watchOS 11: The Biggest Features in This Apple Watch Update

watchOS 11 at a glance

watchOS 11 was first announced at WWDC in June and made available as a developer beta shortly after. A public beta followed in July, with the final release launching in September. In October, a minor update, watchOS 11.1, was rolled out.

• watchOS 11 Developer Beta - June 2024
• watchOS 11 Public Beta - July 2024
• watchOS 11 - September 2024
• watchOS 11.1 - October 2024 

While watchOS 10 focused on refining the user interface and features, watchOS 11 introduced substantial new capabilities across health, fitness, usability, and security. Here are the standout features:

Health and Fitness

Sleep Apnea Detection

One of the most notable additions in watchOS 11 is sleep apnea detection. This feature leverages the Apple Watch’s accelerometer and chipset to monitor subtle movements during sleep, identifying patterns associated with respiratory disruptions. These movements are analyzed and translated into "breathing disturbance" values, which can indicate moderate to severe sleep apnea.

To generate a detailed report, users must enable sleep tracking for at least 30 days. Reports can also be shared with doctors and healthcare providers for further analysis.

However, not all Apple Watches running watchOS 11 support this feature. Sleep apnea detection is hardware-dependent and is available only on the Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple Watch Series 10.

Training Load

This feature will measure your workout intensity over various periods. To start using it, you'll need 28 days of data collection, which can then be compared to the last seven days to classify your training as below, steady, above, or well above average.

The system uses metrics like heart rate, GPS, and user input to estimate workout strain, while also considering age, height, and weight. Based on this analysis, you'll be able to understand how much you can push yourself during training. For many, it will also provide crucial insights into how to avoid injuries.

You can find the Training Load information directly in the Activity app on your Apple Watch or in the Summary tab of the Fitness app on your iPhone. However, you will need to add it as a new category in the Summary.

Effort Rating

Another fitness-focused addition is Effort Rating, a new exercise metric that evaluates your performance post-workout. This metric applies to most cardio exercises, including walking, running, and rowing, and factors in pace, elevation, heart rate, and personal data to deliver a comprehensive effort score.

Users can adjust effort results manually or add data for non-cardio workouts to obtain ratings. Additionally, watchOS 11 supports importing workout metrics from third-party fitness apps, offering greater flexibility for fitness tracking.

Vitals App

Another valuable addition is the Vitals feature. This functionality consolidates various health metrics, enabling us to monitor our overall health status and detect any changes or trends. While this feature isn't new in the wearable arena, it is a significant enhancement to Apple's Health suite.

What I appreciate the most is Apple's straightforward approach. They clearly explain how the ratings for your resting hours are derived from metrics that are not only sensible but also easy to obtain. Apple combines readings of our respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen levels, and sleep duration to provide analyses categorized as High, Typical, or Low. "Typical" corresponds to metrics close to our baseline, while "High" and "Low" indicate significant deviations from the recent baseline, identified as outliers.

It is noteworthy that one metric that Apple has clearly addressed is alcohol consumption. This is particularly compelling for me because the amount and timing of alcohol intake can influence not only our sleep measurements but also our workout recovery times. As someone who enjoys the occasional glass of wine or beer, understanding the impact of alcohol on my daily mood and sleep quality, as well as on my performance in running or weightlifting, will be highly beneficial.

The best part about Vitals is that it is retroactive, allowing us to immediately understand what these outliers mean for us.

Cycle Tracking Enhancements

I'm a big fan of Apple's approach to cycle tracking, and the company's developers have now taken it to another level. The cycle tracking feature has been enhanced to better support pregnancy tracking, including logging symptoms and adjusting health metrics like heart rate.

By logging a pregnancy, users can estimate gestational age and due dates, as well as record symptoms such as morning nausea. The feature also offers a better overview of heart monitoring, which is especially relevant during pregnancy as the heart rate tends to increase slightly.

• Also read: Apple vs. Samsung menstrual health features

Custom Workouts for Pool Swims

I haven't had the chance to jump into a swimming pool since Monday, but as soon as I get the opportunity, I will test the new interval-based customization with haptic feedback for transitions.

Suppose you want to do a workout that involves swimming 5 sets of 50 meters, followed by a 30-second rest after each set. With the new Custom Workouts, you can set up these intervals exactly as you like. You can define the duration of each swim segment (work) and each rest period (recovery).

Additionally, while you’re swimming, it might be difficult to see your watch or hear any alarms. With the haptic feedback feature, your Apple Watch will now give you a gentle tap on your wrist when it’s time to move on to the next part of your workout.

Personalization and Interface

Smart Stack Improvements

To be honest, I don't use Smart Stacks often. To be even more honest, I don't use many widgets on my iPhone either—only the basic ones that have become more interactive, like the Apple Music player. However, with the new watchOS 11, the widgets section has become more intelligent, offering suggestions based on time, location, and routines directly on the wrist.

