The Best watchOS 8 Features for Apple Watch

Apple announced watchOS 8 during the opening keynote of the WWDC 2022. watchOS 8 builds on already feature-rich watchOS 7 and brings many new improvements and refinements to the Apple Watch operating system. Read along to learn all the superlative watchOS 8 features coming to all compatible Apple Watch models subsequently this year.

watchOS 8 brings many enhancements and subtle tweaks to Apple Watch. These improvements include the new Mindfulness app that helps you focus meliorate, new tools for communication in Messages, a one-finish control middle for HomeKit devices, and more.

watchOS viii is uniform with all of the Apple Watch models that watchOS seven supported. This ways yous can use these features on Apple Picket models from Apple Lookout man Series 3 all the way to the latest Apple Watch Serial half dozen.

These are some of the best watchOS eight features that make the Apple Watch user experience fifty-fifty better.

1. Mindfulness App

Apple introduced the Breath with watchOS 3. Information technology lets you meditate and relieve stress without the demand of going to meditation centers. With watchOS viii, Apple is stepping up the game by the introduction of the new Mindfulness app that will supervene upon the existing Breath app.

Mindfulness app has new features that help yous focus better. The new addition called Reverberate encourages yous to have ane minute from your decorated schedule and prompts users to create a positive frame of heed. Apple tree says that during the Reverberate session, a user can call back the things they're grateful for or retrieve of something that soothes their listen. It besides has new animations that urgers user to open the Mindfulness app at least once every day.

2. Respiratory Rate Tracking While Sleeping

With watchOS 7, Apple tree introduced Sleep Tracking. It let you see how much time you spent sleeping, however, it doesn't let y'all run into the quality of sleep or if in that location were whatsoever disturbances in your sleep. In another endeavor to improve user'south quality of sleep, Apple has introduced the respiratory rate tracking feature with watchOS 8.

It shows how many breaths y'all're taking during slumber, the range of it, and even the daily boilerplate. The Health app on iPhone now has a label that shows the 'Tendency,' which basically tells you whether yous're having a 'Consequent' number of breaths throughout your sleep or not. It may also show 'Inconsistent' if you lot're having many disturbances during your sleep.

3. Control HomeKit Devices With New Habitation App for Apple tree Sentry

new home app watchOS 8 suggested actions

One of the major updates that Apple tree has included in the watchOS eight is the new Domicile app for Apple Watch. Your Apple Watch can now propose actions based on the devices around you. For example, if you're near your doorbell, and if you pull upward your Apple Sentry, the Home app will show a live feed of your doorbell camera, likewise as permit you to talk to the person standing outside.

Similarly, watchOS 8 can also suggest y'all to perform deportment depending upon the time of the day. For case, turning off lights when information technology is Bed Fourth dimension, amid others. The new watchOS eight Abode app also features a direct button for HomePod's Intercom feature.

4. New Apple Wallet Features

Apple tree is adding more ways of turning your Watch into an all-in-one digital wallet. The Apple Lookout man already supports Apple Pay, and at present with watchOS eight, the visitor has added a new feature that makes adding new keys to Apple Watch easier than ever. You tin can add keys like a home key, office key, and hotel key to the Wallet app and utilise their Apple Watch to unlock them.

Apple is also calculation an ability that lets you store IDs like Driver'southward License directly in the Apple Wallet app. Apple says that the feature will be bachelor in the select US States in the coming months.

five. Fix Multiple Timers

You can finally set multiple timers on Apple Watch with watchOS 8. Merely start a timer and and so inquire Siri again to start a new timer. All of the timers will show up on the watchOS 8 Lock Screen as well as in the Clock app. You can even label timers like "Laundry Timer" or "Cooking Timer" to differentiate between them.

six. Features for Messages, New Contacts App

Letters is getting a huge upgrade this year. While Apple tree isn't adding the keyboard to the watchOS Letters app, it's adding features that brand Messages a lot more than fun. You can now use Scribble, emojis, and dictation to compose the same message, as well as use the Digital Crown to micro-control the editing cursor.

Apple has likewise added GIF support to Letters on watchOS. Apple Watch users tin can enter a give-and-take or phrase and select from hundreds of trending GIFs. watchOS 8 also introduces Contacts app to the Apple tree Watch. You tin can now create, edit, share contacts directly from the Contacts app on Apple Watch.

seven. AssistiveTouch on Apple tree Watch

Apple volition be debuting the accessibility features it announced before WWDC 2022. The list of features includes AssistiveTouch that will make information technology easier for people with limited mobility to use the Apple tree Lookout. AssistiveTouch on Apple Picket uses the in-congenital gyroscope and accelerometer sensors which makes it easier for people to use their Apple Sentinel ever having to touch the display or controls.

With watchOS 8, Apple Watch tin notice differences in muscle movement and tendon activity which enables the user to movement the cursor. Users can perform hand gestures like a pinch or a clench to move around the Bone.

eight. Portrait Watch Faces and New Photos App

Apple has redesigned the Photos app in watchOS 8. Information technology is at present easier to view and navigate photo collections. Moreover, Memories and Featured Photos sync to the Apple Watch from the iOS app.

watchOS 8 also features a new portrait picket face up. Apple tree says that the custom photo watch face is the most pop watch face on Apple tree Sentinel, and now, it will create a more portrait-manner scout face that focuses on the photo discipline by blurring the groundwork. Elements similar the timestamp and the date adapt to the photo you choose.

9. Focus Mode

watchOS 8 borrows the Focus Mode from iOS fifteen. This mode will assistance users stay more than focused by filtering out the notification on Apple tree Watch. It automatically aligns with whatsoever Focus manner set on iOS fifteen, so that notifications from people and apps are filtered based on what a user is currently doing.

watchOS 8 also suggests focus way based on the user'southward action. For example, when y'all commencement a workout on Apple Watch, the Sentry will ask you to enable Focus for Fitness.

10. New Workouts Types and Trainers

watchOS viii features new workout types called Tai Chi and Pilates. These new workouts are 'beneficial for both physical fitness and mindful movement,' says Apple. The company is also adding new workouts in Apple Fettle+ with training sessions from pop trainers like Jeanette Jenkins.

Tai Chi is a form of Chinese martial art that is referred to equally "meditation in motion," promoting a more peaceful state of mind likewise as trunk movement.

xi. Improvements to E'er on Display

With watchOS 8, Apple has also added minor improvements to the Always-On display on Apple Watch. More apps support the Always-On display now, like Maps, Mindfulness, Now Playing, Telephone, Stopwatch, Timers, Voice Memos, and others. Apple has likewise added an API that enables tertiary-political party developers to integrate E'er-On Display in their apps.

12. Find Items Directly From Apple Watch

And finally, Apple will let y'all go on track of Find My Items, similar AirTag, and the new Chipolo I Spot, directly from the Apple tree Sentry. At that place's also a new Find Devices app that helps users locate lost Apple devices that are signed in with the same Apple ID.

watchOS 8 will be released aslope iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey 'in the autumn.' If you're really eager to try these features, y'all can go ahead and install the watchOS viii beta on your Apple tree Watch. Call back, to install watchOS 8 on your Apple Lookout, you lot need to update your iPhone to iOS 15.

What is your favorite watchOS viii feature? Are you planning to install watchOS eight right abroad, or are you waiting for the stable release? Let us know in the comments department beneath!