Apple Unveils watchOS 3 with Major Speed Improvements, New Interactions

Today at WWDC Apple officially unveiled the next version of watchOS, dubbed watchOS 3.

Kevin Lynch took the stage to explain the major enhancements to watchOS 3 including one of the most sought at features: speed improvements.

watchOS 3 changes how the Side Button is used to bring up the “Dock”, which is effectively like double pressing the Home button on your iPhone. Now when you press it, you’ll see your most-used apps instead of seeing your con

Next, watchOS 3 brings a new feature called Scribble. Scribble allows users to write out a quick message using their finger and watchOS will change the “scribble” to actual text. Pretty cool.

watchOS also brings a new SOS feature that allows wearers to easily and quickly make an emergency call. Holding down the side button will bring up the standard shutdown screen but with a new SOS option. From there a countdown timer will appear and within 3 seconds emergency officials will be contacted.

Control Center is also making its way to the Apple Watch with watchOS 3. Like iOS, Apple Watch users can now access quick settings such as Airplane mode.

Apple is also adding a few new Watch faces including a new Minnie Mouse face, Activity Ring face, and a few others. Apple is also allowing some Complications to come to faces such as the Photo Gallery face, something that was not available in watch OS 2.

One of the biggest changes to watchOS 3 was for wheelchair users. Now the Apple Watch has a setting for those of us who use wheelchairs so that it changes notifications like “Time to stand” to “Time to roll.” It also has better algorithms measuring activity rings while in a wheelchair.

Apple also continued building on Activity improvements with a new app called Breathe that reminds uses to take a few minutes of their day to breathe. The app features a variety of breathing and relaxation exercises, which all of us could use.

watchOS 3 will be available to developers today and will be available to all Apple Watch users via a software update this Fall.