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The Apple Watch has become the most popular watch in the world, something we didn’t expect to happen in 2015. And with watchOS 10 just around the corner, we expect some upgrades to make it even more impressive.
We’re already expecting the Apple Watch Series 9 to be announced in September and there’s a chance we’ll also see a new Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE. When we do, watchOS 10 will be the software to power them, but you don’t have to rush to buy the best Apple Watches to use it.
When Apple announces watchOS 10 at its WWDC23 event on June 5, it will be announced to work with a range of older models. Which one, we’ll have to wait and see, but here’s what we think we already know and a few others we’re hoping for as well.
What we know so far
In terms of what to expect from watchOS 10, we obviously don’t have anything confirmed from Apple just yet – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can look forward to based on leaks.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has already said watchOS 10 will be a big update for Apple Watch wearers, so there’s that. Some leaks suggest we’ll be getting actual iPhone-like widgets, which is an interesting idea. They are expected to give us a faster way to access information – imagine a complication, but much bigger and able to show more data, for example.
Unfortunately, while Gurman has suggested that this is an important year for the Apple Watch, we don’t have much to do other than widgets. There’s talk of a new home screen layout, but Apple has stuck with the grid and list approach for years, so we’ll have to see what Apple has in mind at WWDC. That said, the bubble-like app list made its debut on Apple Watch, so it’s not a platform Apple is afraid to experiment with.
What if watchOS de-emphasized app launches and introduced a new more customizable home screen with widgets and live activities, a fresh take on the cans and dock ideas… pic.twitter.com/EsSt5vOPQwApril 9, 2023
Bringing widgets to the Apple Watch could change the way people use Apple’s wearable. But developers may need to get even more involved, and has the Apple Watch so far proven to be a platform that developers have invested heavily in? Will they come from WWDC?
The wish list
When it comes to things we’d like to see, it’s a whole different story.
At the top of many fitness buffs’ list of things they’d like to see is a change to the Fitness app that understands that rest days are a thing. We shouldn’t completely lose a streak just because we took a day off. We understand what Apple is trying to do, but everyone would probably agree that there are times when closing those rings isn’t feasible, like on travel days or when you’re sick, for example.
But that said, there’s one thing almost every Apple Watch owner has wished for at some point.
While Apple tends to add new Apple Watch faces every year, they still don’t cover all needs. And that’s where highly customizable third-party watch faces would come in handy. We already see apps like Clockology trying to achieve that in a kind of roundabout, but it’s not the same.
Imagine if you could visit the App Store instead and download new watch faces from developers. Or those developers could bundle watch faces as part of their apps, just as they’ve done for years for real Apple Watch apps. That sounds pretty good and we would all be for that. We’d even take third-party watch faces, even if it meant every other aspect of watchOS remained the same this year. It’s such a big question.
But what if we feel greedy?
Well, that’s a tough one and we’re kind of back to watch faces. The Siri watch face never really lived up to its potential, so that needs to change. The watch face was supposed to pull up information as and when it’s needed or becomes relevant, but it just doesn’t. And that’s especially true if you use a lot of third-party apps. For the Siri watch face to be truly useful, it needs to dig deeper into third-party apps, or maybe vice versa. Whatever it is, that’s for Apple to figure out, because it’s Apple’s platform. And since WWDC is a developer conference, there’s never been a better time to communicate these things to the folks who make Apple Watch apps, right?
The timeline
Fortunately, we won’t have to wait too long to get answers to our watchOS 10 questions – the software will most likely be announced at an event on June 5. Nor will it be alone. There will be new software for the iPhone and iPad, not to mention the Mac and Apple TV. And that is regardless of the new hardware.
Hardware? Certainly – the 15-inch MacBook Air is finally becoming a thing if the rumors are to be believed, while the much-discussed Reality Pro AR/VR headset is also almost upon us. The headset probably won’t be released until much later this year, if only to give developers a chance to build the apps people will use on it.
All things considered, WWDC is shaping up to be a big week for Apple, and the June 5 opening keynote is shaping up to be a big day. That will be the case whether or not we get the rumored widgets or the hoped-for third-party watch faces.
Still, it can’t hurt to dream, right?
