Firmware Update: Apple WatchOS 9.0

Apple has released version 9 of the software that runs on the Apple Watch. Updating the Apple Watch must be done through the app on the iPhone; instructions for this are up this page to find. Version 9 of watchOS has three new watch faces, it can track when medicines need to be taken and there are several new fitness options. The complete list of changes can be found below.

Dials

• The Astronomy watch face now displays the current cloud cover and a star map
• The Moon watch face features a Chinese, Hebrew, or Islamic lunar calendar wrapped around live lunar phases
• The Playtime watch face was designed by Chicago-born artist Joi Fulton and features animated numbers, with editing options for background colors
• The ‘Metropolitan’ watch face is font-centered and features numbers that dynamically change style and weight as you rotate the Digital Crown
• The “Nike Analog,” “Nike Bounce,” “Nike Compact,” “Nike Digital,” and “Nike Hybrid” watch faces, all of which feature a tappable swoosh (Nike’s mark) that launches Nike Run Club, are now available for more Apple Watch models
• Extensive complications, Chinese script options, and a background color editor are available for Breathing, California, Modular, and Typography watch faces, among others
• Portraits now supports dog and cat portraits and landscapes with the ability to change the color of the background or the entire photo
• Ability to choose the watch face displayed when a focus is active

Workout

• Ability to customize and scroll through multiple workout views during a workout, including splits, segments, activity rings, and more
• Heart rate zones view uses maximum heart rate and resting heart rate to create personalized zones and shows time spent in each zone
• The ‘Altitude’ view shows current altitude and elevation gain and visually charts your altitude progress during outdoor running, outdoor cycling, outdoor wheelchair riding at a fast pace, hiking trip, outdoor walking and outdoor wheelchair riding at a leisurely pace
• Running power view, measured in watts, instantly shows the power you’re generating while running (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 and later)
• Special running metrics, including stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation, are available in workout views to track your running efficiency (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 and later)
• Custom Workout lets you create workouts with repeated interval sets that can be based on time, distance, or an open goal, progressing automatically or manually to your next set
• Target Pace provides a training experience that helps you maintain a desired pace with notifications and a dedicated workout view
• Multisport workout supports training for duathlons or triathlons with automatic detection of outdoor swimming/indoor swimming, indoor cycling/outdoor cycling, indoor running/outdoor running, and transitions to the next segment
• Workout notifications can be customized for metrics such as pace, power, cadence and heart rate zones
• For pool workouts, a kickboard is automatically detected
• SWOLF, a measure of swimming efficiency, is calculated as the number of strokes plus the time to swim a lap

Fitness+

• Workout instructions are displayed on screen, including targets for intensity, rowing strokes per minute, revolutions per minute for cycling, and incline for the treadmill
• Workout instructions and personalized fitness measurements are displayed on-screen for compatible TVs and third-party devices

Compass

• Redesigned Compass app with more detailed information and zoomable views (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 5 and later)
• The primary dial supports both an analog compass pointer and a digital display of current bearing and heading
• Zoomed in provides an analog view of the bearing plus your elevation, slope, and coordinates
• Compass waypoints let you indicate your position or a point of interest (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 and later)
• Backtrack uses GPS to track your route in case you get lost (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 6 and later)

Sleep

• Track sleep stages through data from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to detect how much time you spend in REM sleep, core sleep, and deep sleep, and how long you’re awake
• In the Health app on iPhone, a comparison chart provides a view of heart rate and respiratory rate, along with time asleep

Medicines

• The ability to record planned and incidentally needed medications, including the dose taken and the time
• Ability to view medication schedule and what you have recorded per day
• Reminders to record scheduled medications
• Medication complication to view your schedule or open the app quickly

AF history

• Weekly reports with an estimate of the percentage of time that atrial fibrillation occurred in the previous calendar week
• It is highlighted on which day of the week and at what time of the day atrial fibrillation is highest
• In the Health app on iPhone, you can track lifestyle factors that can affect how long you have atrial fibrillation, including exercise, sleep, weight, alcohol consumption, and mindfulness minutes
• Shareable PDF for more valuable conversations with healthcare providers
• Support for users 22 years or older who have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation

Family Configuration

• The Podcasts app is now available and includes the ability to search, download and follow shows and explore content selected for you
• Third-party email support has been extended to Yahoo and Outlook
• Change and share contact photos now available

Accessibility

• Quick Actions enhanced with AssistiveTouch for play and pause in Now Playing, pause and resume in Workout, take photos via Camera Control, and switch between map view and turn-by-turn directions in Maps
• Pair Bluetooth keyboards with the Apple Watch
• Apple Watch Mirroring allows you to remotely control Apple Watch from your paired iPhone via AirPlay with support for assistive technologies, such as Voice Control or Switch Control, instead of tapping the Apple Watch screen

Other features and improvements:

• Power saving mode keeps core Apple Watch functions available, while select background features, such as Always On and heart health notifications, are temporarily disabled to extend battery life
• International roaming support lets you stay connected to your mobile network while traveling abroad (Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 5 and later)
• Extensive keyboards for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish, among others. Available on Apple Watch Series 7 and later
• The Communications Safety setting in Screen Time gives parents the option to turn on alerts for children when they receive or attempt to send photos in Messages that contain nudity
• Cycle anomaly notifications alert you if your tracked menstrual cycles show a pattern of missed periods, irregular periods, prolonged periods, or persistent spotting
• New Apple Watch estimated value for cardio recovery available in the Health app
• Reminders app updated to support editing so you can add important details like location, tags and times
• Calendar app redesigned to support the creation of new calendar events with the ability to switch between day, list and week views
• Enhanced Podcasts experience with search support, ability to follow and unfollow shows, and discover new content in Listen Now
• Dock updated to show apps running in the background at the top
• Redesigned notifications with streamlined narrow strip when you’re actively using Apple Watch