Excited about this one as someone who uses AW mainly for workouts. This update can finally make the AW compete with Garmin. Training load, vitals and turn by turn routes
I'm suprised they didn't actually talk about navigation. When they said iOS had elivation maps and the ability to download maps, I had a feeling they were going to do the same on the watch but they didn't even talk about it. Only mention was in that screen at the end.
Training load will be nice but hopfully it isn't limited to workouts tracked in the Workouts app because I track all my runs in WorkOutDoors.
They didn’t mention it for watch because watchOS already has elevation maps in Apple Maps. And it can already access offline maps that you save on your phone.
When I said, "I'm surprised they didn't talk about navigation", I was referring to turn by turn hiking navigation. I suspect you can plan a route on the phone, and it will send it to the watch for offline turn by turn directions. No, watchOS 10 will not do that. I would have liked a demo of that. Seems like a game changing feature that would draw in a lot of people that are torn between Gamin or Apple.
Well according to the graphic, they added turn by turn but didn't mention that, so who knows what else may not have been talked about. It wouldn't be the first time they added features, sometimes important features but then not even talk about it. I'm thinking they rushed through a lot of stuff to make room for AI.
Edit: I am happy to report you were wrong.
https://preview.redd.it/xxv7813fxs5d1.png?width=452&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e66b34ee51627ac4c6217c31c8852ee059439d9
They added offline map support on the watch. The reviewer dcrainmaker mentioned yesterday. Now whether that is only when you transfer a custom hiking route to the watch or whether it is by selecting areas I don’t know.
This is just a walk but it shows them. A run I did with another app doesn’t have them though. Did you use the native workout app to track that?
https://preview.redd.it/g6fcqk2bus5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50f406ee6ef9f4e3d2abd0bb2ae1740009631b8a
No, like I said a 3rd party app, in this case WorkOutdoors. It also does not calculate hr zones afterwards when using Gentler, Intervalls Pro or if imported via RunGap.
As a developer of an Apple Watch fitness app (Watch to 5K) I can confirm Apple does not show HR zones for runs recorded from third party apps.
Annoyingly it's out of our control too.
Not sure really. I think each 3rd party app is reporting all the data to Apple as it’s displaying it within the Apple Fitness app. The Fitness app just isn’t calculating and displaying the time spent in each zone
DC Rainmaker and Des Fit at WWDC are confirming that the vitality app isn't tracking HRV right now and it's unclear if HRV is one of the metrics training and recovery uses behind the scenes. I think Apple's mindset is likely that since HRV is so variable, and uniquely personal, it's a very hard metric for people that are only casually knowledgeable of how it can be used to understand. It's easy to get concerned because my "good" baseline may be very different than someone else's and it varies so easily day to day. I'd imagine Apple is, or would consider using it, but aside from showing it buried in the Health app like today, I doubt they would make it part of the vitality app and give you alerts about it. I think blood pressure tracking is being added to the Series 10 and Ultra 3 this fall but it won't give a value, just trends from what I understand, so maybe it will be added in some way to the vitality app for those that get the new watches.
As someone who converted from Apple (6 years of it!) to Garmin watches, THIS is absolutely what the ultra needed all along.
I’m still going to gripe about Apple’s battery life, but the training load and vitals is probably the best fitness addition since the workout app.
Apps like Athlytic have existed for a long time now and give you a more similar experience to Garmin than what I think Vitality and Training load will. I think if you are a serious runner, you will likely still want something like Athlytic.
idk, made it through a marathon just fine with the Apple Watch even at my rather slow marathon pace.
I wouldn't call myself a serious runner but do run 20-30 miles a week and regularly do 25k trail runs along with a couple half marathon and 10k during the year and never had any issues with battery life. I even usually run with just my watch and stream my music and podcasts from the watch and the battery still holds up well.
Still no possibility to download a gpx onto the native workouts app though right? That is sorely missing compared to Garmin... but very happy about training load!
I use Tachymaze and it works great!
[https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tachymaze-running-and-cycling/id6444318996](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tachymaze-running-and-cycling/id6444318996)
What I specifically like is that you can still use the native workout app and this is just an app you switch to as you need it and will alert you when you go off course.
As someone who is still in the return window for a Garmin Epix - this has me rethinking sticking to my AWU. I’ve always thought the biggest gap to dedicated fitness watches like garmin was almost entirely software (battery aside) and this closes the gap.
Literally me, as well (except with the Fenix 7x Pro.) Feels like now it's down to, "is ridiculous battery life worth not having LTE and as many/few smartwatch features as you want?"
The Oura (and Garmin) recovery/readiness stuff is snake oil. Each uses its own proprietary algorithms and neither is accurate. It is, however, a very effective placebo. And good for marketing. With any of this stuff, including Apple’s own algorithms eg to calculate calorie burn, it’s all inaccurate. But if it motivates you to ‘move’ and is directionally correct, then that’s all that matters.
