WatchOS 7 adds much-requested sleep tracking feature

By Will Nicol June 22, 2020

This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple announced the next generation of its software for the Apple Watch, WatchOS 7, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday.

WatchOS 7 introduces some remarkable features that promote mental and physical health, as well as nifty UI innovations.

With the new and improved complications, you can customize watch faces for specific purposes (if you like surfing, make a watch face that displays stats about water, for example).

Face Sharing allows users to get watch faces from friends, family, even websites. When you install the face, you’ll be asked to install any apps you don’t already have that factor into that face.

Workouts is getting livelier with the addition of Dance, allowing users to track various styles of dancing from around the world. WatchOS 7 is also getting a revamped Activity app, now called Fitness, for tracking fitness goals.

WatchOS 7 is adding a much-requested feature: Sleep. The Wind Down function creates a new lockdown screen at your scheduled bedtime, dimming the screen and removing distractions. The watch uses machine-learning to track your breathing during your sleep, giving you more insight into your health.

The new Apple WatchOS is even suited to post-coronavirus society, tracking your hand-washing motions and letting you know if you still need to keep scrubbing.

Be sure to check out the rest of our WWDC coverage for the latest news on the next wave of Apple products.

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Will Nicol is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends. He covers a variety of subjects, particularly emerging technologies, movies…

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