Apple’s watchOS 11 update for the company’s recent Apple Watch models is set to bring new features to improve the user experience, the company announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 on Monday. A user has now spotted a feature that Apple did not showcase at WWDC, that will make its way onto the Apple Watch when the update arrives later this year. Furthermore, the Smart Stack app is also confirmed to get a dedicated Shazam widget, enabling users to quickly search for currently playing songs.
New Features on Apple Watch
According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Max Weinbach, automatic sleep tracking will be rolling out to the Apple Watch with the watchOS 11 update. At present, Apple’s smartwatch does not monitor sleep until the Sleep Focus mode is toggled.
With watchOS 11, Apple’s smartwatches will automatically track the user’s sleep cycle irrespective of the device mode, Weinbach says.
With the Apple Watch, users can track their sleep cycle and set schedules to meet their goals. Furthermore, it is also claimed to provide an estimated time a user spends in each sleep stage – REM sleep, core sleep, and deep sleep.
Apple is also bringing a new Shazam widget to Smart Stack – a set of widgets available to users based on the time, location and activity which can be accessed from any watch face.
Although Shazam was already available on the App Store or could be accessed via Siri, watchOS 11 is said to bring it to Smart Stack, potentially allowing users to search for currently playing music even quicker.
Apple says in addition to Shazam, it is also introducing other widgets to Smart Stack, such as Translate, Distance, Photos, severe weather alerts and Live Activities.
watchOS 11 Compatibility
According to Apple, watchOS 11 will be available on Apple Watch Series 6 or later, paired with iPhone XR or later models running on iOS 18. The watchOS 11 developer beta has already been rolled out and can be accessed via the Apple Developer Program.