Apple Releases First watchOS 11 Public Beta With Vitals App and More

[MacRumors]

Apple today released the first beta of watchOS 11 to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to give the new features a try ahead of when the software launches this fall.

watchOS 11 can be downloaded after signing up on Apple's beta software website and upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 18. You'll need to open up the Watch app on iPhone, go to General, select Software Update, and choose the watchOS 11 Public Beta option under Beta Updates.

With watchOS 11, Apple added a new Vitals app that can be used to give you a daily overview of your health metrics, letting you know if anything is out of the ordinary. It compares information collected at night like heart rate, sleep, respiratory rate, and oxygen level to your levels over the previous weeks.

Smart Stack has new widgets like Translate and Shazam, plus it's smarter because it is able to suggest widgets based on time, date, location, and daily routine. Interactive widgets let you access app features from the Smart Stack, and it also supports Live Activities.

Training Load is a new way of measuring how the intensity and duration of workouts impact the body over time, with Apple providing an effort level for cardio-based workouts to help you know when to rest and when to push harder.

You can now customize your Activity Ring requirements for different days of the week, and Apple added support for rest days. Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin a streak because you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or more.

Other new features include more workout types, Check In for Messages, a revamped Photos watch face, improvements to Double Tap, and more, with additional information available in our watchOS 11 roundup.

Article Link: Apple Releases First watchOS 11 Public Beta With Vitals App and More

 

[gsmornot]

I keep forgetting about the Vitals app. I need to look at that more.

 

[Beau10]

Oddly I'm more excited about this than iOS 18 or Sequoia. Maps, Vitals, Training Load, and autodetecting sleep are all pretty nice QOL improvements.

 

[Ladon08]

Are watchOS betas still unable to be rolled back if needed? Never had any issues with watch betas but still figured I would check.

 

[Beau10]

Are watchOS betas still unable to be rolled back if needed? Never had any issues with watch betas but still figured I would check.

Yep, still that way. Have to bring it to send it to Apple to revert.

 

[Minato1990]

“Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin a streak because you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or more.”

Im sorry but that’s ********
I did all 442 days straight a few yrs ago either lifting or running /biking/skip rope and playing basketball
Only reason why it stopped is because I caught covid and was coughing blood the next morning after pushing myself through hell working out at basketball when covid hit me.

A streak is a streak if you don’t do it the next day then your streak ended.
This is some grade A coddling ********.

 

[BC2009]

I would love to get a new Apple Watch with watchOS 11 this fall but I don’t want to give up the SpO2 sensor. I wish Apple would just settle with Massimo. Give them like a $1 for every Apple Watch they sell in exchange for access to any and all Massimo patents on health sensors and raise the price from like $399 to $400 or $799 to $800 for the Ultra.

 

[DonkeyWonkey]

Really interested to hear how autodetecting sleep works. If it's like auto sleep and you can set and forget I'd be over the moon!

 

[Dwalls90]

“Taking a break from activity will no longer ruin a streak because you can pause for a day, a week, a month, or more.”

Im sorry but that’s ********
I did all 442 days straight a few yrs ago either lifting or running /biking/skip rope and playing basketball
Only reason why it stopped is because I caught covid and was coughing blood the next morning after pushing myself through hell working out at basketball when covid hit me.

A streak is a streak if you don’t do it the next day then your streak ended.
This is some grade A coddling ********.

You have to proactively pause for the streak to not be ruined, so it's not automatic.

Modern fitness science supports taking at least one day off per week. It's nice people now have a choice. None of that choice impacts your streak or fitness habits.

 

[arc of the universe]

the macrumors photo of the vitals app screen shows (appears to show) an oxygen level reading.
so, is the vitals app only valid for non-USA users?
macrumors is always very careless when reporting details like this.

 

[Minato1990]

You have to proactively pause for the streak to not be ruined, so it's not automatic.

Modern fitness science supports taking at least one day off per week. It's nice people now have a choice. None of that choice impacts your streak or fitness habits.

I took days off with alternating with either a cardio day or lifting day with some basketball as well. It worked pretty well.

 

[gigapocket1]

I would love to get a new Apple Watch with watchOS 11 this fall but I don’t want to give up the SpO2 sensor. I wish Apple would just settle with Massimo. Give them like a $1 for every Apple Watch they sell in exchange for access to any and all Massimo patents on health sensors and raise the price from like $399 to $400 or $799 to $800 for the Ultra.

I think the oxygen sensor is going to make a return this year in the new watches.. I think they've figured out how to work around the problem and the fix is usable

 

[BarrettF77]

I think the oxygen sensor is going to make a return this year in the new watches.. I think they've figured out how to work around the problem and the fix is usable

Apple is too proud to admit they F’d up and stole tech. If they don’t bring it back or it performs poorly I’m sticking with my ultra 2. No major reason to upgrade.

 

[Beau10]

the macrumors photo of the vitals app screen shows (appears to show) an oxygen level reading.
so, is the vitals app only valid for non-USA users?
macrumors is always very careless when reporting details like this.

It still works in all US Apple Watches sold prior to Jan this year. It's not bound to a software release, Macrumors has nothing to report.

 

[applefan8254]

cool. can we get the on screen qwerty keyboard for Apple watch SE2? thank you.

 

[BEC60]

The ability to skip a day (like when I’m sick) and not break a streak will be nice.

Those of you who use your Watches for tracking sleep….when do you charge the thing? Mine (a Series 4) goes on the charger when I crawl into bed….

 

[DaveMcM76]

Those of you who use your Watches for tracking sleep….when do you charge the thing? Mine (a Series 4) goes on the charger when I crawl into bed….

Mine gets put on charge for the couple of hours before I go to bed - around 8:30ish for a 10:30 bedtime - as by that point I've closed all my rings and am usually just sat reading or watching tv. For me sleep tracking from 10:30pm to 6:15am is using about 16% battery on the watchOS 11 beta (45mm watch 7 with 82% max capacity showing in battery health) vs about 13% previously on watchOS 10.

 

[Ramchi]

Watches in the picture looking prettier than my Ultra 2 with the nice bands, too bad they do not have the same battery! Ultra 2 with watch cases look bit bulky in the hands! The watch faces are all bit out of touch (I bought one Watch Faces App but it always sticks the DIGITAL TIME on the face making it look hiedious!) The problem seems to be due to the rectangle shape the dial form watch faces are finding it difficult to show other items in the cramped space.

Hope Apple allows Third Party Watch Face makers to remove the digital hour overlay.