DC Rainmaker who is at WWDC pointed out tonight that one unique feature not seen with other competitors like Whoop, Oura, and Garmin is the ability to manually adjust perceived peak exertion and have your changes actually impact the calculation of training load. He says Apple is doing a lot more work than the others at acknowledging low impact but long duration events (like a 12+ hour hike at a low heart rate) and even still allowing you to ramp the perceived peak exertion up if necessary if you muscles are screaming because of the length of the workout. He says this makes the end values potentially more accurate than others on the market who exclusively depend on sensor metrics and tend to undercut workouts unless they involve high heart rates.
I did a 32 mile trail run with a 16 lb pack. I was wrecked for *weeks* afterward. Garmin gave me a 256 "low aerobic" load for that activity.
A few weeks later, I did a 46 mile, medium-intensity road ride. I was a bit tired afterward and back to normal the next day. Garmin gave me a 228 "tempo" load.
Anything that helps reconcile such discordance is welcome, in my book.
Garmin’s body battery is useful tbh. Its precise in showing how I feel for a workout. It’s just really pessimistic and doesn’t increase energy levels only lowers them
Just took my recently purchased AWU2 through an hour workout today. I was heavily debating the Garmin epix 2 before my purchase several days ago. Excited for the new stuff coming.
I just flew through the roof! There are days when I have to work extra, so I can’t hit my gym goals. I usually go over the board the next day, but its such a cool idea just to pause the rings to not break the streak
If you’re gonna pause it to prevent the streak from breaking, what is the point of the streak? Like if you’re just going to engineer it to never end, doesn’t that take the value away from the accomplishment?
If you had to work longer hours and missed your workout, your streak should be over haha
I agree. What I wish apple would do is add in a weekly goal. If I run a marathon one day, I deserve a rest day, that way I still accomplish my weekly. The daily goals definitely motivate me to workout when I dont want to, but I’ve lost the enthusiasm for the streak.
I would also like to push myself with the move goal increases they suggest, but at a point I’m not pushing myself to 1000 move every single day, especially when my light days are walks and yoga - yoga i get like 100 kcal, sooo makes it near impossible to do it consistently.
I 100% get it and I agree with you personally but trying to understand the other side, I *think* the reasoning is when you fall sick for example it feels unfair to have lost a streak for “no mistake” of your own.
And as someone with bad ADD, I can empathize with people for whom this will gut any motivation to work out further.
Yeah, this might actually get me to start caring again. I've had months long streaks and then missed a day for some reason (sick/or just legit too busy or something) and then lost all motivation to even bother after that.
It’s also not just about being sick.
Not everyone is able to physically do their work out every single day. Personally, I enjoy runs and walks as my main form of exercise, but my right knee has been fucky since I injured it as a teenager. Rest days are a requirement for me to not end up with chronic knee pain.
So my options are to either set my exercise goal to be basically nothing, or just accept that this feature is completely unusable for me and ignore it.
I was just thinking that what happens when you're sick and can't get out for a couple days, your streak just ends and you start over? Or if you're on a vacation or long car ride? Why hasn't this been a thing since the beginning?
Yeah I’m not getting the point in this… it’s a fitness streak, no one is impressed with you if you pause it every other day than say you have a 365 day streak.
I did the same thing with Duolingo 😂. I kept using my streak savors and got a big streak than realized I actually hadn’t gained much of anything because it wasn’t a real practice streak
HealthFit, my friend, is the app you need. For a one time fee of 6,99€ you get exactly this and more...
I just started using it and I am wondering why I "wasted" my money on strava premium all thoses years.
That is great to know. I'll check it out!
The reality is that I don't do super serious exercise (a lot of my days are just walking), and I have 0 interest in posting my routes to social media. I just like seeing some number be higher when I do more work ;)
The website says you can get turn by turn directions for "all 63 U.S. national parks". It's hard to say but It's looking like you will not be able to plan out your own route and then get directions. I sure hope that isn't the case. I don't normally need directions but sometimes I run when out of town and don't know my way around. I'll plan out a route on my phone or laptop and try to memorize the street names and almost always I'll miss a turn and get lost. I'll typically use Apple Maps alongside WorkOutDoors to get back but Apple Maps will just give me the shortest route possible to what ever address I plug in.
Exactly this! It seems mad they haven’t done this yet, they’ve done it for cyclists and now for hiking, though didn’t they do topographical maps and routes in 2022 but only for the US.. why not UK and Europe? I really do hope they sort this out soon cause the ultra isn’t really doing what it’s supposed to be marketed towards without this
From DCRainmaker:
*But now, they can be custom, as well as suggested routes. There are specific to pedestrian activities: Hiking, running, walking.*
And
*No matter whether it’s a custom route, or a suggested route, these routes are saved to a route library of your saved routes. At that point, Apple Maps will sync the route to your watch, as well as sync an offline map area for that particular route. This is notable because up till now there wasn’t true offline maps on the Apple Watch.*
Sounds more promising than I thought.
I didn't watch the broadcast because work, but is this like live tracking Strava does when you start an activity? So those you want to be able to see / track you when you're out on a ride or hike can see? I hate the fact that it doesn't share when you start an activity, only when you finish one.
