Rounding out today's mobile-focused updates from Apple is watchOS 7.
watchOS 7 brings several new features for Apple Watch owners. One major new feature of the update is native sleep tracking support. Using the watch's accelerometer, your Apple Watch can track micro-movements during the night and show you how much sleep you got overnight.
This new update also adds a new Wind Down mode to help you get to sleep at night. You can create a customized routine before bed, like setting a scene in your home app or launching a meditation app.
While you're asleep, your Apple Watch will turn on Do Not Disturb and darken the screen so its light doesn't wake you or someone else up. When it's time to wake up, your Apple Watch can use a silent haptic alarm or sounds. The screen will then show you the time, weather, and your watch's battery level.
Another big part of watchOS 7 is a focus on fitness. The Workout app is getting rebranded to Fitness and is gaining new workout types, including Dance, Core Training, Functional Strength Training, and Cooldown. The refreshed Fitness app on your phone is getting better, too, giving you a streamlined view of your activity data and trends.
In a move that'll help users fight the spread of the coronavirus, watchOS 7 is gaining a new handwashing feature. The Apple Watch can use its microphone and motion sensors to determine when you're washing your hands and start a 20-second countdown timer. If you finish early, the watch will prompt you to keep washing.
Other notable new features of watchOS 7 include cycling directions in Apple Maps, the ability to share watch faces with others, Siri translations, and the ability to apps to have multiple complications.
The watchOS 7 beta is available to developers today and will be offered as a public beta in July. The update will launch this fall and will be compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3, Series 4, and Series 5. iOS 14 will be required on your paired iPhone, and that update will be available on the iPhone 6s and later.
