A vital iPhone, iPad, and MacBook feature is set to come to the Apple Watch this year as part of watchOS 9, according to a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
watchOS 9, the next major version of the Apple Watch's operating system, will reportedly introduce Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode will allegedly be distinct from the existing Power Reserve mode on the Apple Watch. Power Reserve Mode effectively disables all Apple Watch features except the ability to read the time when the side button is pressed.
Low Power Mode, on the other hand, would ostensibly work in the same way that it does on other devices, where it limits some functionality to preserve battery life but still allows apps to be used. Gurman explained:
For watchOS 9, Apple also is planning a new low-power mode that is designed to let its smartwatch run some apps and features without using as much battery life. Currently, Apple Watches in low-power mode -- known on the device as Power Reserve -- can only access the time. The company is also planning to refresh many of its built-in watch faces currently shipping with the device.
The Apple Watch's "all-day" battery life has not significantly changed since the launch of the original model in 2015, but the company introduced faster charging with the Apple Watch Series 7 last year to limit the amount of time when the device has to be out of action to charge. Low Power Mode could be yet another measure to help users eke out more time with their Apple Watch.
watchOS 9 is also rumored to include a refresh of existing watch faces, a car crash detection feature, support for more workout types, improved atrial fibrillation detection, and more.
The new operating system for the Apple Watch is expected to be unveiled alongside iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, and tvOS 16 at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which is set to kick off on Monday, June 6. After being introduced at the conference, the new operating systems are likely to be seeded to developers for testing purposes that same day. Later in the summer, Apple will likely provide it to public beta testers.
