watchOS 11 brings sleep apnea detection, new Vitals app and more to Apple Watch

watchOS 11

Apple has rolled out watchOS 11, bringing new health and fitness insights, and personalisation options for users. One of the key features watchOS 11 brings is sleep apnea detection. Here are some of the key new features of watchOS 11:

Sleep apnea detection

Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users can now identify signs of sleep apnea. To detect signs of sleep apnea, Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor small movements at the wrist during sleep that are associated with interruptions in normal respiratory patterns, tracked by a new Apple Watch metric called Breathing Disturbances. Users can view their nightly Breathing Disturbances in the Health app, where they are classified as elevated or not elevated, and can be viewed over a one-month, six-month, or one-year period.

All-new Vitals app

The new Vitals app gives users a way to check in on their daily health status and explore noteworthy overnight health metrics at a glance, so they can easily see when the metrics are out of their typical range. When two or more metrics are out of their typical range, users can receive a notification, along with a message detailing how the changes in these specific metrics may be linked to other aspects of their life, such as elevation changes, alcohol consumption, or even illness.

Activity rings are now more customisable

Activity ring goals can now be customised by the day of the week, so they are perfectly suited for users’ schedules. Whether users are planning a rest day during their training or just need a day off, they also now have the ability to pause their rings for a day, week, month, or more — without affecting their award streak.

Other features

Users can now start a Check In for the duration of their workout — whether it’s an early morning run or late-night gym session — so a friend or family member can keep an eye out for their workout to end. Also, the Translate app is now available on Apple Watch, using machine learning for speech recognition and rapid translation that users can access directly on their wrist.

Also, more workout types available in the Workout app — like Soccer, American Football, Australian Football, Outdoor Hockey, Lacrosse, Downhill Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Snowboarding, Golf, Outdoor Rowing, and more.