watchOS 10 Brings Redesigned Apps, New Watch Faces, and More

This week, Apple showed off watchOS 10, the latest version of its operating system for the Apple Watch. The update brings several new and improved features, including new watch faces, revamped apps, mood tracking, and more.

watchOS 10 brings revamped apps that display more information at a quick glance, along with new ways to navigate and access Apple Watch content.

The updated Apple Watch apps now use more of the Apple Watch display, providing additional “glanceable” information.

The Activity app on the Watch works with the iPhone Fitness app, making it easier to track daily activity, see additional details, a redesigned trophy case area, and trainer tips from Apple Fitness+.

watchOS 10 also offers a Smart Stack feature that includes widgets that can be revealed by simply turning the Apple Watch’s Digital Crown while viewing any watch face. This allows users to gain quick access to important information.

watchOS 10 also brings two new watch faces. The “Palette” face displays the time in a wide variety of colors in three overlapping layers. The watch face colors shift as time passes. The new Peanuts watch face features popular Peanuts characters Snoopy and Woodstock, who interact with the watch hands, react to changing weather conditions, and more.

The World Clock feature also now displays background colors that reflect the time of day in various time zones.

watchOS 10 also brings new cycling workout features, including a full-screen view on the iPhone, new metrics like Power Zones, Functional Threshold Power, and more. Hikers can take advantage of the included Compass and Maps.

Users can log their emotions and daily moods in the Mindfulness app by turning the Digital Crown to scroll through various shapes to indicate how they are feeling and describe their feelings.

A new feature designed to lessen the risk of myopia uses the Apple Watch’s ambient light sensor to show Time in Daylight, which is also available in the Health app.

A new NameDrop feature allows users to easily share contact information by simply bringing their Apple Watch nearby another user’s iPhone, or by tapping the Share button in “My Card” in the Contacts app.

Users can now playback a FaceTime video message, viewing it directly on their Apple Watch. Group FaceTime audio is also available on the Apple Watch.

The watchOS 10 Medications app can provide reminders if a medication hasn’t been logged within 30 minutes after the scheduled dosage time.

Apple Fitness+ now offers Custom Plans, which offers custom workouts or meditation schedules; Stacks, which allows users to perform multiple workouts and meditations back-to-back; and Audio Focus, which allows users to control the volume of the trainers’ voices or the music.

Apple released the first developer beta of watchOS 10 today. A public beta will be made available next month. watchOS 10 will be released to the general public this fall as a free software update. watchOS 10 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 4 or later paired with an iPhone Xs or later that’s running iOS 17.