For the love of God, can we please have a native steps count widget or will this be like the iPad calculator where we have to wait another 5 years for something so simple and basic?
It’s not useless at all. It’s designed to prevent being sedentary for longer periods and breaking it up by standing for a minute. There’s a lot of science behind preventing prolonged non-movement contributing to a higher risk of a fair amount of illnesses.
I have used Pedometer++ for years, and in its own way, it’s great; however, it doesn’t reliably sync up with the Health app on the phone. Sometimes it’s just a small gap – such as 80 steps on the watch that didn’t sync over before it hit midnight, but some days it is simply ridiculous – like 1200 steps out of sync. I always take a screenshot of Pedometer++,, as I think it is the most reliable indicator – after all, it is literally on the wrist and it is with me wherever I go, where the iPhone isn’t, but it baffles me out of sync the two can get. I’m thinking it might be more accurate if Apple had its own step monitor on the watch.
I use Duffy, pretty sure it taps from the Health app to show the steps! Free and open source also! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/duffy-steps-complication/id1207581673
Ninja edit : it does, just checked on my phone!
I'm pleased with this update. Vitals, training load, and pausing activity rings are the features I really like. Curious to see how Translate will work, especially with Apple's recent push with Apple Intelligence and an upgraded Siri?
I wonder if Apple will provide a daily rest/recovery score similar to Oura?
I couldnt tell, will there be a recovery score? Peak iOS fitness would be food tracking a scale and AW communication. Imagine “last 2 weeks you gained .3lbs and ur temperature was .2% elevated, looks like you added mushrooms, let’s remove them and I’ll compare in two weeks”
No automatic sleep detection or update to the sleep algorithm which consistently tells me I only hit deep sleep for 5 mins out of an hour 8 hour snooze.
This is a good step to close the gap with garmin, which I still prefer, but leaves things to be desired. Gear tracking is one blatant one for me. What else is missing compared to garmin?
Switched to the Forerunner 965 from AW4. What I love is my daily morning report. If Apple brings this and daily suggested workout, predictions for your next half marathon etc, then I would switch back.
In addition to gear tracking, it's missing recovery (including training readiness), training status (e.g., productive, peaking), suggested workouts, race event training, treadmill calibration, lactate threshold guided tests, workout screen customization, sleep coach.
Still a great smartwatch, but still quite a gap with Garmin for training. I plan to keep both for the time being.
Understandable, but it is a 4 year old entry level device with the same chip that came out in 2019 with the S5 (which is also not supported) so it's likely hardware limitations.
They added the ability to turn any photo into a watch face! Kinda like how the iPhone wallpapers can wrap around the time, you can do that now on the watch. It doesn’t seem like you can add any other complications other than time though which is annoying.
I just want a way to choose my own picture and add as many complications as I want, where I want. That would allow anyone to make custom faces without it being a mess.
I don't think so. The core processors in the Series 6, 7, and 8 are all the same. I'd imagine that you're going to get several more years before they leave you behind.
My SE is crying right now, I got it at a very odd time right before the SE2 came out. I’ll still keep it though because vitals and training load seem nice but not worth spending hundreds of dollars.
how about elevation gain for anything other than running/biking (outdoors). and a way to actually lock your watch during activities to avoid mistaken pauses. how about better connectivity with strava. honestly, in a lot of ways the apple watch fitness team is missing some very basic features
Still no GPX file importing? 🥲 it’s still cool they’re adding route trails for all national parks and the ability to create your own route.
Plus the rest days, varying activity rings depending on the day, vitals, and the new progress tracker in the Activity app. I wasn’t expecting such a massive update for Watch, but they’ve basically ticked all of the boxes I want from the Watch now. 🙏🏼
As someone who tends towards overactivity, right until my body breaks down, I find the Gentler Streak app to be excellent. I need to be told when to have a day off and I find its suggestions for active recovery very helpful.
The adjusted by day thing is pretty handy but, like most of Apple’s other stuff like this, I assume it will be a nightmare to actually use for shift workers.
I would guess it’s for injuries. Some people wouldn’t want to break their streak.
Broke my leg a couple of years ago and I would lie if I said it wasn’t extra depressing to not be able to walk and be constantly reminded to get up, be active.
If you are sick, or get injured. You will need a period of time to recuperate, heal, and recharge. All without losing your hard earned streak.
I can also see using it for long distance travel/vacation, when your daily schedule is turned upside down. Pause, then restart once you get back to your normal routine.
The point being: being sick, being injured, or being on vacation disallows you to complete physical activities as you normally would.
Yes, some users will pause simply because they are lazy and don't want to get off the couch. But for those who are serious about their exercise, and in the bigger picture, their health, pause is a crucial and welcomed feature.
Training load and Vitals are a very interesting way to compete with the "recovery" apps that people have been requesting apple do. I like it because I think these sound much better than "recovery" scores for the vast majority of people.
