Feature-Packed watchOS 7 Brings Face Sharing, Sleep Tracking, and Handwashing Detection

During its WWDC 2020 keynote event today, Apple has previewed watchOS 7 which brings tons of new personalization, health, and fitness features to the Apple Watch, such as shareable and discoverable watch face configurations, sleep tracking, automatic handwashing detection, new workout types including dance, and more.

Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said that watchOS 7 brings “a whole new way to discover and use watch faces, helping our users stay healthy, active, and connected.”

Watch Faces and Sharing

watchOS 7 offers new ways to discover and share unique combinations to completely configure the watch face to suit any activity or lifestyle. These customizable and personalized faces can be shared through Messages or Mail, and discovered through the App Store or even from links through websites and social media channels.

Sleep Tracking

Apple Watch has finally received sleep tracking capabilities with watchOS 7. Using the accelerometer, Apple Watch captures when the wearer is sleeping and how much sleep they get each night. In the morning, the wearer will see a visualization of their previous night’s sleep, including periods of wake and sleep.

Automatic Handwashing Detection

Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Apple has introduced a new feature that uses the motion sensors, microphone, and on-device machine learning to automatically detect handwashing motions and sounds. It then initiates a 20-second countdown timer, and if the user finishes early, they will be prompted to keep washing. 

New Workout Types in Fitness App

The Workout app is one of the most popular apps on Apple Watch, and watchOS 7 brings four exciting new workout types supported by powerful heart rate and custom-built motion algorithms: Core Training, Dance, Functional Strength Training, and Cooldown.

Hearing

watchOS 7 also adds support for hearing health with headphone audio notifications. Users can now understand how loudly they are listening to media through their headphones using their iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch, and when these levels may impact hearing over time.

Other watchOS 7 improvements include the following:

• For optimal convenience while biking, cycling directions are available right on the wrist.
• Customers can now use Siri to translate many languages conveniently from the wrist.
• New complications for native features include: Camera Remote, Sleep, and Shortcuts.
• New Mobility Metrics available in the Health app include: low-range cardio fitness, walking speed, stair-descent speed, stair-ascent speed, six-minute walk distance, double support time, step length, and asymmetry.

The developer beta of watchOS 7 is available at developer.apple.com starting today, whereas a public beta will be available to watchOS users next month at beta.apple.com.