watchOS 7 Adds New Sleep Tracking Feature to Apple Watch

Apple today during its WWDC keynote unveiled watchOS 7, which comes with a new sleep tracking feature for Apple Watch.

Apple watch watchos7 sleep health app 06222020
The new sleep tracking feature helps users to make recommendations about waking up and when to go to sleep. A "Wind Down" feature minimizes distractions to create a personalized evening routine.

iPhones can be set to display a Wind Down screen before users go to bed. It turns on do not disturb, and can suggest things like meditation or quiet music listen to.

Wind Down puts Apple Watch in sleep mode, and when it's time to wake up, it can wake up with quiet alarms, or a silent haptic-only alarm. It can also wake up with a friendly greeting to start the day.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a bedtime routine helps the body prepare for sleep. To support this, Wind Down allows Apple Watch and iPhone users to create a customized routine before bed, including setting up a specific scene in the Home app, listening to a soothing soundscape, or using a favorite meditation app. In Sleep Mode, Apple Watch turns on Do Not Disturb and automatically darkens the screen overnight.

In the morning, the wearer will see a visualization of their previous night's sleep, including periods of wake and sleep. They will also see a chart showing their weekly sleep trend.

Apple watch watchos7 sleep duration goal 06222020
Sleep tracking uses machine learning to sense motion, and detects micro motions from the rise and fall of the breath. There's also a new sleep section in the health app, including a view of trends over time.

Depending on personal charging behavior, if the battery is too low within an hour of bedtime, Apple Watch will remind users to charge it ahead of sleep. Sleep data is encrypted on device or in iCloud with ‌iCloud‌ sync, and data is always in the user’s control.

Sleep tracking, Schedule, Wind Down, and Sleep Mode will also be available on iPhone without a watch with iOS 14.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Top Rated Comments

ericg301 Avatar
49 months ago

I'm excited about this! Sleep tracking, and silent haptic-wake alarms were some feature I was sad to lose when I swapped my FitBit for an Apple Watch.


I just charge my watch for the first 30min of my work day once I get to the office.
charge it 30 minute before bed....30 minutes after waking up.

really shocked they didnt push this as a "hardware only" feature' for the Series 7


Please improve on the battery first, I ain't have time to wait for the watch to be charged in the morning... Come on Apple upgrade the battery with the new S6 processor.
i've used 3rd party apps to track my sleep for years. it never uses more that 5-8% of battery overnight, and i imagine that this OS-level sleep tracking will be even more power efficient.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Matthew Goldman Avatar
49 months ago
This is great, but when are we supposed to charge it?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BrennanWDavis Avatar
49 months ago
I'm excited about this! Sleep tracking, and silent haptic-wake alarms were some feature I was sad to lose when I swapped my FitBit for an Apple Watch.


This is great, but when are we supposed to charge it?
I just charge my watch for the first 30min of my work day once I get to the office.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hitteam Avatar
49 months ago
Please improve on the battery first, I ain't have time to wait for the watch to be charged in the morning... Come on Apple upgrade the battery with the new S6 processor.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
satchmo Avatar
49 months ago
Nothing on oxygen monitoring.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AVEGA Avatar
49 months ago
I am so glad this isn't married to the newest watch model.
Score: 1 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%...
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...
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. ...
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...