On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through some of the key aspects rumored for watchOS 10's substantial UI redesign.
Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that watchOS 10 will introduce an all-new system of widgets for interacting with the Apple Watch. He explained that widgets will become a "central part" of the Apple Watch's interface and compared the new system to Glances, the widgets interface that launched on the original Apple Watch before being scrapped in watchOS 3, and the style of widgets that iOS 14 brought to the iPhone.
Apple is also apparently testing changes to the functions performed by the Apple Watch's buttons. For example, a press of the Digital Crown may now launch the new widgets view, rather than navigate to the home screen.
The new interface will apparently be "reminiscent" of the Siri watch face that was introduced in watchOS 4, but as an overlay for any Apple Watch face. "It's also similar to widget stacks, a feature in iOS and iPadOS that lets users pile many widgets into one and scroll through them," Gurman added.
There are also rumors about watchOS 10 introducing a new home screen layout that takes cues from iOS with features like app folders. The changes are part of what is expected to be one of the Apple Watch's biggest software updates since its introduction and the most significant change to the Apple Watch this year, as only minor hardware updates are expected to be unveiled later this year.
We consider how this new UI could take shape and how we feel about the proposed changes, reflecting on Glances, watchOS 4's Siri watch face, past changes to the Apple Watch's buttons, and the future of apps on the device.
We also discuss some of the latest Apple news, including the expansion of AirTag-like tracking alerts to third-party devices, iOS 17's rumored Wallet and Health app redesigns, and the delay of the microLED Apple Watch Ultra to 2025.
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If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about all of the top features and improvements we'd like to see come to tvOS 17, the HomePod, and HomeKit at WWDC later this year.
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