watchOS 11 Supports Automatic Nap Detection

watchOS 11 appears to include a new feature that allows an Apple Watch to automatically detect and record when you're taking a nap. As shared on Reddit, an Apple Watch owner took a nap and was able to see the sleep data recorded in the Health app, despite not putting the device in Sleep Mode.

watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1
Right now, the Apple Watch only tracks and records sleep when it is in Sleep Mode, and there is no support for tracking naps.

The change should allow an Apple Watch running ‌watchOS 11‌ to record and include a nap in the Sleep section of the Health app, and it may also support automatic sleep tracking even when Sleep Mode isn't activated. Nap tracking has long felt like a missing feature from the Apple Watch, and this will be a welcome feature for those who supplement sleep with naps.

apple watch nap tracking watchos 11

Image via Reddit

Apple did not mention a change to the Sleep app in its preview information for ‌watchOS 11‌, and the only mention of sleep is related to the new Vitals app, which collects data for your health metrics during sleep in order to populate a typical range feature.

Related Roundups: watchOS 11, watchOS 26
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
apple n1 chip

Apple's New N1 Chip in iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Has a Wi-Fi 7 Limitation

Saturday September 13, 2025 10:01 am PDT by
The latest iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air models are equipped with Apple's all-new N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity. However, the chip has a Wi-Fi 7 bandwidth limitation. According to FCC documents reviewed by MacRumors, the N1 chip in all of the new iPhone models supports up to 160 MHz channel bandwidth for Wi-Fi 7, short of the...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...

Top Rated Comments

boss.king Avatar
16 months ago
Great that it's finally here. Not great that it took almost a decade to arrive.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
breenmask Avatar
16 months ago
greatly needed whenever an apple exec says "let me show you a demo"
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tolkientosh Avatar
16 months ago
Between this and being able to pause your rings it looks like Apple is finally (?) acknowledging that rest is good for you.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boss.king Avatar
16 months ago

So if you use the watch for sleep tracking, nap tracking, workout tracking, alarms, timers, fall detection, and whatnot else, when do you charge it?
When you're showering, when you're at your desk, when you're watching TV, when you get into bed, etc. There are plenty of opportunities to charge it throughout the day, and it doesn't take very long.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
16 months ago
Now all I need is a nap ring that I can work on completing each day.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dzankizakon Avatar
16 months ago
My Apple Watch 8 only counts sleep times once a day.. I sometimes take my kid to school and go back to bed and sleep for another 2 hours (and put the phone in Sleep mode), but those aren't shown in the Health app. I'd love if they fixed that first.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)