watchOS

watchOS

Homescreen for watchOS 2 as of November 2015
Developer Apple Inc.
Written in
OS family
Working state Current
Source model Closed (with open-source components)
Initial release April 24, 2015 (2015-04-24)
Latest release 3.2.3 (14V753) (July 19, 2017 (2017-07-19)) [±]
Latest preview 4.0 Beta 7[1] (15R5365a)[2] (August 21, 2017 (2017-08-21)) [±]
Marketing target Smartwatch
Update method FOTA (via iPhone 5+ running iOS 8.2+)
Platforms
License Proprietary software except for open-source components
Official website www.apple.com/watchos
Support status
Supported

watchOS is the mobile operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on the iOS operating system and has many similar features.[3] It was released on April 24, 2015, along with the Apple Watch, the only device that runs watchOS. Its API is called WatchKit.

The second version, watchOS 2, included support for native third-party apps and other improvements, and was released on September 21, 2015.[4][5][6] The third version, watchOS 3, was released on September 13, 2016, emphasizing better performance and including new watch faces and stock apps.

UI overview

The home screen (rendered by and also known as "Carousel")[3] is composed of circular application icons, which can be zoomed in and out with the Digital Crown and dragged and launched by touching the display. Many of the apps are miniaturized, simplified versions of their iOS counterparts.

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.[7] The Glances view was opened with a swipe up gesture from the watch face screen. With watchOS 3, Glances has been replaced by a redesigned Control Center - much like the one in iOS.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 if the user taps or deep presses which an Apple Watch detects with its pressure-sensitive (Force Touch) Display.[8]

Version history

Legend:   Obsolete   Discontinued   Current   Beta

watchOS 1.x

watchOS 2.x

watchOS 3.x

Table of versions: watchOS 3.x - Apple Watch
watchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

3.0

10.0 14S326 September 13, 2016
  • Initial Release on Apple Watch Series 1 (Dual-Core) and Apple Watch Series 2 (Dual-Core)
  • Performance and Navigation
    • Provides faster access to apps by creating a dock which can accommodate up to 10 apps which will keep running in the background for instant access.
    • The dock can be invoked using the side button next to the digital crown.
  • Control Center
    • Provides support for an all-new Control Center which can be invoked by sliding up from the bottom of the screen.
  • New Watch Faces.
    • Adds new watch faces and adds support for switching between them by swiping left/right from the edge of the watch screen.
  • Activity/Workouts
    • Adds support for sharing activity with friends using iMessage or other messaging platforms.
    • Adds support for tracking movement of people in wheelchairs, displaying a "Time to Roll" reminder rather than "Time to Walk" as watchOS 2 did.
    • It is now possible to see 5 different workout metrics all at once. These include distance, pace, active calories, heart rate, and elapsed time.
    • Adds support for pausing a workout when stopped at a stoplight.
    • Support for a new Breathe app which will guide users through a set of deep breaths to help them be more relaxed.
  • Messages
    • Adds support for the all-new messaging app which will also be present in iOS 10. This includes features such as setting off fireworks, sticking stickers, sharing a secret with invisible ink, or replying in your own handwriting or scribbling letters on the display and letting Apple Watch turn it into text.
  • HomeKit
    • Adds support for an all-new Home app which is a centralized place to control all HomeKit accessories.
  • SOS
    • Adds support for a feature called SOS which allows a person to place emergency calls by holding the side button for 5 seconds. While this feature is ideal for emergency events, numerous reports[15] have shown it can be triggered too easily without the watch owner knowing. Please use it with caution as the cops can come anytime asking why you called them.
  • Mac Unlock
    • Alongside macOS Sierra, the Apple Watch running watchOS 3 can now allow users to bypass the unlock screen on their Mac by allowing the Mac to detect their Apple Watch and unlock the Mac.

3.1

10.1 14S471 October 24, 2016
  • New option to replay bubble and full screen effects in Messages
  • Messages effects can play with Reduce Motion enabled
  • Fixes an issue that could cause the notification for Timer complete to be delivered twice
  • Resolves an issue that could prevent Apple Watch Series 2 from fully charging
  • Resolves an issue where Activity rings may disappear from the watch face
  • Fixes an issue that prevented Force Touch options from appearing in some third-party apps.

3.1.1

 10.2 14S883 December 12, 2016

Update withdrawn due to reports of Apple Watches no longer working after the update[16]

  • Fixes an issue that could prevent contact names from appearing in the Messages app and notifications
  • Fixes an issue that could impact ability to respond to notifications
  • Resolves an issue where the Stocks complication may not update on the watch face
  • Fixes an issue that may prevent the Activity rings from displaying on the Activity watch faces
  • Fixes an issue that prevented the dials on an analog watch face from appearing after changing the temperature unit in the Weather app
  • Resolves an issue that could cause the Maps app to stay launched after navigation has ended
  • Resolves an issue where the incorrect date could be displayed in the Calendar app month view

3.1.3

 10.2.1 14S960 January 23, 2017
  • General performance and stability improvements

3.2

 10.3 14V249 March 27, 2017
  • Theater mode to temporarily disable the raise to wake feature
  • SiriKit to allow third party apps access to Siri
  • Find My iPhone now supports Location and Play Sound for AirPods.
  • Filesystem updated to APFS.

3.2.2

 10.3.2 14V485 May 15, 2017
  • Bug fixes.

3.2.3

 10.3.3 14V753 July 19, 2017
  • Bug fixes.

watchOS 4.x

See also

References

  1. ↑ Juli Clover (August 21, 2017). "Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of New watchOS 4 Operating System to Developers". MacRumors.
  2. ↑ "New Beta Downloads Now Available". Apple Developer. Apple Inc. August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Apple Watch runs 'most' of iOS 8.2, may use A5-equivalent processor". AppleInsider. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Apple announces watchOS 2 with third-party Apple Watch apps, new Timepieces, video playback, much more". 9to5Mac. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ "watchOS 2 final version released for Apple Watch users". Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Apple's watch OS 2 is now live following bug delay - CNET". CNET. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ "How To Use and Organize Apple Watch Glances". iPhoneTricks. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Apple Watch – Technology". Apple. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 "Apple Watch Firmware". Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Apple Watch Timekeeping". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Apple Watch Built-in Apps". Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  12. ↑ "watchOS 1.01 information". Apple Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  13. ↑ "About the security content of watch OS 1.0.1 - Apple Support". Apple. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "watchOS 2.x information". Apple Inc. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ "How to Turn Off Emergency Services (SOS) on your Apple Watch - Cydia Geeks". Cydia Geeks. 2017-02-03. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  16. ↑ "Apple has temporarily pulled the watchOS 3.1.1 update due to reports of it bricking devices". 9to5Mac. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
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