Apple announced new features for the Apple Watch at WWDC 2018 on June 4. These new features will be released as part of watchOS 5 in the fall 2018.
1. Walkie-Talkie
Perhaps the most talked about new feature for the Apple Watch will be the new walkie-talkie mode. This feature gives users a new way to communicate with friends who also have the Apple Watch.
The feature works just like a push-to-talk walkie-talkie. A user presses a button on the side of the watch, records a message, and sends it to a friend. Users will also be able to listen to walkie-talkie messages from friends. Apple will include a beep like a real walkie-talkie.
The audio will be high quality. Messages can be transmitted via Wi-Fi or a data plan. Users have the option to allow or not allow messages from other people.
2. Health And Fitness
watchOS 5 will be adding new health and fitness features to compete against the growing market of fitness-related smartwatches.
With the new automatic workout tracking mode, the Apple Watch knows when users are working out. It will automatically prompt users to track the activity. The new mode also works retroactively, in case a user turns on the tracking after the workout started.
Apple Watch also lets users compete against friends in athletic and fitness competitions. A user could challenge friends to a fitness competition for up to seven days total. Apple Watch will be able to track data and rankings between all the friends during that time.
Apple is also giving users new workouts for yoga, walking, and hiking. This includes improved tracking for pace and cadence.
3. Music And Podcasts
There will also be new audio features in the future. With the new Podcasts app, users can add a list of podcasts and listen to them. In addition, users can play background music in watchOS 5.
4. Siri Commands
In previous versions of the Apple Watch, a user would have to shout "Hey Siri" to the device just to get Siri's attention. The new version is changing all that.
Instead of speaking to Siri, the act of simply raising the wrist will activate the virtual assistant. This new feature will make it quicker to reach Siri. It is part of the new customizable shortcuts that will be in watchOS 5.
5. Message Notifications
Apple is making a big improvement to message notifications in watchOS 5. It will allow users to easily and quickly respond to incoming messages by adding more actionable features to it.
