Apple watchOS 9 announced with new watch faces and health features

At WWDC today, Apple gave a sneak peek at the impending watchOS 9 upgrade. Improvements to the watch faces, Workout app, sleep phases, a first-of-its-kind AFib History, and medication monitoring are all part of the latest version.

There are four new watch faces in watchOS 9. Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy are some of them. Existing watch faces have been updated as well; the Portraits face now shows the depth effect on photographs of cats, dogs, and landscapes, and certain classic watch faces, such as Modular, Modular Compact, and X-Large, now have changeable backdrop colors and gradients.

More information and metrics are now displayed in the Workout app. Custom workouts allow you to design an organized program with customized work and rest periods. New notifications may be added, such as pace, power, heart rate, and cadence.

The Exercise app now has a new Multisport workout option for triathletes that automatically transitions between any sequence of swimming, bike, and running sessions based on movement patterns seen by the motion sensors.

Apple has announced watchOS 9: it includes new watch faces as well as health features

For runners, watchOS 9 now displays additional running data like as stride length, ground contact duration, and vertical oscillation to aid with performance. Those who run on a regular basis may now compete against their prior best or last time. A new pacer mode calculates the required pace for a specific distance and time target.

With the addition of sleep phases, Apple has enhanced sleep monitoring. In the app, the Apple Watch may now provide a breakdown of REM, Core, and Deep sleep.

Following that, watchOS 9 adds AFib history for people who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. The Apple Watch can now detect AFib by monitoring your heart rate and displaying how frequently your heart rhythm shows indicators of AFib. In the Health app, users will receive weekly notifications and a full history. It is available in PDF format, which users can share with doctors.

Finally, watchOS 9 includes Prescriptions, which allows you to manage and track your medications and supplements; as well as set up reminders and timetables. In the United States, you'll also receive notifications if there are any potentially dangerous interactions with the prescriptions you've added to the Health app.

Kickboard detection and SWOLF score for swimmers, Home app integration in Family Setup, new Quick Actions; Apple Watch Mirroring for operating the watch using the iPhone's assistive functions; and redesigned alerts are among the other new features. Later this year, eligible Apple Watch devices will receive watchOS 9.