Sleep Tracking and Wind Down
Apple added very rudimentary “bedtime” tracking to its Clock app back in iOS 10, but it’s been clear for a while that this was just the first step to a more comprehensive sleep tracking system that Apple has been working on ever since it acquired Beddit a couple of years ago.
With watchOS 7, Apple is debuting what it describes as a more “holistic” approach to sleep, which will not only provide statistics, but will help users to actually meet their goals by providing features that encourage users to wind down properly before their scheduled bedtime as well as gently easing them into their morning routines.
A new Wind Down mode is being added in watchOS 7 and iOS 14 that will help to minimize distractions by dimming the screen, enabling do not disturb, and offering up shortcuts for things like playing music or ambient sounds, turning off home devices, offering up evening readings, or whatever else you may want to do to prepare for bed.
On the other side, you’ll be able to choose from gentle wake up alarm sounds or even a silent Taptic alarm so that you don’t disturb your partner, along with a friendly morning greeting to ease you into the day. It will also provide a battery level indicator so you can remember to take your Apple Watch off and drop it onto your charger in the morning, since you’ll need to wear it to bed in order to properly track your sleep. Hopefully the Apple Watch Series 6 will offer even more battery improvements.
During the night, the Apple Watch will keep the screen off to save power and avoid distractions while tracking things like heart rate and tossing and turning as well as even the most micro movements, such as breathing rates. This will all be recorded in a dedicated Sleep app and fed into the standard iOS 14 Health app to give you feedback on how well you’re actually sleeping.