While the Apple WWDC of this year 2019 is still underway in the city of San Jose, we can already say that we have a good handful of news in the different operating systems that will arrive in the coming months on Apple devices. In this case we want focus all attention on the new watchOS 6 and tvOS 13, the operating systems of Apple's smart watches and its set top box.
Por el momento developers are the only ones who can install these beta versions (Although it is possible to install them without being a developer) and in the case of Apple's smart watch, it is best to stay out of it since there is no option to return to the previous OS in any way and in case of problems Apple does not take care of it. In any case what interests us now is to see the news and we will have time to enjoy them so let's get to it.
watchOS 6 improves Health and sport functions
With the new application called Cycle Tracking, started the keynote regarding the news of the Apple Watch. This new application is directly focused on women and allows them to record important data of the menstrual cycle, see predictions of the next phases and fertile periods. This will not be an exclusive app for Apple Watch and Apple adds it to iOS for iPhone, so users can enjoy it on their mobile device with iOS 13.
Another novelty in this new watchOS 6 is focused directly on hearing health. Apple wants us to improve our habits and avoid as much as possible the hearing loss that is obviously related to cognitive decline. Apple Watch and the Noise app allows all users to know the noise levels in places such as concerts and sporting events that can negatively affect hearing. The clock will also inform us by means of a notification when the external sound reaches 90 decibels, a level that can affect hearing if the user is exposed to it for more than four hours a week, according to the World Health Organization.
Improving physical fitness, improving health, new somewhat more dynamic spheres and the application store for the Apple Watch itself are in a summarized way the best novelties presented last Monday at the McEnery convention center. Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer explained in the media:
The Apple Watch has become an indispensable part of everything our customers do on a daily basis, from staying in touch and informed to motivating themselves to lead a healthier and more active life. watchOS 6 is another step in our commitment to helping users better manage their health and fitness with powerful new personalized tools
In addition, Apple now has a new overview of our physical activity data and the progress we make with the device as we train. The watch measures all the data and the new tab that we can see on the iPhone will show us in a simple and clear way if the data is ascending or descending for a period of approximately 90 days. If these data are lower than our physical activity from the previous year, the application itself will offer us advice to recover that level of training again.
Separate App Store on Apple Watch
This is the first time that the application store will be directly on the clock and therefore gives the device one more point of independence from the iPhone. The new store will allow users to install their applications, search with Siri, Dictation or Handwriting and view pages of apps adapted to the Apple Watch sphere. A big step as we say towards the total independence of the device that little by little is marking the ground after adding LTE connectivity with the eSIM in the Series 4 model.
This was one of the biggest demands by users of Apple's smart watch and it remains to be seen at what level of involvement the developers are launched, although we already warn that the initiative is great. For now, simply having the option is already positive so we will see how this issue of the store progresses directly on the Apple Watch.
New spheres, more tools and other apps
Without a doubt, another of the constant demands is to have more dials available on Apple Watch And Apple keeps adding new watchface updates constantly. In this case there have been several added but we still do not have an own «sphere store» so that the user can choose. Apple goes step by step in this regard and proof of this is that each of the new versions released add some new spheres in this case: Modular Compact, Solar Dial, California, Gradient and Numerals.
New Developer Tools Include Streaming Audio, Radio and Podcast API, an API that extends uptime for session-based tasks such as physical therapy and meditation, and now Core ML uses Apple's Neural Engine in Apple Watch Series 4 to speed up the processing of device data.
And as applications we focus on the popular app Voice Notes, audiobooks purchased from Apple Books that can now be listened to directly in the new app audiobooks, an app Calculator, ask siri can display full results of web pages directly on the clock and the Apple GymKit compatibility which expands to manufacturers such as Octane Fitness, TRUE Fitness, and Woodway.
What's new in tvOS 13
In this case, the best thing about tvOS 13 or that caused the most impact in the presentation was the compatibility of the controls for the PS4 and Xbox consoles with Apple TV. This makes tvOS 13 interesting for users and they want to install this new version as soon as possible. Use the best and most popular controllers in the world, the Xbox One S and the PlayStation DualShock 4 it was a very important news in the keynote and it is now it will be easier than ever to get the most out of Apple Arcade and a lot of other games that we have available on Apple TV. It can also make you think about the purchase of these devices by users who do not have them today, good move Apple!
In addition to this obviously the improvements in tvOS are related to the home interface on the Apple TV. Now the users are going to have a new home screen designed to discover what's new. Apps can play full-screen video previews on the home screen, so users can immediately enjoy their favorite series, movies, songs, and games.
Multi-account on Apple TV
Another interesting novelty in this tvOS 13 is the one that refers to the possibility of adding several user accounts on the same device. In this way the whole family can enjoy an entertainment experience personally adapted for each one and the recommendations will be based on the tastes of each one of them. The new Control Center also allows users to quickly access the main features of Apple TVsuch as system sleep and audio output. To use this service it is necessary that the accounts are linked and in this case between members of the same family.
Apple Music, Apple Arcade for games and new screensavers
The news in Apple Music for the Apple TV is interesting especially in relation to the multi-user options that we discussed above. Each person will be able to play their lists, will have their personalized recommendations about their musical tastes and will have access to the songs that are being played. On the other hand Apple Music for Apple TV will add the lyrics of our favorite songs synchronized on screen so the "karaoke" option is guaranteed with this new tvOS.
Apple Arcade It is another of the news that users are waiting for Apple TV to arrive and in this case it will be in the fall when it is officially launched on Apple TV 4K. This service allows us to have unlimited access to more than 100 games with a single subscription. In this case, access is limited to six users from the same family, so enjoying Apple Arcade games on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV will be really easy for the whole family.
Finally, a touch-up to the Apple TV wallpapers is always welcome. In this case it is new 4K HDR screensavers available for Apple TV 4K. These are immersive videos, filmed in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit team (responsible for "Blue Planet") in the depths of the world's oceans and show us the most amazing scenarios and sea creatures on our Apple TV .
And little else to tell in this case other than the improvements in watchOS 6 and tvOS 13 have been expected and even better than expected. On the other hand, leaks always hurt these brand presentations, but this is something that we cannot avoid and that accompany all kinds of similar events. Definitely Apple greatly improves privacy, security and stability of its OS and it also adds improvements in functionality so there is nothing left to do but wait for these versions to arrive officially to be able to install them on our devices.