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Apple Previews watchOS 11 With New Health and Workout Features

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Apple today previewed watchOS 11, the next major software update for the Apple Watch that introduces several new health and workout features.

watchos-11-training-load.jpg

Activity Rings can now be adjusted by day of the week and paused for a rest day, allowing users to keep their award streak going. Users can set workouts to alert a friend that they have been safely completed, such as a late-night run.

watchOS 11 includes a new "training load" feature, helping users to track intensity over time. A new algorithm uses heart rate, altitude, workout duration, and age and weight data to give a calculation of your estimated effort rating and training load.

A new Vitals app provides an overview of daily health, comparing daily health statistics to historical data and highlighting when health data is outside your typical range. If multiple metrics are out of range, you will receive a tailored message to see how they could be affecting you.

Cycle tracking now shows estimates of gestational age, showing pregnancy across charts to review metrics like high heart rate notification thresholds.

Widgets will be automatically added to the Smart Stack. For example, the Translate app will show automatically when you go to a different country and the Weather app will show up when rain is imminent. watchOS 11 also brings Live Activities to the Apple Watch for the first time.

An improved Photos watch face gives users more control and uses machine learning to automatically crop photos. The update also brings the Translate app to the Apple Watch.

The first developer beta of watchOS 11 is available starting today, with a public beta following in July, and official release to the public in the fall.

Article Link: Apple Previews watchOS 11 With New Health and Workout Features
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/10/apple-previews-watchos-11-with-new-health-and-workout-features/
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As an athlete, a lot of the new features look great. The training load metrics and analysis, something I use with Strava (as a subscription mind you), being readily available natively from Apple Watch data seems very promising.

Can't wait to try it!
 
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Another watchOS and another time Apple dropped the ball by not bringing out a Notes app. Pretty much the only major iOS app that doesn't have a watchOS companion app.

Very weird. Why can't we sync Notes to our Apple Watch and view them? Doesn't even have to offer editing capabilities
 
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jhowarth said:
Wouldn't they have to resolve the oxygen sensor patent issues first to use that for Sleep Apnea?
Click to expand...
Yes, you are right. There are some leaks saying Apple Watch Series X is bringing the Sleep Apnea detection. We’ll see.
 
vertsix said:
As an athlete, a lot of the new features look great. The training load metrics and analysis, something I use with Strava (as a subscription mind you), being readily available natively from Apple Watch data seems very promising.

Can't wait to try it!
Click to expand...

I am definitely looking forward to this as well!

JCCL said:
Rest day! Finally!
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Seriously!!!

Now by Mind and Body app can get a rest and I dont have to fake it anymore to keep a streak.

This is probably more important that people think. Allowing natural rest days should have been something from day one.

onlinespending said:
Another watchOS and another time Apple dropped the ball by not bringing out a Notes app. Pretty much the only major iOS app that doesn't have a watchOS companion app.

Very weird. Why can't we sync Notes to our Apple Watch and view them? Doesn't even have to offer editing capabilities
Click to expand...

What I want for notes is its integration into the workouts. I cannot believe I still cannot add a note to my workouts. This seems like it would be a no brainier for people tracking their workouts. I want to be able to label my chest, back, arm or leg days along with sets and the weight.

Big miss by Apple.
 
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Meanwhile, the longest move streak is still a mess.
Why can't they simply just add 1 day each time it was completed after the day before? I can have 2370 2 days ago, but 2365 yesterday.
I am sure quite a lot of us have experienced this.
 
B4U said:
Meanwhile, the longest move streak is still a mess.
Why can't they simply just add 1 day each time it was completed after the day before? I can have 2370 2 days ago, but 2365 yesterday.
I am sure quite a lot of us have experienced this.
Click to expand...
I've only seen this when I set up a new device and it takes several days to reload the data.
 
DMG35 said:
Apple has hit a wall with the Watch. This update is basically nothing.
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absolutely not. the biggest areas Garmin still had over Apple Watch after the last two years of significant improvements was:

1) lack of turn by turn directions for hiking with maps (including the ability to upload them in advance)
2) training readiness estimates (that show when you are over or under training)
3) alerts for health changes (that show when body metrics show trends from the average)

This update corrects ALL of those areas. it also adds things users have begged for such as day of the week specific ring goals or the ability to outright pause ring goals for days where you are sick or in no way able to meet the goals (International travel etc.) without ruining streaks.

I suspect blood pressure monitoring on the Series 10 and Ultra 3 (added to the new Vitality app) and a paid AI based coaching app (perhaps included with a Fitness+ subscription) are going to be introduced in September at the new devices launch keynote.
 
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Ok, this looks like Apple is moving into Garmin-esque analytics with the data that phone/watch captures. Raw data is already captured, but what does all that raw data mean? Well...I have my doubts about how accurate/useful analytics such as "training load" really is. I do have third-party apps that tell me this and I have not been able to make much use of that data to affect my actual training. It was that way long before I started using Apple Watch; it began with Garmin Forerunner where increasingly the data was used by Garmin to tell various stories about my health and/or progress. But I couldn't really make sense of how then to use the data to affect my training, but most of all whether the analysis is actually accurate.
 
msackey said:
Ok, this looks like Apple is moving into Garmin-esque analytics with the data that phone/watch captures. Raw data is already captured, but what does all that raw data mean? Well...I have my doubts about how accurate/useful analytics such as "training load" really is. I do have third-party apps that tell me this and I have not been able to make much use of that data to affect my actual training. It was that way long before I started using Apple Watch; it began with Garmin Forerunner where increasingly the data was used by Garmin to tell various stories about my health and/or progress. But I couldn't really make sense of how then to use the data to affect my training, but most of all whether the analysis is actually accurate.
Click to expand...
Training load data on any device should be viewed as a trend. It doesn't have to be perfect it just needs to show you progress or lack of it.
 
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