Apple just announced its new watchOS 8 user interface, and it’s the latest smartwatch platform coming out from the Cupertino giant. According to recent sources, the successor of the last year’s watchOS 7 will be the first available for developers to test their apps. The OS will receive a public beta in July.
The company announced that it would be releasing a final public release later in the fall. Apple’s breathe app had a wonderful concept, but it just kept nagging its users to breathe throughout the day; it’s a natural process, you dumb machine. However, now the Cupertino giant will be debuting a new Mindfulness app. It will be adding new animations and other features to help you relax.
Apple also announced that the fitness app would be getting more workout types for tai chi and pilates. In addition, with a new OS comes a new watch face, and apple will not let you use a photo taken with the iPhone’s portrait mode and layer text and other information behind it. Users will also be able to customize the texts shown and how it integrates with the image itself.
It’s not just the new interface, Apple will also be updating the Photos app on the watch, and it will get a new layout and the ability to share photos directly through Messages or Apple’s Mail app. The new watch interface will also be getting features coming in the iOS 15, and it includes a new focus mode that lets you choose apps or contacts to push notifications to you in specific contexts.
There are a handful of other new features coming, too, which include next-hour precipitation alerts. In addition, with the new watch OS, more apps will be able to take advantage of the always-on display, including Maps, Mindfulness, Now Playing, Phone, Podcasts, Stopwatch, Timers, and Voice Memos.
Apple says watchOS 8 will be available for models reaching back to the Series 3.