I decided to try out some new widgets, like Shazam and Photos. For the Photos widget, you first need to mark a picture as a favorite in the Photos app gallery before it can be added to the Watch. I find this a bit puzzling, although it's nice to be able to recall memorable moments on my wrist when I'm bored and don't have access to my phone. But is this really a compelling reason to have the widget? Sure, you can quickly share these photos with someone directly from the Apple Watch, but still…

Ok, one feature I really like is that when I'm playing a song on Apple Music, the corresponding widget automatically displays on my Apple Watch screen in Always-on Display (AoD) mode.

Photos Watch Face

On the other hand, the Photos Watch Face is pretty neat. There’s not much to elaborate on because it's quite similar to what we've seen in iOS 16 on the iPhone. Now, a machine learning model selects the best compositions from our photos for the watch face, or you can choose them manually. I appreciate the customization options—with a bit of creativity, you can create some very cool watch faces.

Apart from displaying a single photo, you can also set to have up to 6 reshuffling pre-selected photos or choose an entire collection that dynamically changes every time you lift your wrist or access your Apple Watch. However, setting up and customizing the Photos watch face can only be done from your iPhone.

If you're not a fan of customizing, Apple also added two new watch face presets with watchOS 11. The first is Reflections which utilizes reflections to create appealing watch screens. Likewise, Flux offers a dynamic watch face that changes throughout the day.

Customizable Activity Rings

With watchOS 11, we finally have much more control over the activity rings. First, we can now pause the rings for rest days or injuries—I've been dealing with a knee injury for three weeks, and it was disheartening to see my incomplete rings each day. But that's now a thing of the past.

Moreover, daily goals can now be customized for each day of the week. We can also adjust the display of metrics and summaries for various workouts in the Fitness app on the iPhone. However, there’s one thing you still can't move: the Activity Rings.

Digital Crown Gestures

A couple of useful gestures are added on watchOS 11 to improve the usability of the digital crown in the Apple Watch. Before, accessing the notifications section was through swiping down from the watch face, with the latest update, it's now possible to turn the digital crown downward and view the recent notifications.

There is a tweak when in sleep mode. When exiting the mode, you can just press the digital crown once. This is in contrast to before which requires long-pressing the digital crown for three seconds.

Safety and Connectivity

Check In Feature

Since testing the Garmin Lily 2, I’ve been dreaming of having the Check In feature on my Apple Watch. Now, whenever I go for an outdoor workout, I can quickly share my location with close friends and family, ensuring they’re aware of my whereabouts. The Check In feature is seamlessly integrated into the Workouts app. I believe it’s a crucial safety feature, especially as a woman and a queer person who likes to jog at night, and even more so for those recovering from injuries.

The Check In operates via iMessage and is similar to the location-sharing capabilities we've been using on iOS since last year. You can find the option to check in immediately after starting your workout, located directly in the settings menu. It is important to note that it requires an active mobile line.

Translate App Integration

Another neat feature, especially if you live abroad or travel frequently, is the built-in translation functionality. Currently, the Apple Watch offers translations for 20 languages directly on the device. However, you'll need to download the languages in advance to use them.

Additionally, the improved Smart Stack feature intelligently suggests the Translate app based on your location, so you don’t even have to manually search for it.

Apple Maps Enhancements

If you enjoy cycling like I do, the support for offline navigation using Apple Maps in watchOS 11 is a standout enhancement. In the U.S., there's an added benefit: you can access navigation for national parks and create custom walking routes.

Last, but not least: While we're on the topic of biking, I noticed something new—or at least new to me—in watchOS 11. I use the cycling outdoor workout frequently, and yesterday, I discovered a feature I hadn’t noticed before. Apple Watches have long been able to recognize various activities, a feature I've always appreciated. However, in the past, when I paused an activity, like during a long bike tour, I had to manually resume it.

Yesterday, while biking in the city, I paused my activity. When I started moving again, I received an alert through my AirPods asking if I wanted to resume the activity. This was the first time I encountered this alert, and I loved it. It means I’ll never lose track of my biking distances again.

Availability and compatibility

The full version of watchOS 11 is available for the Apple Watch Series 6 and later models, paired with an iPhone Xs or newer running iOS 18.

• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch SE 2
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 6

If you have an Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, or the first-generation Apple Watch SE and are wondering why these devices won’t get the new watchOS 11 update, it’s because Apple has stopped software support for them. This decision is due to the older hardware in these models not keeping up with the latest advancements in software and Apple's focus on enhancing newer models. Sorry!

Whether you’re tracking sleep quality or customizing your watch face, watchOS 11 offers features that cater to a wide range of user needs. With its focus on health and usability, this update solidifies the Apple Watch as a leading wearable for wellness and convenience.

What’s your favorite new feature in watchOS 11? Share your thoughts and let us know how these updates are enhancing your Apple Watch experience in the comments below!