Apple Releases watchOS 6 With Dedicated App Store, New Watch Faces, Noise Monitoring App and More

Apple today released watchOS 6, the newest version of the operating system designed to run on the Apple Watch. Today's watchOS 6 software update follows several months of beta testing.

watchOS 6 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the ‌iPhone‌.

watchos6ewatchfaces
watchOS 6 at release is limited to the Series 3 and Series 4 Apple Watch models, with Apple planning to release the update for Series 1 and Series 2 models at a later date.

watchOS 6 is a major update that offers quite a few new features for Apple Watch owners. There's a dedicated App Store available on the Apple Watch for the first time, allowing apps to be downloaded on the Apple Watch independent of the ‌iPhone‌. Developers can now create apps that run on Apple Watch without an ‌iPhone‌ element.

watchos6appstore
Apps can take advantage of new APIs so you can do things like follow along with a workout or listen to streaming music from third-party services, and some built-in Apple Watch apps can be removed now that they're not tied to the ‌iPhone‌.

There are multiple new watch faces in watchOS 6, including Numerals Mono and Duo with large numbers, Modular Compact, a new Gradient watch face that shifts over the course of a day, a Solar Dial that visualizes the sun in a 24 hour path around the dial, and a California watch face with a mix of standard numbers and roman numerals.

numeralswatchface
Taptic Chimes offers up a silent touch on the wrist at every hour, and with sound activated, there's also an audible chime. Holding two fingers on the Apple Watch's display speaks the time aloud.

There's a new Noise app for measuring the noise level of the environment you're in, sending a notification if the sound is loud enough to damage your hearing. There's also a new Cycle Tracking app for tracking menstrual cycles.

watchosnoise
Several iOS apps have been ported over to the Apple Watch in watchOS 6, including Audiobooks, Calculator, and Voice Memos. There are new complications you can add to watch faces, including decibel level, cellular strength, rain probability, and more.

watchos6apps
Siri can now pull up full webpage results, displaying the info right on the wrist, and ‌Siri‌ can look up song lyrics using Shazam even when your ‌iPhone‌ isn't nearby.

The new Animoji and Memoji stickers from the Messages app work on the Apple Watch, and for Mac users, the Apple Watch can approve some Mac security prompts.

For more on watchOS 6, make sure to check out our watchOS 6 roundup.

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

Top Rated Comments

yossi Avatar
59 months ago
PLEASE GOD let this fix Siri. "i'll tap you when i'm ready" - to set a five minute timer. Absolutely infuriating.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GadgetBen Avatar
59 months ago
Hmmm, not showing for me yet. Will it show up if you are on 13.1 Beta?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
silentmusic07 Avatar
59 months ago
Mine is showing!

Attachment Image
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cobold Avatar
59 months ago

Hmm how you know?
Apple!

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sparkinstx Avatar
59 months ago
Still wish the analog faces offered hands that were more precise (pointed ends), and didn't look like hotdogs.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CrzyP Avatar
59 months ago

The forums are a better place to get news than the front pages. Haha. Never would have guessed that lol.
I have more respect for posts after something occurs and is factual instead of putting it out first. Or maybe even say coming today and out the release notes and then publish updated, it’s now out kinda like they did the beta posts.
This was just not posted very accurately.
This is MacRumors. Not MacFacts! lol
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...