Hands-On With watchOS 4: Siri Watch Face, Apple Pay, Activity Improvements, New Workouts and More

[MacRumors]

This fall Apple plans to introduce an all new version of watchOS, the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 4 is faster, more efficient, includes new tools for developers, and offers up some thoughtful interface refinements.

To get a glimpse of the new features you can expect to see on your Apple Watch when watchOS 4 launches this fall, check out our hands-on video.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

watchOS 4 brings a new Siri watch face that offers up dynamic, personalized information that changes based on the time of day. Siri can display weather info, calendar appointments, reminders, HomeKit controls, news alerts, and tons more, right on the watch face.

There's also a new Kaleidoscope watch face that turns any photo into a colorful animation, and Apple's adding a Toy Story face starring animated versions of Woody, Jessie, or Buzz Lightyear.

Apple's redesigned the Dock (accessed by pressing the side button) to be vertical instead of horizontal, and there's a new option to view all your apps in a list. There are also new complications and a new flashlight option in Control Center, which lights up the Apple Watch's display.

Apple wants to do more to motivate you to exercise in watchOS 4, so the Activity app will send alerts to let you know how close you are to completing a goal and what you need to do to reach it. There are also new animations to offer visual rewards and personalized monthly challenges based on your workout history.

The Workout app has a revamped interface that makes it easier to start a workout, and there's a new High Intensity Interval Training option, along with new options for the swim workout. Starting in the fall, watchOS 4 will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for two-way real-time data exchange, and with a new Core Bluetooth API, the Apple Watch can connect directly to Bluetooth devices like glucose monitors.

Other features include a redesigned Music app, peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments in Messages, an option for composing emails right on your watch, and a new Apple News app.

Best of all, watchOS 4 apps load faster, are more responsive, and can do more because Apple is opening up more APIs to developers.

watchOS 4 will run on all Apple Watch models, including first-generation, Series 1, and Series 2. For a more detailed look at what to expect in the update, check out our watchOS 4 roundup.

Article Link: Hands-On With watchOS 4: Siri Watch Face, Apple Pay, Activity Improvements, New Workouts and More

 

[roland.g]

Apple Watch went total cover flow Rolodex style for the workout app, Siri Watch face and so much more. Not sure that is a good thing.

The Siri watch face doesn't look very good.

 

[Menopause]

Toy Story and Kaleidoscope Watch Faces. So much innovation Timmy can swim in it.

 

[scarecrowmac]

I think the Siri watch face will be great, much easier to see everything from one screen

 

[DblHelix]

Just give us a watch face studio with more options and the ability to install 3rd party faces, offer faces for sale from big name watchmakers

 

[CarlJ]

Did I miss some bit detailing the Apple Pay-related changes mentioned in the article title?

The new design language is pretty, the Kaleidoscope face seems useful only if you actively do not want to know the time, the Toy Story faces are novelty I suppose, the Siri face could be genuinely useful _if_ it does a really good job of presenting really relevant information (which remains to be seen). I'm pleased that it'll all still run on my series-0 watch.

The bit about being able to crop pictures for/to watch faces from the share sheet is nice. I don't generally use photo faces because there's just not enough information.

I'd still like to see some new faces that break from analog watch tradition and show the time in new ways (say, a 24 hour face with midnight at the bottom and sun/moon visibility shown as colored "pie slices" with appointments and alarms along the edge, or a face with concentric circles of dots for hour/minute/second). It like to see some thought put into novel ways of showing me the day other than aping the faces of timepieces of previous centuries, that were bound to those presentations by mechanical limitations. Many of the faces available now use the watch in a manner similar to the evolutionary "iPod telephone" mockups we saw before the revolutionary iPhone came out. If they'd let me code my own watch faces, I'd do so happily, but they're not giving us the tools, so it's on them to provide innovative faces.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I have been marking time waiting on the Apple Watch to catch up with my Suunto Ambit3 watch, in regards to battery life and fitness accuracy (running related). Unless I am missing some major key points, the Apple Watch with new OS features etc. continues to be an expensive novelty watch.

From what I have read on the forum, the AW would do well to make it to the end of a marathon race. That is terrible.

Apple should have been ashamed for marketing a Toy Story watch face. As if that is going to help sell a $400.00+ watch.

 

[bluespark]

Many, many of us want stylish watch faces with room for complications and innovative watch faces that tell the time in new ways -- as you might see now with some of the modern, high-end, analog watch makers. Not all of us are kids or are using our watches only for workouts!

 

[Apple_Robert]

Many, many of us want stylish watch faces with room for complications and innovative watch faces that tell the time in new ways -- as you might see now with some of the modern, high-end, analog watch makers. Not all of us are kids or are using our watches only for workouts!

I am not against non-fitness related features. I welcome many of them.

I can't control my music with my Sunnto watch. However, I can receive messages on it, as well as phone call alerts asking me if I want to answer etc. It has other non-fitness related features that work well with the iPhone. In addition, the battery life is in excess of 16+hrs (during a run) between charges (even with GPS on).

