Apple Announces watchOS 3 With Dock, Control Center, New Watch Faces and Apps, And More

Apple today announced watchOS 3, the next major version of its Apple Watch software platform. The update includes several performance and navigation improvements, new watch faces and apps, several fitness-related features, and more.

WatchOS3_trio

"Apple Watch is the ultimate companion for a healthy life and with watchOS 3, there's now even more to love," said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. "Favorite apps launch instantly and are simple to access, and the breakthrough new fitness and health features like the Breathe app make it feel like a whole new watch."

• Apple Watch users can press the side button to access the new Dock, where they can tap to launch native and third-party apps instantly and have the latest information in the app already updated and ready for viewing.

• Swiping up from the bottom brings up an all-new Control Center with toggles for Airplane Mode, Do Not Disturb, notifications, and more. Meanwhile, you can now simply swipe left and right to easily switch between watch faces.

• New ways to create and respond to iMessages, including a Scribble feature that dynamically recognizes which letters are drawn on the Apple Watch's screen and translates the drawings into traditional text messages. You can also send animations, invisible ink, stickers, larger emoji, sketches, taps, and your heartbeat.

• New watch faces: Minnie Mouse, Activity, and Numerals.

• Activity Sharing: You can now share your Activity rings with others for competitive motivation, and receive notifications when people finish workouts or earn achievements.

• A new Breathe app guides you through a series of deep breaths with relaxing animations and gentle taps. A summary provides you with your heart rate and the length of your breathing session, which can be adjusted by spinning the Digital Crown. Time to Breathe reminders can be set on a daily basis.

• New features for wheelchair users: The Activity app now supports a trio of wheelchair pushing techniques for varying speeds and terrain. There are also two new wheelchair-specific workouts and a new "Time to Roll" notification.

• SOS: Press and hold the side button and Apple Watch will initiate a call with 911 or local emergency services. SOS can also send a message to quickly alert your emergency contacts. The feature, which works over Wi-Fi or cellular, includes a medical card with your personal information and any medical conditions, and can provide local emergency numbers based on the country you are in.

• Apple Watch now supports Apple Pay within apps

• Apple Watch can now automatically unlock your nearby Mac

• Apple Watch can be used with the new Home app for controlling HomeKit accessories

watchOS 3 is available as a developer beta today. A public beta will be released in July. The free software update will officially launch in the fall.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Series 9
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

devinthomas Avatar
102 months ago
I could cry. This update is almost perfect.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sethlution Avatar
102 months ago
It's funny how some people find this useless and boring, but for us apple users this is much bigger than the jump from iOS 6 to iOS 7 ;)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGeek2014 Avatar
102 months ago
They always start with the stuff no one cares about.
The breathing function? Not so much. Faster app performance etc? Well, I care.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sfwalter Avatar
102 months ago
Who would have thought of all that Apple announced today this is what I'm most excited about.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NervousFish2 Avatar
102 months ago
Super excited about WatchOS... not only do I love the deeper integration of the various OS devices with being able to unlock your mac with your watch, and copy and paste across devices, but I *very much* applaud the focus on speed for the watch, without needing new hardware. It looks AWESOME. The one thing I felt the watch's fitness aspect always needed was some social networking, to allow smack talk and such. This is a great, great step, that really should have been there from the get go. I love my watch more now, and building that sense of community is ONLY going to draw in more users. This is a major plus for the future of the watch as a device. Last year the focus seemed to be a bit too much on the watch as a fashion device. This shows that they care about the interface, too.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6836838 Avatar
102 months ago
They always start with the stuff no one cares about.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18 Will Finally Bring This Android Feature to iPhone

Monday March 25, 2024 6:42 am PDT by
iOS 18 will allow iPhone users to place app icons anywhere on the Home Screen grid, according to sources familiar with development of the software update. This basic feature has long been available on Android smartphones. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, our sources said that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18....
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...