{"id":132009,"date":"2021-06-08T10:48:23","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T09:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=132009"},"modified":"2024-03-05T04:19:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T04:19:02","slug":"watchos-8-review-whats-new-features-and-release-date","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/smartwatch\/watchos-8-review-whats-new-features-and-release-date\/","title":{"rendered":"watchOS 8: What’s New, Features, and Release Date"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the main protagonist of\u00a0\u00a0WWDC21<\/strong>\u00a0has been\u00a0\u00a0iOS 15<\/strong>\u00a0, the opening session of this Conference for Apple developers has given more of itself and has put on the table all the news of\u00a0iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0and also of\u00a0\u00a0watchOS 8<\/strong>\u00a0, precisely which we are going to talk about at length in this article.<\/p>\n

Apple’s smartwatch operating system is updated with new features focused especially on access, concentration, connectivity and physical activity, as well as a little face lift that is always welcome.\u00a0Keeping the user\u00a0\u00a0active, healthy and connected<\/strong>\u00a0has been the goal of the team of engineers responsible for watchOS 8.<\/p>\n

Wallet: much more than a payment tool<\/h2>\n

Possibly you are one of those users who still think that Wallet is simply the place where you register your credit or debit cards to pay with them with a simple turn of the wrist.\u00a0And while you are not wrong and this feature has undoubtedly made life easier for\u00a0Apple Watch<\/strong>\u00a0owners\u00a0\u00a0, now, with watchOS 8, its benefits are multiplying.\u00a0The Cupertino company expands its possibilities and now allows\u00a0\u00a0access to a place in a safe and secure way.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Thanks to the ultra-wide band support, you can open the car and start it without taking the key out of your pocket, but also \u201ckeep\u201d your home, office or even hotel room keys on your watch.\u00a0The doors of these places, which must be previously registered in Wallet, will be opened by simply touching the clock.\u00a0In addition, it is also expected that by the end of 2021 the identity document can also begin to be saved, although it seems to be a feature that, for now, would be reserved for the American public.<\/p>\n

More exercises in watchOS 8 and better sleep control<\/h2>\n

One of the greatest benefits of these Apple smart watches is their excellent performance as a physical activity meter.\u00a0Precisely in watchOS 8 we find even more improvements in this field, with\u00a0\u00a0two new types of exercises: Tai Chi and Pilates<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0Now, the user will be able to obtain precise metrics thanks to the combination of personalized movement and heart rate algorithms.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But, in addition, a new feature has also been incorporated in sleep monitoring that will help to obtain more precise data.\u00a0Through the accelerometer, measurements of the\u00a0respiratory rate<\/strong>\u00a0will be taken\u00a0during sleep<\/strong>\u00a0, that is, the number of times the user breathes per minute when asleep.\u00a0The information will also be collected in the Health app.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness takes center stage in watchOS 8<\/h2>\n

Until now, we knew the Breathe app on the Apple Watch.\u00a0Now, it transforms into Mindfulness and adds a new type of session,\u00a0\u00a0Reflect<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0With Reflect, it is intended to help the user focus in minute intervals by focusing on a positive mood.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In the sense of attention and concentration, we can also highlight the\u00a0\u00a0integration with the Focus that we have on our smartphone<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0It is also capable of giving recommendations to offer a better user interaction with the watch and, thus, get more out of it without distracting our attention.<\/p>\n

Interface redesign<\/h2>\n

Although the novelties at the design level are quite discreet, we do see changes, for example, in the\u00a0\u00a0Home application<\/strong>\u00a0, which now offers more comfortable access to certain necessary scenes at a certain time, in addition to incorporating an Intercom to be able to transmit messages to other devices in the house, for example, the HomePod in the living room or the HomePod mini in the bathroom if we want to communicate with someone who is in another room or send an order to the devices connected in those rooms.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As for the watchfaces, there are changes especially in the Photos, the most popular, according to Apple, among users.\u00a0New ways to interact with your favorite photos are added.\u00a0In addition, the\u00a0Portrait sphere<\/strong>\u00a0is added\u00a0\u00a0, which allows you to create effects in photos taken with portrait mode.<\/p>\n

Also,\u00a0more Always-On compatible applications<\/strong>\u00a0are now added\u00a0\u00a0, such as Maps, Now Playing or Mindfulness.\u00a0In this way, we will have our favorite apps always in view and easily accessible on our wrist.<\/p>\n

Other news: from contacts to timers<\/h2>\n

Although these are the highlights of watchOS 8, there are also other new features that are worth mentioning.\u00a0For example, the\u00a0Contacts<\/strong>\u00a0app is now included\u00a0\u00a0on Apple Watch, so contacts can be easily added, edited, and shared from within the app.<\/p>\n

Now\u00a0several timers\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0are also incorporated\u00a0\u00a0to which we can add labels through Siri, for example, Kitchen Timer, Work Timer, among others.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Weather<\/strong>\u00a0app\u00a0\u00a0can now issue severe weather notifications, including government alerts in very important cases, as well as alerts for upcoming rainfall or other weather complications.<\/p>\n

Last but not least, we want to highlight the new use of\u00a0\u00a0AssistiveTouch.\u00a0<\/strong>What does it consist of?\u00a0It is about the possibility of using the Apple Watch with a single arm to be able to interact with it without touching the screen, through the recognition of simple gestures.\u00a0Thanks to the integrated motion sensors, calls can be answered, among other actions.\u00a0In this way, the use of the watch becomes even more comfortable and that true \u201chands-free\u201d utility is achieved.<\/p>\n

When will watchOS 8 be available?<\/h2>\n

The developer beta that is available to members of the Developer Program is now accessible\u00a0\u00a0at this link<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0On the other hand, next July the public beta will be available, which can be accessed from\u00a0\u00a0this other link<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0, although the exact day on which this will be possible has not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n

The stable version will arrive next fall (date also to be determined) and will be available on any\u00a0\u00a0Apple Watch Series 3 or higher<\/strong>\u00a0that is paired with an iPhone with iOS 15 (iPhone 6s onwards).<\/p>\n

You can check all the news about watchOS 8\u00a0\u00a0on its official website<\/strong>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

[ratemypost]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although the main protagonist of\u00a0\u00a0WWDC21\u00a0has been\u00a0\u00a0iOS 15\u00a0, the opening session of this Conference for Apple developers has given more of itself and has put on the table all the news of\u00a0iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey\u00a0\u00a0and also of\u00a0\u00a0watchOS 8\u00a0, precisely which we are going to talk about at length in this article. Apple’s smartwatch operating system is […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10404,"featured_media":132010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[780],"tags":[778],"class_list":{"0":"post-132009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-smartwatch","8":"tag-reviews"},"acf":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10404"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}