I would like to have an Apple Watch with a nice mix of fitness related (running related) features and some of the kinds of features you mentioned. At this point in time, the price, versus the features and accuracy is still out of balance, in my opinion.

 

[brendu]

If it actually speeds my S0 watch up the way watchOS 3 did I'll be super happy

 

[Marconelly]

Siri watch face is pretty nice, and at times pretty useful. it's a natural evolution of their Time Travel concept, I just wish it could do more things - i wish it could offer the view for 3rd party apps at certain time slots.

New dock view is kind of a mistake IMO, as it covers half of the view for each app, so you lose the ability to fully glance them. I don't get why they made it that way. I do like that it scrolls vertically as the crown scrolls vertically though.

In the beta at least, I am not seeing any promised speed improvements. In fact, I think the overall UI performance has degraded slightly, compared to watchOS3 - but then again, it's just a beta, so it's pointless to compare this yet.

 

[jclo]

Apple Watch went total cover flow Rolodex style for the workout app, Siri Watch face and so much more. Not sure that is a good thing.

The Siri watch face doesn't look very good.

In practice the vertical scrolling makes more sense because it's a more natural direction to scroll with the Digital Crown. It's a small change but feels a lot more logical.
[doublepost=1497571855][/doublepost]

Did I miss some bit detailing the Apple Pay-related changes mentioned in the article title?

Sorry about that - Apple Pay bit is in the article. You can send money in the Messages app like in iOS 11. Works right from the wrist. It's not in the video because peer-to-peer Apple Pay hasn't launched and there's nothing to show just yet.

 

[JungeQuex]

Glad they are keeping original Watch updated with this one. Seems like the EOL cycle is fairly delayed. Guess they figure that most people won't upgrade every year.

 

[AngerDanger]

I'm counting down OSes until they finally provide the ability to use third party watchfaces. Or, counting up, rather. Then I could finally release my Hourly Generic Apple Complaints face:

 

[Lepton]

And that home screen with the circular icons can be changed to a list view with a firm press!

 

[mox358]

I have high hopes for the Siri watch face.... that could be a game changer in how I use my watch.

My Series 0 is probably getting replaced this fall though... I can't imagine watchOS 5 supporting the original watch.

 

[dannynjoni]

Apple Watch went total cover flow Rolodex style for the workout app, Siri Watch face and so much more. Not sure that is a good thing.

The Siri watch face doesn't look very good.

Finally a productive use for cover flow. I think it's perfect for the Apple Watch with it's smaller screen. Glad someone is using their head but I'll have to try it out before I make any judgement.

I disagree that it doesn't look good. I've always liked the look and it should be nicely effective with the Digital Crown. Good news IMO!

 

[Kaibelf]

Toy Story and Kaleidoscope Watch Faces. So much innovation Timmy can swim in it.

Don't you ever get sick of picking up two things out of the ten discussed and pretending like the rest didn't exist? Or was the video just too long to understand?

 

[tkermit]

And that home screen with the circular icons can be changed to a list view with a firm press!

About time. The honeycomb view is close to unusable on the go. Only thing I'm concerned about is that the list appears to impose an alphabetical ordering (?), meaning you lose the ability to spatially organize your apps which I would prefer.

 

[dannynjoni]

I can't control my music with my Sunnto watch....

The MAIN awesomeness of the Apple Watch. I love this feature!

 

[iMi]

I am excited for this update. I started wearing the watch again recently. This will make it even better.

 

[mudflap]

I have been marking time waiting on the Apple Watch to catch up with my Suunto Ambit3 watch, in regards to battery life and fitness accuracy (running related). Unless I am missing some major key points, the Apple Watch with new OS features etc. continues to be an expensive novelty watch.

Didn't somebody like Consumer Reports rate Apple Watch as the best when it came to fitness tracking? It was the most accurate. Especially the heart rate monitor. And battery life for my Series 1 is great. I wear it all day and when I go to bed it usually has at least 35% left. I've worn it for two days straight before.

 

[tl01]

We need better watch faces with more complications! I want to see as much info or click for more right away. However... I want the watch face to look better than the current options. Honestly... I don't use the Disney watch faces...nor do my kids.

 

[ANDJOE]

Did MacRumors comp in the screens at 1:57 and 2:00?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Didn't somebody like Consumer Reports rate Apple Watch as the best when it came to fitness tracking? It was the most accurate. Especially the heart rate monitor. And battery life for my Series 1 is great. I wear it all day and when I go to bed it usually has at least 35% left. I've worn it for two days straight before.

In regards to battery life, I have read many reviews stating it will only last about 5hrs with GPS on during a run, biking etc. For the average runner, 5 hrs is more than enough time. For someone like me, who is an ultra runner, 5hrs of battery life with GPS on during a run is not enough, as I run 5+ hours nonstop during my weekend training. It also doesn't show max heart rate, cadence, and a few other graphing charts that many of us runner like to see, if I remember correctly.

In regards to heart rate accuracy, I would like to compare it to my Suunto watch and HR strap. I also like the color screen.