Apple Watch to reportedly offer important upgrades with watchOS 9

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Apple tipped to bring low power mode, health features, and more

Apple Watch 7
(Image credit: Laptop Mag/Sean Riley)

With WWDC 2022 approaching, Apple is gearing up to reveal the latest software updates coming to its popular Apple Watch. However, we may already have an inkling of what upgrades are coming to the smartwatch.

With watchOS 9, Apple is reportedly planning to bring a new low power mode that will allow users to save battery life while using other features and a number of apps. This is an important upgrade from the Power Reserve mode, and it may be announced on June 6 during Apple's WWDC 2022. 

While the power reserve feature can prolong your Apple Watch's battery life when it's on its last legs, it turns off all features except for the most basic function of a watch — showing the time. The new low power mode is expected to offer more functionality without consuming much battery.

According to the Bloomberg report (via 9to5Mac), that's not the only feature planned to arrive. The Apple Watch is tipped to get new workout types, along with new metrics to track during workouts. Mark Gurman hinted at this earlier this week, stating watchOS will receive "major upgrades to activity and health tracking." We're also expecting to see an expansion to the smartwatch's sleep tracking features.

Apparently, Apple is also planning to offer new women's health features, possibly an expansion of the postpartum fitness program added to Apple Fitness+ earlier this year. Plus, the report suggests a pill medication reminder app and updated reports about atrial fibrillation.

For those looking for more Apple Watch faces, Gurman also states that the Cupertino tech giant will be refreshing many of its built-in faces. This suggests that a number of the watch faces will take advantage of the larger display found on the Apple Watch Series 7, but we may see new variations of them for other products such as the Apple Watch SE.

We're excited to see everything WWDC 2022 has in store, especially since iOS 16 is tipped to bring new health-tracking features and an update to notifications. Stay tuned for further updates. 

Darragh Murphy
Darragh Murphy
Editor

Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it's connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.