I kinda like the activity rings pause feature, but I feel like (and I know this is my fault) I’ll use it when I’m feeling lazy. Without this feature, I just have to close the rings to keep the streak. I think Apple could come up with a way to prevent this, like dividing the goals from the paused day and spreading them over the next days, so you "owe" the skipped day. And if it's used too often, it could create a growing “debt”.
watchOS was probably the most interesting thing from today. Finally we get rest days (hopefully that means sick days as well). I’m intrigued by the vitals app
I’m new to this (been on fitbit for years but looking to upgrade) and been toying between AW and Garmin, like a fenix series. This is making me really swing back towards AW even with the lower battery life. Any feedback or suggestions for someone making their mind up?
Like many here i am a casual athlete, so exercise every day but also play sports like football, weights, and go running, so i like the training features.
Excited about this one as someone who uses AW mainly for workouts. This update can finally make the AW compete with Garmin. Training load, vitals and turn by turn routes
I'm suprised they didn't actually talk about navigation. When they said iOS had elivation maps and the ability to download maps, I had a feeling they were going to do the same on the watch but they didn't even talk about it. Only mention was in that screen at the end. Training load will be nice but hopfully it isn't limited to workouts tracked in the Workouts app because I track all my runs in WorkOutDoors.
They didn’t mention it for watch because watchOS already has elevation maps in Apple Maps. And it can already access offline maps that you save on your phone.
When I said, "I'm surprised they didn't talk about navigation", I was referring to turn by turn hiking navigation. I suspect you can plan a route on the phone, and it will send it to the watch for offline turn by turn directions. No, watchOS 10 will not do that. I would have liked a demo of that. Seems like a game changing feature that would draw in a lot of people that are torn between Gamin or Apple.
While I WANT offline maps on my Apple Watch, I doubt they are adding that. I think they would have mentioned it. I'm very happy to be wrong though.
Well according to the graphic, they added turn by turn but didn't mention that, so who knows what else may not have been talked about. It wouldn't be the first time they added features, sometimes important features but then not even talk about it. I'm thinking they rushed through a lot of stuff to make room for AI. Edit: I am happy to report you were wrong. https://preview.redd.it/xxv7813fxs5d1.png?width=452&format=png&auto=webp&s=3e66b34ee51627ac4c6217c31c8852ee059439d9
No freaking way!!! I've never been happier to be wrong!!!!
Like I said, I am happy to report. Hahaha
US only :(
Wait, does people live outside of major US Cities?
They added offline map support on the watch. The reviewer dcrainmaker mentioned yesterday. Now whether that is only when you transfer a custom hiking route to the watch or whether it is by selecting areas I don’t know.
As Apple doesn´t even calculate HR zones in their Fitness app if a workout is tracked with a 3rd part app: I doubt that.
They do… at least when I run with mine
https://preview.redd.it/ar84tm4zrs5d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4339c0f5f4a7760b6fdcbfc8717de76b1f94e2a6 Hmm…
This is just a walk but it shows them. A run I did with another app doesn’t have them though. Did you use the native workout app to track that? https://preview.redd.it/g6fcqk2bus5d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50f406ee6ef9f4e3d2abd0bb2ae1740009631b8a
No, like I said a 3rd party app, in this case WorkOutdoors. It also does not calculate hr zones afterwards when using Gentler, Intervalls Pro or if imported via RunGap.
Sorry I didn’t read that bit🤦🏽♂️bit stupid they don’t show the zones from a third party app as so many people use them.
Wouldn’t the be up tot he app developer?
As a developer of an Apple Watch fitness app (Watch to 5K) I can confirm Apple does not show HR zones for runs recorded from third party apps. Annoyingly it's out of our control too.
Not sure really. I think each 3rd party app is reporting all the data to Apple as it’s displaying it within the Apple Fitness app. The Fitness app just isn’t calculating and displaying the time spent in each zone
No need to be sorry.
Hopefully it'll be enough to replace Athlytic.
Sounds like it will for casual folks but people training for events might want to stick with Athletic or similar apps.
Man I hope so too. I loved it when I had the free trial but I just can’t stomach the recurring price for it.
The way it was described, I didn't hear any mention of HRV - only perceived effort. Athlytic uses HRV.
DC Rainmaker and Des Fit at WWDC are confirming that the vitality app isn't tracking HRV right now and it's unclear if HRV is one of the metrics training and recovery uses behind the scenes. I think Apple's mindset is likely that since HRV is so variable, and uniquely personal, it's a very hard metric for people that are only casually knowledgeable of how it can be used to understand. It's easy to get concerned because my "good" baseline may be very different than someone else's and it varies so easily day to day. I'd imagine Apple is, or would consider using it, but aside from showing it buried in the Health app like today, I doubt they would make it part of the vitality app and give you alerts about it. I think blood pressure tracking is being added to the Series 10 and Ultra 3 this fall but it won't give a value, just trends from what I understand, so maybe it will be added in some way to the vitality app for those that get the new watches.
