watchOS is the
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
of the
Apple Watch, developed by
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...
It is based on
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
, the operating system used by the
iPhone, and has many similar features.
It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS. watchOS exposes an
API
An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software Interface (computing), interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standa ...
called ''
WatchKit WatchKit is a framework provided by Apple to develop interfaces for Apple Watch applications. To develop using WatchKit, Apple provides more information and resources in the WatchKit library
A library is a collection of materials, books or med ...
'' for developer use.
The second version, watchOS 2, included support for native third-party apps and other improvements, and was released on September 21, 2015.
The third version, watchOS 3, was released on September 13, 2016, to emphasize better performance and include new watch faces and stock apps. The fourth version, watchOS 4, was released on September 19, 2017. The fifth version, watchOS 5, was released on September 17, 2018, to add more third-party support and new workouts, along with the "
Walkie-Talkie" feature. The sixth version, watchOS 6, was released on September 19, 2019. The seventh version, watchOS 7, was released on September 16, 2020, to support handwashing and sleep tracking. The eighth version, watchOS 8, was released on September 20, 2021, with updates in health monitoring, visuals, and apps. The ninth version, watchOS 9, was released on September 12, 2022.
Interface overview
The home screen (rendered by and also known as "Carousel")
is composed of circular
application
Application may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks
** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...
icons, which can be zoomed in and out with the Digital Crown and dragged and launched by touching the display.
Prior to watchOS 3, Glances provided fast access to a summarized view of the most popular native or third-party applications used on Apple Watch. The Glances view was opened with a swipe-up gesture from the watch face screen. With watchOS 3, Glances were replaced by a redesigned Control Center – much like the one in iOS. The friends menu, invoked with the side button, now acts as a dedicated dock for apps.
Different actions and options appear depending on whether the user taps or deep-presses, which an Apple Watch detects with its pressure-sensitive (
Force Touch) Display. Force Touch was completely removed in watchOS 7, and all actions requiring the feature were moved to specific options in the Settings app or to long-press actions.
Supported health metrics
Since its inception, watchOS has supported an increasing number and variety of health metrics for measurement and tracking. These include:
* heart rate
* maximal aerobic capacity, otherwise known as
VO2 max (added in watchOS 4,
enhanced in watchOS 7
)
* electrocardiogram, otherwise known as
EKG
Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...
or
ECG
Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...
(added in watchOS 5.1.2
)
* blood oxygen saturation, otherwise known as
SpO2
Oxygen saturation is the fraction of oxygen-saturated hemoglobin relative to total hemoglobin (unsaturated + saturated) in the blood. The human body requires and regulates a very precise and specific balance of oxygen in the blood. Normal arter ...
(added in watchOS 7
)
*
menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the female reproductive system that make pregnancy possible. The ovarian cycle controls the production and release of eggs a ...
status (added in watchOS 6
)
* sleep duration & respiratory rate tracking (added in watchOS 7
)
HealthKit
For several years, Apple has been developing its HealthKit product in a bid to change the way people interact with their devices. There is also a conscious attempt to penetrate the lucrative
healthcare
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
and wellness industry, which many observers believe to hold a huge growth opportunity for Apple. This was confirmed by
Jony Ive
Sir Jonathan Paul Ive (born 27 February 1967) is a British industrial and product designer, as well as businessman. Ive was the chief design officer (CDO) of Apple Inc. from 1997 until 2019 (known as senior vice principal of industrial desig ...
, Apple's former chief designer, in an interview. He said that health was a crucial element in the Apple Watch since the day of its inception and that the developmental trajectory of the hardware and the watchOS were geared towards health-based capabilities.
Ive pointed out that one of the primary apps that shipped with the first watchOS allowed users to track and communicate as well as encourage them to move, exercise, and stand. He said:
Many of us have our phones with us all the time, but they aren't connected to you. Imagine having something this powerful with you at all times, and what opportunities that might present to the user. The opportunity is phenomenal. Particularly when oudon't understand just where we are today in terms of technology and capability, but where we are headed.
One of the most recent updates to the watchOS included applications that not only keep users active but also diagnose illnesses. For example, there is the app called DeepHeart, a deep-learning network that can detect
atrial fibrillation,
hypertension
Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...
, sleep apnea, and
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. It taps into the HealthKit platform to collect data, particularly those collected by the Apple Watch's heart sensor.
Version history
watchOS 1
watchOS 1 was the first version of watchOS to be released. It came with iOS 8.2, instead of the initial release.
The first version of watchOS 1 was 1.0 and was based on iOS 8.2. The second version of watchOS 1 was 1.0.1 and was based on iOS 8.3.
watchOS 2
watchOS 3
watchOS 4
watchOS 5
watchOS 5 was first shown to the public at the 2018 San Jose WWDC developer conference held on June 4, 2018 by Apple. It had an instant watch-to-watch Walkie-Talkie mode. With this release, Apple dropped support for the first generation Apple Watch. watchOS 5 was the first version of watchOS to bring 64-bit support.
watchOS 6
Apple announced a new version of watchOS that would contain features, such as the App Store, a calculator with tip tools, an audiobooks app, noise level monitoring, and Apple's Voice Memos app, at WWDC 2019 held on 3 June 2019.
It also enables special games that can only be played on the Watch interface. With this release, Apple dropped support for iPhone 5, 6 and 6 Plus. However, watchOS 6 has limited support on
Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. watchOS 6.3 is the final release supported on the
Apple Watch Series 1 and 2.
watchOS 7
Apple announced watchOS 7 at the 2020
Worldwide Developers Conference on June 22, 2020. With watchOS 7, Apple dropped support for
Apple Watch Series 1 and 2. However, watchOS 7 has limited support on
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was rel ...
.
watchOS 8
Apple announced watchOS 8 at the 2021
Worldwide Developers Conference on June 7, 2021. Apple Watch models supporting watchOS 7 can also support watchOS 8. However, like watchOS 7, watchOS 8 has limited support on
Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was rel ...
. It is also the last version of watchOS to be supported on Apple Watch models with
32-bit processors.
watchOS 9
Apple announced watchOS 9 at the 2022
Worldwide Developers Conference on June 6, 2022. With this release, Apple dropped support for Apple Watch Series 3, making it the first version of watchOS to run exclusively on Apple Watch models with
64-bit processors.
See also
*
tvOS
*
macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
*
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...
*
Wear OS
Wear OS (also known simply as Wear and formerly Android Wear) is a version of Google's Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables. By pairing with mobile phones running Android version 6.0 "Marshmallow" or newer, or ...
, Android competitor
References
External links
* – official site
{{Apple Inc.
IOS
Apple Inc. operating systems
2015 software
Apple Watch