone training is difficult. Essentially, low-intensity zones allow you to up your endurance, high-intensity zones up your energy, and switching between the 2 helps you fine-tune your efficiency.

It’s price noting that whether or not you’re working, swimming, or biking, an FTP assessment has traditionally been executed with a particular format at particular instances in your coaching to organize for a peak efficiency occasion. This is a distinct segment metric. But you will additionally be capable of use all of your personalised information to create your individual customized exercise plan in Apple Fitness+.

Hiking Updates

Last yr, the Apple Watch Ultra launched new navigational options to help with out of doors adventures, but it surely had one large flaw—there have been no offline maps nor any topographic maps.