This is the time of the year when sensational leaks and incessant rumors surrounding Apple’s upcoming operating systems for iDevices start breaking the internet. Though Coronavirus outbreak has sort of brought the entire tech industry to a standstill by forcing tech titans to cancel their much-anticipated events and it’s just a matter of time before the pandemic will even put WWDC 2020 on the backburner, nothing seems to deter passionate leakers from nailing down the secret codes. So, after wrapping up some of the coolest iOS 14 leaks, I think it’s the perfect time to talk about the most interesting watchOS 7 features that are likely to roll out this fall.
While I believe in holding back excitement until all possibilities turn into reality, I feel like changing the norm this time around. As you could sense my feelings, 2020 might just be the year of watchOS thanks to the arrival of a host of long-awaited features. And I wouldn’t be surprised if even the biggest critic of watchOS turn into a loyal Apple Watch wearer. Long story short, Apple is going to answer most of your Apple Watch questions (if not all) this fall – including the demand for more independence from iPhone.
While the rumors about the built-in sleep tracking feature for Apple Watch have been doing the rounds for several years, watchOS 7 could finally bring this long-awaited feature into reality. Though there are several pretty good third-party sleep tracking apps including Pillow (Free, with in-app purchases) and AutoSleep ($2.99), a stock sleep tracker that can seamlessly integrate with the Health app has been on top of my wishlist for long. And going by the demand, I’m not alone who has been calling for it.
2. Detect Blood Oxygen Saturation
According to code snippets found in iOS 14, Apple is getting ready to introduce a new Apple Watch feature that can detect blood-oxygen levels. For the uninitiated, the blood oxygen level is the measure of the overall oxygen the red blood cells have. Though blood oxygen saturation keeps fluctuating, drastic variations can lead to serious health issues. While 95-100% oxygen in the blood is said to be normal, anything below that level could be a clear indication of grave respiratory and even cardiac problems.
3. Share Specific Watch Face Configurations
Ever created cool watch face configurations and wished to share them with your buddy only to find out that watchOS lacks this feature? If yes, you would be really glad to get it in the upcoming watchOS version.
If you have gifted an Apple Watch to your kid, you may have wished for better control over the smartwatch at some point or the other so that your child doesn’t overuse the device. In what could be like music to your ears, watchOS 7 might just fulfill your wish. As per reports, the upcoming watchOS will allow users to control the paired Apple Watch using the iPhone.
Depending on your needs, you can set the downtime, restrict access to offensive content, and even keep a track of the overall usage of the watch with detailed reports delivered to you. From what I can tell it could be a step in the right direction for introducing kids-friendly Apple Watches.
Yet another feature that would bring smiles to many parents is “Schooltime”. With this new watchOS feature, you can manage which apps and complications can be available for use during certain hours. Perfect for the times when you want your kid to fully focus on the study, instead of overusing the smartwatch. Heck, even if your job doesn’t involve invigilating kid’s Apple Watch usage, it can come in handy especially when you want to keep noise at bay while concentrating on your work or resting in bed.
Apart from these top five much-awaited features, there are a couple of other notable features that have caught my eyes. According to reports, watchOS 7 will come with an Infograph Pro watch face featuring a tachymeter, which you can use to compute a speed based on travel time. Talking about watch faces, Apple will also likely include flag watch faces for more countries. Currently, it only offers a flag watch for the US.