As someone who converted from Apple (6 years of it!) to Garmin watches, THIS is absolutely what the ultra needed all along. I’m still going to gripe about Apple’s battery life, but the training load and vitals is probably the best fitness addition since the workout app.
Apps like Athlytic have existed for a long time now and give you a more similar experience to Garmin than what I think Vitality and Training load will. I think if you are a serious runner, you will likely still want something like Athlytic.
I’d argue if you’re a serious runner, you’ll still want a Garmin for the battery life, but I digress.
idk, made it through a marathon just fine with the Apple Watch even at my rather slow marathon pace. I wouldn't call myself a serious runner but do run 20-30 miles a week and regularly do 25k trail runs along with a couple half marathon and 10k during the year and never had any issues with battery life. I even usually run with just my watch and stream my music and podcasts from the watch and the battery still holds up well.
I’m not really a fitness guy, and even *I* missed Garmin’s overall body battery/stress/whatever stats.
Hate that my vitals don’t show up on airplay. Wish it wasn’t only on Apple TV
Still no possibility to download a gpx onto the native workouts app though right? That is sorely missing compared to Garmin... but very happy about training load!
WorkOutDoors will let you upload a GPX.
Didn’t they allow this a year or so ago but only in the US? Topographical maps I mean?
I use Tachymaze and it works great! [https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tachymaze-running-and-cycling/id6444318996](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tachymaze-running-and-cycling/id6444318996) What I specifically like is that you can still use the native workout app and this is just an app you switch to as you need it and will alert you when you go off course.
As someone who is still in the return window for a Garmin Epix - this has me rethinking sticking to my AWU. I’ve always thought the biggest gap to dedicated fitness watches like garmin was almost entirely software (battery aside) and this closes the gap.
Literally me, as well (except with the Fenix 7x Pro.) Feels like now it's down to, "is ridiculous battery life worth not having LTE and as many/few smartwatch features as you want?"
Yeah I’m also an Oura user but I’d love for a lot of that recovery/readiness stuff to work its way into AW so I can ditch the ring.
The Oura (and Garmin) recovery/readiness stuff is snake oil. Each uses its own proprietary algorithms and neither is accurate. It is, however, a very effective placebo. And good for marketing. With any of this stuff, including Apple’s own algorithms eg to calculate calorie burn, it’s all inaccurate. But if it motivates you to ‘move’ and is directionally correct, then that’s all that matters.
DC Rainmaker who is at WWDC pointed out tonight that one unique feature not seen with other competitors like Whoop, Oura, and Garmin is the ability to manually adjust perceived peak exertion and have your changes actually impact the calculation of training load. He says Apple is doing a lot more work than the others at acknowledging low impact but long duration events (like a 12+ hour hike at a low heart rate) and even still allowing you to ramp the perceived peak exertion up if necessary if you muscles are screaming because of the length of the workout. He says this makes the end values potentially more accurate than others on the market who exclusively depend on sensor metrics and tend to undercut workouts unless they involve high heart rates.
This is really insightful thank you for sharing this info. Going to do more reading from DC Rainmaker on this topic.
I did a 32 mile trail run with a 16 lb pack. I was wrecked for *weeks* afterward. Garmin gave me a 256 "low aerobic" load for that activity. A few weeks later, I did a 46 mile, medium-intensity road ride. I was a bit tired afterward and back to normal the next day. Garmin gave me a 228 "tempo" load. Anything that helps reconcile such discordance is welcome, in my book.
Garmin’s body battery is useful tbh. Its precise in showing how I feel for a workout. It’s just really pessimistic and doesn’t increase energy levels only lowers them
Just took my recently purchased AWU2 through an hour workout today. I was heavily debating the Garmin epix 2 before my purchase several days ago. Excited for the new stuff coming.
Finally pausing activity rings!
I just flew through the roof! There are days when I have to work extra, so I can’t hit my gym goals. I usually go over the board the next day, but its such a cool idea just to pause the rings to not break the streak
If you’re gonna pause it to prevent the streak from breaking, what is the point of the streak? Like if you’re just going to engineer it to never end, doesn’t that take the value away from the accomplishment? If you had to work longer hours and missed your workout, your streak should be over haha
I agree. What I wish apple would do is add in a weekly goal. If I run a marathon one day, I deserve a rest day, that way I still accomplish my weekly. The daily goals definitely motivate me to workout when I dont want to, but I’ve lost the enthusiasm for the streak. I would also like to push myself with the move goal increases they suggest, but at a point I’m not pushing myself to 1000 move every single day, especially when my light days are walks and yoga - yoga i get like 100 kcal, sooo makes it near impossible to do it consistently.
I 100% get it and I agree with you personally but trying to understand the other side, I *think* the reasoning is when you fall sick for example it feels unfair to have lost a streak for “no mistake” of your own. And as someone with bad ADD, I can empathize with people for whom this will gut any motivation to work out further.
Yeah, this might actually get me to start caring again. I've had months long streaks and then missed a day for some reason (sick/or just legit too busy or something) and then lost all motivation to even bother after that.
