watchOS 8 Announced: Wallet And Home App Updates, New Workout Types, And More

At the WWDC Keynote held early this morning, Apple introduced watchOS 8, which included updates to the Wallet and Home apps, a new Breathe app, new Tai Chi and Pilates workout types, as well as the new Portraits watch face and enhancements to Messages and the Photos app.

“Apple Watch is the most loved watch in the world, keeping users healthy, active, and connected,” said Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of Technology. “With watchOS 8, we’re bringing more convenient access to places users live, work, and visit with significant updates to Home and Wallet, expanding support for both physical and mental well-being, and enabling richer personal connections with the new Portraits face and updates to Messages.”

Wallet

• Ultra-Wideband support now arrives for digital car keys on Apple Watch Series 6
• You can also add keys for their home, office, and hotel to Wallet, beginning this fall
• Users will also be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet

Home

• Ability to control accessories by room
• Users with a HomeKit-enabled camera can view who is at the door directly on their wrist
• One can also tap Intercom to quickly broadcast a message throughout the home or to individual rooms via HomePod, HomePod mini, or other personal devices

Health

• Two new popular workout types: Tai Chi and Pilates
• The Breathe app becomes the Mindfulness app, featuring an enhanced Breathe experience, 
• A new session type, Reflect, offers a mindful intention to focus on for as little as one minute that can be done anywhere and at any time
• Apple Watch will be able to track sleeping respiratory rate, which is the number of breaths per minute

Watch Face and Photos

• The new Portraits watch face would cropping in to highlight the subject to make portrait photos stunning
• The Photos app is also redesigned, offering new ways to view and navigate collections
• Memories and Featured Photos now sync to Apple Watch

Additional Features

• watchOS 8 also brings the Contacts app to Apple Watch
• Focus is also available on watchOS 8, just like iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
• Multiple timers come to Apple Watch and can be given a certain label by Siri
• More Apple Watch apps support the Always-On display, including Maps, Mindfulness, Timers, etc
• There is a new Find Items app and a Find Devices app for locating items or devices
• Redesigned Music app enables users to share songs, albums, and playlists through Messages and Mail
• The Weather app now supports Severe Weather notifications and Next Hour precipitation alerts

watchOS 8 developer beta is available to Apple Developer Program members at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available to watchOS users next month at beta.apple.com. This fall, watchOS 8 will be available for users with Apple Watch Series 3 or later paired with iPhone 6s or later, running iOS 15.