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WatchOS

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WatchOS
Logo of WatchOS 2
Screenshot
File:WatchOS2applewatch.png
WatchOS 2 app launcher
DeveloperApple Inc.
Written inObjective-C, Swift
OS familyUnix-like, iOS
Working stateCurrent
Source modelClosed, with open source components
Initial releaseApril 24, 2015; 10 years ago (2015-04-24)
Latest release2.0.1 (13S428) (Based on iOS 9.1) / October 21, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-10-21)
Marketing targetSmartwatches
Available in27 languages[1][2]
Update methodOTA via iPhone 5 and later running iOS 8.2 or later
Platforms
LicenseProprietary software except for open-source components
Official websitewww.apple.com/watch
Support status
Supported

WatchOS (stylized by Apple as watchOS) is the operating system of the Apple Watch, developed by Apple Inc. It is based on the iOS operating system and has many features similar to those of iOS.[3] It was first released on April 24, 2015, alongside the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is currently the only device that runs WatchOS. The API is called WatchKit.

At WWDC 2015, WatchOS 2 was previewed publicly for the first time. It included major improvements such as support for native third-party apps,.[4] It was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2015,[5] but was delayed due to a bug fix taking longer than expected.[6] It was officially released on September 21, 2015.[7][8]

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.

Glances provide fast access to a summarized view of the most popular native or third party applications used on Apple Watch.[9] The glance view is opened with a swipe up gesture from the watch face screen.

Navigation between glances is achieved by swiping left or right.

Different actions are executed depending on the force with which the user executes a tap, which Watch detects with a special mechanism.[10]

Version history: Apple Watch

Legend:   Obsolete   Discontinued   Current   Beta

WatchOS 1.x

WatchOS 2.x

Table of versions: watchOS 2.x - Apple Watch
WatchOS version iOS version based on Build Release date Features

2.0[7]

9.0[11] 13S344[7] September 21, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-09-21)[7]
  • Nightstand Mode
    • Allows the Apple Watch to act as a nightstand/alarm clock when the watch is charging at night and is turned horizontally while being placed on a table or other surface. Users can look at the time just by tapping the Digital Crown. When an alarm comes in, the Digital Crown can be used to snooze the alarm and the side button can be used to dismiss it.
  • New Watch Faces and timekeeping features
    • New 24 Hour Time-Lapse videos of Hong Kong, London, Mack Lake, New York, Shanghai, and Paris. These watch faces allow users to set the backgrounds of different cities as the user's watch face. As the day moves on, the watch face represents a different time of day in the city. For example, if it is nighttime, the watch will show a skyline of the city at night.
    • Users can also set a particular photo or their entire photo gallery as the watch face, including support for Live Photos.
    • Time Travel
      • A new mode called Time Travel is available in which a user can use the digital crown to scroll forward/backward in time. This allows the user to see upcoming or past calendar events and alarms they have set.
    • 9 new colors to customize watch face, and a new multicolor Modular face.
    • Third party complications.
      • Complications will be available from third-party developers which allow users to do things such as check flight status or charging level of electric cars
  • Siri improvements
    • Start a specific workout, get transit directions, ask to see a glance, looking up a word in the dictionary, and calculating a tip.
    • Support for FaceTime audio calling and replying to email
    • Support for HomeKit to control supported devices in your home using Siri
    • New support for Austria, Belgium (French and Dutch), and Norway
  • Activity and Workout improvements
    • Workouts from third party apps on the Watch can be included in your Activity rings
    • Activity rings, workouts, and achievements can be shared from the Activity app on iPhone
    • Interactive achievements
    • On-demand weekly summary
    • Mute Activity notifications for one day
    • Workouts saved automatically
  • Apple Pay and Wallet improvements
    • Support for Discover cards
    • Support for rewards cards and store credit and debit cards
    • Add passes to Wallet directly from third party apps on your Watch
    • Wallet app replaces Passbook.
    • Adds support in the UK.
  • Friends and Digital Touch improvements
    • Add more than 12 Friends directly from Apple Watch
    • Multiple Friends' groups that you can name
    • Send sketches using multiple colors. While drawing, a user can select from 7 different colors.
    • New options for animated emoji
  • Maps improvements
    • Transit view, showing transit lines, stations and intermodal connections in select major cities
    • View the list of directions for your current
    • View station placards with departure information
  • Music improvements
    • New Beats 1 button to start playing the 24/7 radio station
    • New Quick Play button to play a variety of songs from Apple Music
  • Other improvements
    • Reply to emails using dictation, emoji, or smart replies customized specifically for email
    • Make and receive calls using FaceTime audio
    • Support for Wi-Fi calling without iPhone in proximity on participating carriers
    • Activation Lock prevents anyone from activating your Apple Watch without your Apple ID and password
  • New developer capabilities including
    • Native SDK to build faster and more powerful apps running natively on Apple Watch
    • Access to accelerometer to more granularly track your motion
    • Access to heart rate sensor for use during a workout
    • Access to microphone and speaker to record and play audio
    • Access to the Taptic Engine with 8 different types of Haptic feedback
    • Access to the Digital Crown for more precise controls
    • Ability to play video directly on Apple Watch
    • Support for running apps without iPhone in proximity, including access to networking capabilities when connected to known Wi-Fi networks
    • Complications on the watch face
    • Workouts from apps can be counted towards Activity rings
    • Workouts from apps can be included in Activity app on iPhone
  • New support for system language in English (India), Finnish, Indonesian, Norwegian, and Polish
  • New support for dictation in Dutch (Belgium), English (Ireland, Philippines, South Africa), French (Belgium), German (Austria), Spanish (Chile, Colombia)
  • New support for smart replies in Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong, Taiwan), Danish, Dutch, English (New Zealand, Singapore), Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Thai

[2]

2.0.1

9.0[11] 13S428 October 21, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-10-21)

This update contains new emoji characters, performance improvements, and bug fixes, including:

  • Fixes an issue that could cause software updates to stall
  • Fixes issues that were impacting battery performance
  • Resolves an issue that prevented a managed iPhone from syncing iOS Calendar events to Apple Watch
  • Addresses an issue that could prevent location information from properly updating
  • Fixes an issue that could cause Digital Touch to send from an email address instead of a phone number
  • Addresses an issue that could cause instability when using a Live Photo as a watch face
  • Resolves an issue that allows the sensors to stay on indefinitely when using Siri to measure heart rate

See also

References

  1. ^ "Apple Watch - Technical Specifications". Apple Inc. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Apple Watch OS 2.0". Apple. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ Darren Orf (September 9, 2015). "Apple Watch's OS Update Is Coming September 16". Gizmodo.
  6. ^ "Apple Delays Release Of watchOS 2 Due To Bug". September 16, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d "WatchOS 2 final version released for Apple Watch users". Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "Apple's Watch OS 2 is now live following bug delay - CNET". CNET. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  9. ^ "How To Use and Organize Apple Watch Glances". iPhoneTricks. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "Apple Watch – Technology". Apple. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d "Apple Watch Firmware". Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  12. ^ "Apple Watch Timekeeping". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  13. ^ "Apple Watch Built-in Apps". Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  14. ^ "About the security content of Watch OS 1.0.1 - Apple Support". Apple. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WatchOS&oldid=693658207"