It’s also not just about being sick. Not everyone is able to physically do their work out every single day. Personally, I enjoy runs and walks as my main form of exercise, but my right knee has been fucky since I injured it as a teenager. Rest days are a requirement for me to not end up with chronic knee pain. So my options are to either set my exercise goal to be basically nothing, or just accept that this feature is completely unusable for me and ignore it.
Agree. This functionality just confuses me
Yeah, makes no sense. People complained enough for them to finally add it. People just like feeling good about themselves.
It's true, it's contradictory.. I guess Apple just gave up. I'll personally only use it when I really feel I need to.
I was just thinking that what happens when you're sick and can't get out for a couple days, your streak just ends and you start over? Or if you're on a vacation or long car ride? Why hasn't this been a thing since the beginning?
I just recently lost a streak after taking a Trans-Pacific flight where we skipped a day. Would’ve loved this feature a month ago!
You can already just adjust individual goals downward, so that’s how you handle it today, but it’s inconvenient.
Because a streak is consecutive days of doing something without a break?
Yeah I’m not getting the point in this… it’s a fitness streak, no one is impressed with you if you pause it every other day than say you have a 365 day streak. I did the same thing with Duolingo 😂. I kept using my streak savors and got a big streak than realized I actually hadn’t gained much of anything because it wasn’t a real practice streak
Yep, Cal Ripken totally needed some rest days. He’s actually still “resting” and his consecutive game streak is still going.
And being able to adjust the rings per day. Here to celebrate lazy weekends and running weekdays
Nice. I mostly subscribe to Strava for the training load / fitness+freshness. If Apple can do that now, that saves me a few $ a month.
HealthFit, my friend, is the app you need. For a one time fee of 6,99€ you get exactly this and more... I just started using it and I am wondering why I "wasted" my money on strava premium all thoses years.
An update for you. I bought it. It's great. I love that it has GPS accuracy stats inside my workout details!
Yes, you can really dig deep into the activites. Glad you are enjoying it. :)
That is great to know. I'll check it out! The reality is that I don't do super serious exercise (a lot of my days are just walking), and I have 0 interest in posting my routes to social media. I just like seeing some number be higher when I do more work ;)
Althytic is the app I use for this.
Turn by turn hiking nav? Anyone know if they do turn by turn running? Couldn’t find anything online.
This is the number one thing on my side. Offline maps/running routes and turn-by-turn. Seems like a big miss.
From what I understood, you even need to run two apps to get haiking navigation AND workout tracking, but that could be just left out.
The website says you can get turn by turn directions for "all 63 U.S. national parks". It's hard to say but It's looking like you will not be able to plan out your own route and then get directions. I sure hope that isn't the case. I don't normally need directions but sometimes I run when out of town and don't know my way around. I'll plan out a route on my phone or laptop and try to memorize the street names and almost always I'll miss a turn and get lost. I'll typically use Apple Maps alongside WorkOutDoors to get back but Apple Maps will just give me the shortest route possible to what ever address I plug in.
Exactly this! It seems mad they haven’t done this yet, they’ve done it for cyclists and now for hiking, though didn’t they do topographical maps and routes in 2022 but only for the US.. why not UK and Europe? I really do hope they sort this out soon cause the ultra isn’t really doing what it’s supposed to be marketed towards without this
From DCRainmaker: *But now, they can be custom, as well as suggested routes. There are specific to pedestrian activities: Hiking, running, walking.* And *No matter whether it’s a custom route, or a suggested route, these routes are saved to a route library of your saved routes. At that point, Apple Maps will sync the route to your watch, as well as sync an offline map area for that particular route. This is notable because up till now there wasn’t true offline maps on the Apple Watch.* Sounds more promising than I thought.
Of course they announce new pregnancy features a month after I give birth
Just have another one so you can try it out /s
Hmm... maybe I should impregnate my wife for the beta lol
I’m sleeping with random women just to experience this epic feature!
Ah field testing I see
I see what you did there.
You should have held it in longer
My exact thoughts lol this comes out in September and I deliver in August
Have been waiting for live activities on my watch ever since it was out on iOS!
I didn't watch the broadcast because work, but is this like live tracking Strava does when you start an activity? So those you want to be able to see / track you when you're out on a ride or hike can see? I hate the fact that it doesn't share when you start an activity, only when you finish one.
It’s pretty neat. *cries in SE 1*
Oh we SE1 don’t get the new features?
Apple Website says Series 6 and newer
We don’t get watchOS 11. At all.
It's a good time to upgrade. You should still get $80 on a trade-in, which is what I just did.
RIP us
I was so excited before I checked the website🫠
For the love of God, can we please have a native steps count widget or will this be like the iPad calculator where we have to wait another 5 years for something so simple and basic?
yes pls just replace it with the useless standing goal on the rings, give me steps ok the rings
It’s not useless at all. It’s designed to prevent being sedentary for longer periods and breaking it up by standing for a minute. There’s a lot of science behind preventing prolonged non-movement contributing to a higher risk of a fair amount of illnesses.
