Apple Watch

Apple’s Vice President of Human Interface Design Alan Dye is no stranger to giving interviews about the Apple Watch and what goes into what shapes the software experience. Dye’s latest Apple Watch conversation can be heard on the Hodinkee Radio podcast where he discusses how Apple Watch faces are designed and much more.

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[Update 10/7: Disabling always-on display and other features saw minimal battery life gain. Reluctantly, I installed watchOS 6.1 beta over the weekend as a last resort troubleshooting step before exchanging the hardware. We don’t yet know when this watchOS update will be released or if it intentionally targets a battery life bug.

However, after three days of testing, watchOS 6.1 beta on Apple Watch Series 5 with always-on display enabled has turned 12 hour battery life into 17.5 hours. We’ll have our full review after watchOS 6.1 is officially released. Original coverage of the battery life situation without watchOS 6.1 beta below.]

I’ve been eager to review the new Apple Watch for the fifth consecutive year, but there’s just one problem: I can’t get through a full day without it dying. Apple Watch Series 5 introduces an always-on display so you can read the time at a glance, and Apple says battery life is unchanged from Series 4 models.

My routine hasn’t changed either, but my battery life experience has. Battery life problems are not affecting everyone, but Apple Watch Series 5 battery problems are definitely affecting more customers than just me.

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As spotted by a MacRumors reader, the App Store screenshots for the Alarms app for Apple Watch includes text that alludes to an as-yet-unannounced Sleep app. References to Apple Watch sleep tracking features were found during the iOS 13 beta cycle, but Apple did not ship the functionality this year.

This screenshot is yet another confirmation that Apple is indeed developing a first-party Sleep app.

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Apple Watch Series 5 has been available for just over two weeks. It brings notable changes including an always-on display, but for Apple Watch Series 4 users, the question of whether or not to upgrade can be tricky. Read on as we walk through the Apple Watch Series 4 vs. Apple Watch Series 5.

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Peloton is a fitness firm best known for its stationary bikes equipped with touchscreens for live and on-demand video workout classes. The seven-year-old American company, which launched its IPO in September, doesn’t just serve cyclists though.

Peloton Tread serves walkers and runners alike, and Peloton Digital for iPhone and iPad lets you experience even more workout courses — even if you don’t have stationary bike or treadmill from Peloton. My whole family has been testing the full Peloton system over the last six weeks. Read on for our experience starting with Peloton Digital for iPhone and iPad.

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Following the release of iOS 13.1.2, Apple today has also released watchOS 6.0.1 to the public. watchOS 6.0.1 includes performance and security improvements, according to Apple.

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Apple Watch irregular heartbeat detection and the ECG app are being credited with helping save the life of a British father of two. A simple notification on the watch led the 30-year-old to seek answers at the hospital.

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Since the release of the first Apple Watch in 2015, Apple has expanded the device’s health capabilities with features like the ECG app and fall detection. In a new interview with the Independent this weekend, Apple’s Jeff Williams, Sumbul Desai, and Kevin Lynch have offered more details on how health became one of the central focuses of Apple Watch.

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Apple Watch Series 5 introduces the return of the ceramic Edition after being notably absent for the Series 4 lineup. That means this is the first time ceramic has been an option with the redesign that debuted last year, and the new look is stunning. Check out our initial hands-on with the Apple Watch Edition before our full Series 5 review later next week.

Tempo is an excellent run log iPhone app for doing more with running and walking workout data from Apple Watch. This week developer Rahul Matta released not one but two great updates to Tempo including a marathon-inspired version.

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Apple Watch now doubles as a hearing health monitor thanks to new noise level detection features in watchOS 6. After being turned on by the user, the new Noise app on Apple Watch can measure decibel levels and send alerts when a noisy environment that could affect hearing is detected.

So how accurate is the Apple Watch at measuring sound? One Apple Watch customer who works as a test stand operator for a nuclear motor facility put the new Noise app to the test.

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[Update 9/24/2019: This is still the default behavior two years later, and it can be especially frustrating on the new Apple Watch Series 5.

The new Apple Watch has an always-on display that shows your watch face and the Workout app even when your wrist isn’t raised, but all other apps are blurred out with a digital clock in the corner. That includes the Now Playing screen even if audio is playing from your iPhone, preventing your watch face from showing at a glance.

Read below for instructions on disabling the default auto-launch audio apps feature.]

watchOS 4 introduced a new default behavior to auto-launch audio apps when you wake the screen while playing audio on your Apple Watch or iPhone.

Auto-launching Now Playing can be useful when you’re playing music from the watch or a podcast from the phone for example. Instant access to play/pause and seek controls on the watch screen and the ability to spin the Digital Crown to adjust volume is really great when using AirPods since they lack physical controls. It’s sort of like the Now Playing card on the iPhone lock screen.

But this behavior isn’t always ideal on the Apple Watch. Luckily there’s a simple way to turn it off.

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If there’s one thing every Apple commentator agrees on, it’s the trend of steeply rising iPhone prices over the past few years.

Yet that’s only half true, shows one Apple analyst…

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The Activity app for Apple Watch and iPhone has come a long way over the last several years. It gets even better this year with the incredibly useful “Trends” feature and more in watchOS 6 and iOS 13.

One feature I would really like to see come to the Activity app, however, is support for adding Notes to workouts. Here’s how that could work.

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Fall detection on Apple Watch Series 4 (and now Series 5) has been credited with saving lives all over the world in the year since the feature was introduced.  The latest real-world story is a great example of why people of all ages should consider turning on the feature.

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On the eve of tomorrow’s Apple Watch Series 5 release, Apple has released watchOS 6. It’s a major new update for the Apple Watch that adds new watch faces, new complications, a standalone App Store, enhanced Siri support, and much more. Watch our hands-on video covering the top new watchOS 6 features, and be sure to subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple Watch coverage. 
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Apple Watch has a major new software update out today that brings loads of new features to existing models. Look for the watchOS 6 update inside the Apple Watch app on the iPhone after updating to iOS 13, then head below to find the top features included in the new update.

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Apple Watch is still a maturing product category for Apple, and that shows in the adoption data. According to CNBC, Apple says a whole 70% of Apple Watch customers are buying their very first model. That means that 30% of Apple Watch customers are actually upgrading from older models, but Apple hasn’t fully tapped into the upgrade pool yet.

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