6 features of watchOS 9 that will improve your health and wellness routine

With watchOS 9, your Apple Watch gets some major upgrades for fitness tracking, sleep health, and more.

WWDC22 saw a slew of new and exciting software updates coming to Apple Watch in watchOS 9. These are some of the features of watchOS 9 that will help you improve your health and fitness routine.

1. An improved workout app

One of the most popular uses for the Apple Watch has been as a fitness partner, and the Workout app is being updated with many new features, including the following:

• Heart rate zones allow you to track the intensity of your workout.
• Custom Workouts allow you to create your own structured workouts with rest intervals.
• New alert types, including heart rate, pace, and power, can guide you through your workout.
• An improved display offers more training views. You can go through these with the Digital Crown.
• Cardio Recovery data allows you to track how quickly you recover from a workout. This is a useful indicator of cardiovascular health.

2. Multisport workouts and specific sport improvements

Popular exercises such as swimming and running have seen significant improvements, including the following:

• With multisport workout types that automatically switch between swimming, cycling and running, triathletes can easily analyze their performance.
• New stats for runners include stride length, ground contact time, and Pacer Experience, which helps you be a pacemaker while running and compete against your best time.
• Enhancements for swimmers, such as kickboard detection, unlock new swim workouts in the pool.

All data can be analyzed in your iPhone’s Fitness and Health apps to measure trends and patterns. Your iPhone is also getting a major software update with iOS 16. See more from the best iOS 16 features announced at WWDC 2022†

3. Improvements to Apple Fitness+ Workout Data

If you’re going through the rigors of an Apple Fitness+ workout, watchOS 9 now has more detailed displays to help you get the most out of your workout. These depend on the type of training you choose. For example, if you are rowing, you can now view your beats per minute (SPM), or if you are cycling, you can view your revolutions per minute (RPM).

These stats are displayed in real time on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV screen, so you can keep working hard to reach your fitness goals.

4. Sleep stages added to the sleep app

Sleep Stages is a new addition to the excellent sleep features already found on Apple Watch. It allows you to collect data about the stages of your sleep and measure how long you spend in REM, Core or Deep Sleep.

This is displayed in the Health app on your iPhone, along with measurements such as your heart rate and sleep time.

5. AFib History Provides Insight into Heart Health

Apple Watch can already identify possible signs of AFib or atrial fibrillation, a leading cause of stroke.

If you’ve been diagnosed with AFib in watchOS 9, you can use the AFib History feature to see how often your heart rhythm shows signs of this irregularity. You can analyze these insights and track patterns in the Health app, which also includes lifestyle factors that may have influenced AFib. You can also download a PDF to share this information with your healthcare provider.

This innovative and potentially life-saving technology has been approved by the FDA.

6. A new medication app

A new medication feature on watchOS 9 and iOS 16 lets you track and manage medications, vitamins, and supplements. You can create schedules so that you can be reminded when it is time to take your medicines.

When will the new OS9 software for the watch arrive?

Apple’s watchOS 9 update will be available in Fall 2022 as a free update to Apple Watch Series 4 or later. Your Apple Watch must also be paired with iPhone 8 or iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later with iOS 16.

Discover more of the best watchOS 9 features from WWDC 2022†

Apple Watch evolves and improves

Apple Watch evolves with each software update and becomes an integral part of your wellness routines. watchOS 9 is no exception, with plenty of new health and fitness features to help you feel your best.