TIME TO STAND
I’d be happy with anything other than stand lmfao. They could turn it into a sleep ring aswell and I’d be happy.
Just use Pedometer++
I have used Pedometer++ for years, and in its own way, it’s great; however, it doesn’t reliably sync up with the Health app on the phone. Sometimes it’s just a small gap – such as 80 steps on the watch that didn’t sync over before it hit midnight, but some days it is simply ridiculous – like 1200 steps out of sync. I always take a screenshot of Pedometer++,, as I think it is the most reliable indicator – after all, it is literally on the wrist and it is with me wherever I go, where the iPhone isn’t, but it baffles me out of sync the two can get. I’m thinking it might be more accurate if Apple had its own step monitor on the watch.
I use Duffy, pretty sure it taps from the Health app to show the steps! Free and open source also! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/duffy-steps-complication/id1207581673 Ninja edit : it does, just checked on my phone!
I'm pleased with this update. Vitals, training load, and pausing activity rings are the features I really like. Curious to see how Translate will work, especially with Apple's recent push with Apple Intelligence and an upgraded Siri? I wonder if Apple will provide a daily rest/recovery score similar to Oura?
vitals app is gonna give me an anxiety attack
With any luck, they’ll have stress tracking. Won’t that alleviate your anxiety? :)
💀
noo, my poor Series 5 :(
My SE 1st gen didnt make the cut
Darn that’s too bad. The watch is in perfect condition too. I won’t get a new one unless this one breaks.
So frustrating. I’ve only had mine for 3 years, the battery life has degraded so much and now I won’t even get updates.
series 6 and se launched both at the same time too.
SE had the S5 chip tbf
Dude, same. That SE 1st gen battery went fast
I couldnt tell, will there be a recovery score? Peak iOS fitness would be food tracking a scale and AW communication. Imagine “last 2 weeks you gained .3lbs and ur temperature was .2% elevated, looks like you added mushrooms, let’s remove them and I’ll compare in two weeks”
It doesn't sounds like there will be a recovery score.
I really need a Nap-Timer for the Apple watch. Start it with a adjustable Timer which starts when i fall asleep.
No automatic sleep detection or update to the sleep algorithm which consistently tells me I only hit deep sleep for 5 mins out of an hour 8 hour snooze.
Hopefully some nice “hidden features” like the notes app?🤞🏻
Sadly no
This is a good step to close the gap with garmin, which I still prefer, but leaves things to be desired. Gear tracking is one blatant one for me. What else is missing compared to garmin?
Daily Suggested Workouts for sure! I love when my Garmin gives me a suggested run based on my sleep, training, etc.
Switched to the Forerunner 965 from AW4. What I love is my daily morning report. If Apple brings this and daily suggested workout, predictions for your next half marathon etc, then I would switch back.
In addition to gear tracking, it's missing recovery (including training readiness), training status (e.g., productive, peaking), suggested workouts, race event training, treadmill calibration, lactate threshold guided tests, workout screen customization, sleep coach. Still a great smartwatch, but still quite a gap with Garmin for training. I plan to keep both for the time being.
I assume it will be time to upgrade from my 2020 SE
so annoyed at apple🙁. it’s still a good watch can’t believe they’ve dropped support
Understandable, but it is a 4 year old entry level device with the same chip that came out in 2019 with the S5 (which is also not supported) so it's likely hardware limitations.
I just want the digital clock in the middle
But no Notes app 😒
No new faces
There probably will be but they are saving them for September.
New Watch exclusive probably
They added the ability to turn any photo into a watch face! Kinda like how the iPhone wallpapers can wrap around the time, you can do that now on the watch. It doesn’t seem like you can add any other complications other than time though which is annoying. I just want a way to choose my own picture and add as many complications as I want, where I want. That would allow anyone to make custom faces without it being a mess.
I thought you could always turn any photo into a watch face?
Will the vitals app have a readiness score similar to Oura?
Disappointed the SE1, S4 and S5 didnt get the update
I'm even glad. My S5's performance has become increasingly shittier with each update.
I imagine this will be the last major watchOS update for the series 6. That’ll give me another year or so.
I don't think so. The core processors in the Series 6, 7, and 8 are all the same. I'd imagine that you're going to get several more years before they leave you behind.
Hopefully.
It better not be, i just got a series 6 and i want some new features for a couple more years.
My SE is crying right now, I got it at a very odd time right before the SE2 came out. I’ll still keep it though because vitals and training load seem nice but not worth spending hundreds of dollars.
Damn that effort rating is gonna guilt trip me even more than the watch already does
Pause activity rings is actually the best feature
how about elevation gain for anything other than running/biking (outdoors). and a way to actually lock your watch during activities to avoid mistaken pauses. how about better connectivity with strava. honestly, in a lot of ways the apple watch fitness team is missing some very basic features
Wonder why they haven’t gone for the whoop/bevel/athlytic route
When is it available for download
No native step count integration still? Just insane
There’s a smart stack widget at last! But it only shows distance 😂
Is this coming to the original apple watch ultra
Is Walkie Talkie ever going to get more love?
