watchOS 10

Even after a redesign, the Apple Watch focuses on three main feature sets — health, fitness, and customization. Apple rebuilt these systems to take advantage of the ever-increasing Apple Watch displays and improve controls.

Apple brought widgets to Apple Watch, moved Control Center to the Side Button, and redesigned apps to utilize more of the display. Those updates, combined with new APIs and system changes, lead to an abundant release.

A few features from iOS 17 made it to watchOS 10 as well, like NameDrop and FaceTime video messages. Enterprise users even have new MDM and VPN access.

The watchOS 10.1 update brought Double Tap to Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. It's a feature that lest users control the main interface element on the display, like play/pause, by taping fingers on one hand.

There are some significant limitations to Double Tap. Third party apps can't build targets for the feature since there isn't an API, and the display must be active for the feature to work.

A new watchOS

Everything was redesigned to show more useful content and take advantage of every bit of screen real estate. Apple even rebuilt its first-party apps in this new full-screen style.

Smart Stack is a new feature that brings widgets to watchOS. These are similar to the widgets available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Scrolling the Digital Crown from the watch face will bring up the Smart Stack. It is arranged based on user interaction, location, and time.

Having widgets always within easy reach takes the pressure off of users to have information-dense watch faces. Now, regardless of the chosen watch face, relevant data is just a scroll away.

Control Center is also now easily accessed from anywhere in watchOS by pressing the Side Button. Pressing the Digital Crown still brings up the app list, but the honeycomb view is now scrollable.

Fitness updates

The updated fitness features for Apple Watch stem from new APIs for developers and changes to Apple Fitness+. Users can customize Apple Fitness+ workouts, and developers can tap into these systems.

Multiple metrics have been introduced or updated, like cycling metrics are improved with Live Activities, hiking gains a compass view, and Bluetooth accessories can pair directly to Apple Watch. Apple also added a new Power Zones workout view.

Hikers also gain new trail information like name, length, time, elevation gain, difficulty, and more. There's even a topographic map view.

Health

Mental health was a big focus during WWDC across multiple platforms. Users can log their state of mind through the Mindfulness app and see how it trends versus other metrics.

State of mind logs can be found in the Health app. It can help the user find trends between mood and other health metrics like sleep, calorie intake, workouts, and more.

Vision health was also an important part of the keynote. Apple wants to help battle myopia by alerting users to move their iPhone or iPad away from their face and use Apple Watch to track time in the sun.

With watchOS 10.2, users can log health metrics like weight by invoking Siri. Health data can also be accessed by Siri, like asking for current calorie intake or logged sleep.

New watch faces

It wouldn't be a new version of watchOS without a handful of new watch faces. Also, more system complications work across different watch face types.

A new Snoopy watch face will show an animated Snoopy and Woodstock upon a wrist raise. The background is black and white during the week, but on Sunday, it is colorful, like the Sunday newspaper comic.

Another new watch face was introduced called Palette. It shifts between three colors throughout the day using three distinct overlapping layers.

watchOS 10 release date and compatibility

Apple announced watchOS 10 during WWDC in June and released developer betas for testing. Public testing began in July.

watchOS 10 requires iPhone XS, iPhone XR, or later with iOS 17 and one of the following Apple Watch models:

• Apple Watch Series 4
• Apple Watch Series 5
• Apple Watch SE
• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple released watchOS 10 to the public on September 18, 2023. It was released alongside iOS 17 and just a few days before iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 began shipping to customers.