Apple's own Sleep app inadvertently disclosed in Alarms App Store listing

Apple has been developing a Sleep app for the Apple Watch, with an App Store listing for the Alarms app revealing Apple's as-yet unreleased app.

Appearing in an App Store Preview listing for the Alarms app, a screenshot for the app shows a page for managing "Sleep," with users able to enable or turn off a "Wake Up" alarm. The text below mentions users can "Set your bedtime and wake up in the Sleep app," something that has yet to exist on the Apple Watch.

Currently, the Clock app on iPhone offers Bedtime, a feature where users can set when they want to wake up and how much they want to sleep, and to receive reminders on both their iPhone and the Apple Watch when it's time to sleep. The app also performs sleep tracking functions.

It is currently not possible to manage the Bedtime feature from the Apple Watch, aside from dismissing the sleep notification. The listing found by MacRumors certainly suggests the ability to enable and disable the function from Alarms, but doesn't directly say if the Sleep app is on the Apple Watch or the iOS device.

Given the ability for Apple Watch users to install apps directly to the Apple Watch via a watchOS version of the App Store, it is plausible Apple could update the app via that mechanism instead of awaiting a watchOS update. At present, the Sleep app isn't in the watchOS beta currently in testing.

While rumors have suggested the Apple Watch will include sleep tracking functionality at some point, including "Time in Bed tracking" under the codename "Burrito," it has yet to make an appearance in watchOS itself. Users wanting to perform sleep tracking either have to use apps within the Apple Watch App Store or a separate system entirely, like the Apple-owned Beddit.

4 Comments

gutengel 363 comments · 7 Years

About 5 years ago

I think that this is a major feature that won't become available without announcement. Whether they announce on the iPad event or will just stay buried until the next Apple Watch and WatchOS becomes available.

MplsP 4022 comments · 8 Years

It's interesting how Apple's obsession with secrecy makes something like this news. For most other companies it would only be a blip or an interesting note, but everyone is so accustomed to reading tea leaves with Apple's product development that any little glimpse is significant.

entropys 4303 comments · 13 Years

TBH battery life needs a quantum leap for one who uses the Apple Watch all day and then have tracking through the night. Or wireless charging at a distance.

macgui 2459 comments · 17 Years

entropys said:

TBH battery life needs a quantum leap for one who uses the Apple Watch all day and then have tracking through the night. Or wireless charging at a distance.

Stuff and nonsense. TBA it doesn't take much effort to have that cake and sleep with it two. I used Sleep++ on both my AWs and my S2 with no problems. All were charged during my morning routine, and again at night for my evening routine. This kept my Watches at >60% or better at each time charge. Charging twice in 24hrs kept the charge to 100% times short.

I admit putting on and taking it off twice a day is more than a lot of people want to do, and that's understandable. But, it is doable.

MplsP said:

It's interesting how Apple's obsession with secrecy makes something like this news. For most other companies it would only be a blip or an interesting note, but everyone is so accustomed to reading tea leaves with Apple's product development that any little glimpse is significant.

I understand why Apple does that. Given the length of development to production cycles, some features don't necessarily need to be cloaked, and some of this secrecy is mere marketing.

But I enjoy the cat and mouse nature, with devs and other pouring over every bit of code, looking for some nugget of guarded info, and wondering if Apple slipped up, or if they left a bread crumb to 'leak' some intel to us. They get a lot of free publicity.