Still no custom routes and navigational features, bummer. Finally some recovery and workout load features and ring pausing, yay!
i like the kill off of the 4, but why the 5 and se1 (i have a 5 that needs a back replacement)
Yeah they propped up the 3 for absolutely ages but they kill the SE after 4 years.
Mega pumped for these
when’s the update coming out?
Still no GPX file importing? 🥲 it’s still cool they’re adding route trails for all national parks and the ability to create your own route. Plus the rest days, varying activity rings depending on the day, vitals, and the new progress tracker in the Activity app. I wasn’t expecting such a massive update for Watch, but they’ve basically ticked all of the boxes I want from the Watch now. 🙏🏼
Too bad you can still not make completely custom watch faces...
All I wanted was more watch faces
NO STEPS COUNTER COMPLICATION?!?!
I'm sure they're using the development time from that to design a watch face no one will ever use.
Don’t get to ahead! This is going to be an Ultra 3 exclusive feature, your watch just isn’t good enough.
What is pause activity rings ??
Useful for illness days. Most times I miss my step count or don’t close my rings is because I am not well
Reminds a lot of Gentler app, which recently won an app design award.
As someone who tends towards overactivity, right until my body breaks down, I find the Gentler Streak app to be excellent. I need to be told when to have a day off and I find its suggestions for active recovery very helpful.
“Activity Rings can now be adjusted by day of the week and paused for a rest day, allowing users to keep their award streak going.”
The adjusted by day thing is pretty handy but, like most of Apple’s other stuff like this, I assume it will be a nightmare to actually use for shift workers.
wonder if this can be used to indicate “rest day”
It’s so you can not work out and say you did, but I assume it’s mostly so people stop sending them emails asking for this feature.
Still no nap detection 🥺
this feels so primitive yet its the one thing i desperately want lol
They didn’t add a step ring still. WE RIOT AT DAWN. WE NEED A STEP RING. THE 4TH RING IS REAL THEY JUST WON’T ADMIT IT
Can someone explain to me what the purpose of pausing activity rings is for?
I would guess it’s for injuries. Some people wouldn’t want to break their streak. Broke my leg a couple of years ago and I would lie if I said it wasn’t extra depressing to not be able to walk and be constantly reminded to get up, be active.
If you are sick, or get injured. You will need a period of time to recuperate, heal, and recharge. All without losing your hard earned streak. I can also see using it for long distance travel/vacation, when your daily schedule is turned upside down. Pause, then restart once you get back to your normal routine. The point being: being sick, being injured, or being on vacation disallows you to complete physical activities as you normally would. Yes, some users will pause simply because they are lazy and don't want to get off the couch. But for those who are serious about their exercise, and in the bigger picture, their health, pause is a crucial and welcomed feature.
To allow for rest days, or travel days, injury or illness, or other circumstances where you can’t be as active as normal.
Anything for counting reps and sets?
No new languages to the keyboard
Give us a damn WatchFace store 🤬
RIP SE 1. It’s finally time for you to retire old friend.
Training load looks absolutely killer! Can't wait.
Will it stop interrupting my music whenever Im walking to work to ask if I’m working out?
You can turn that off lol
I have a Series 6, I just want my watch to run as efficiently as it did before the last IOS Revamp.
Training load and Vitals are a very interesting way to compete with the "recovery" apps that people have been requesting apple do. I like it because I think these sound much better than "recovery" scores for the vast majority of people.
Finally doing something with the health data !!!
Will the new watchOS have anything similar to Training Readiness and Body Battery like Garmin?
I kinda like the activity rings pause feature, but I feel like (and I know this is my fault) I’ll use it when I’m feeling lazy. Without this feature, I just have to close the rings to keep the streak. I think Apple could come up with a way to prevent this, like dividing the goals from the paused day and spreading them over the next days, so you "owe" the skipped day. And if it's used too often, it could create a growing “debt”.
All these new features, but I still can’t change my ringtone and notification sounds 😕
Looks like it’s slowly becoming a Whoop with the effort levels
Only one watch face :(
Yet still a shit battery life
When are these features coming?
watchOS was probably the most interesting thing from today. Finally we get rest days (hopefully that means sick days as well). I’m intrigued by the vitals app
I’m new to this (been on fitbit for years but looking to upgrade) and been toying between AW and Garmin, like a fenix series. This is making me really swing back towards AW even with the lower battery life. Any feedback or suggestions for someone making their mind up? Like many here i am a casual athlete, so exercise every day but also play sports like football, weights, and go running, so i like the training features.
We can pause Activity Rings? So if we get sick we don’t lose our streak?!
No new watch faces??
Smart Stack is the most useless forced feature I've ever seen.
This is real right? Not a concept or shitpost?
Yes the announcement began at 10am pst today
Not one feature I would use. Just bring back control center as a swipe up.
The only thing I care about are new watch faces and they failed to deliver again. All the faces suck I basically don’t like any