Apple releases new operating system for Watch

APPLE has unveiled the new operating system for its smartwatch, after a software bug forced it to cancel the planned release last week.

Time change ... New Live Photo backgrounds for watchOS 2 on Apple Watch. Picture: Apple

FIVE months after the release of the Apple Watch, and overdue by a nearly week, it’s time for a change.

Sure, there is the change that Apple has announced of the addition of Gold Aluminium and Rose Gold Aluminium to the Sport range and a bunch of extra bands including a Hermes collection.

But the real change for most Watch users is with the innards of the Watch and improvements of watchOS 2.

Apple today has released the new operating system for its Watch, after a software bug forced it to cancel the planned release of the software last week.

Apple has not said what the problem was with the software last week, although app developers in the days leading up to the release took to social media to complain the final beta was draining the Watch’s battery life.

Delays ... A software bug forced Apple to cancel the planned release of watchOS 2 last week. Picture: Apple

It was an embarrassing situation for Apple to have to delay software just two hours before it was to go live, but arguably would have been more embarrassing to go live with buggy software given it was announced back in June.

It is understood that the version of the software given to reviewers to test did not contain the bug that caused the software’s launch delay.

With this update to the operating system, in many ways Apple is pushing out features that should have been part of the original Watch.

Some of the features were overlooked, perhaps because a use case wasn’t obvious until the Watch was in the hands, or on the wrists, of a few million people. Some of the features were probably not part of original launch because Apple needed more time to iron out the bugs.

When the Apple Watch came out, you could use Siri to dictate replies to messages but not to emails.

Time keeper ... Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an Apple media event in San Francisco. Picture: Josh Edelson/AFP

That might have made sense to Apple at the time, using the logic that most people will grab their phone to write out the longer response you typically send to an email.

But to those of us who see the Watch primarily as a way of simplifying message management, that didn’t make sense at all. Now with watchOS 2 you can dictate replies to emails or use a default text reply, which are a bit longer than the default simple replies in Messages.

In our April review of the Apple Watch, we remarked that an inability to make FaceTime audio calls on the Watch seemed odd and would probably be fixed with a software update.

Loving the new Safari app in #WatchOS2 😂😉😉 pic.twitter.com/JdlAYnWTfj

— Billy Ellis (@bellis1000) September 21, 2015

Clearly the omission was noted by many and now you can make FaceTime audio calls on your Watch.

Some of the changes are simple. Some we will really only properly appreciate once a new batch apps comes out designed for the extended features of the Watch operating system.

How do you upgrade your Watch’s operating system? When you download iOS9 to your iPhone, which is available today, you will see an upgrade notification in the Watch app on your phone.

After living with watchOS 2 for a week, here is a guide for the best parts of watchOS 2 and the missing features you will still be waiting for.

Hot commodity ... New models of the Apple Watch are viewed in an Apple store in New York City. Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

TEN THINGS APPLE HAS GOT RIGHT WITH WATCHOS2

1. Time Travel

Time travel is a tricky thing to get your head around. With the Apple Watch, it comes down to the Digital Crown. Scroll it and you can see what is happening in the future, such as the next appointment in your calendar, or scroll it backwards to see what happened recently such as recent stock price changes. One of the challenges in testing this feature out so far is that we need to see how app developers incorporate it. Let’s tack a travel itinerary app, such as TripIt. You can imagine seeing the details of the flight you’re about to board and then scrolling the Digital Crown to see in 12 hours you have a connecting flight and in 14 hours you will see the name of your hotel. Another example Scroll forward to see what the temperature will be when you finish work at 5pm. While you’re in Time Travel mode, a small display in the top right of the screen shows the amount of time you have jumped ahead or moved behind, with a plus or minus in front of hour count. Push the Digital Crown in and you’re back on normal time.

2. Third-party complications

We mentioned already that Apple will open up complications to app developers. This, perhaps more than anything in the watchOS 2 improvements, will change the way people interact with their Apple smartwatch. Having a countdown to your flight in the middle of your Watch face is dream come true for those of us absent-minded folk who lose track of time in airport lounges. Sure, you can use apps on your Apple Watch — but it will be really helpful when you can have that key bit of information you need without having to open an app.

Available for #download now: #WatchOS2 for the #AppleWatch http://t.co/KohTfbMaY5 #Apple pic.twitter.com/8qmEYJMlus

— Steven J. Frisch (@stevenjfrisch) September 21, 2015

Third-party developers can now use Watch hardware such as the heart-rate sensor, accelerometer, microphone, Digital Crown and the Taptic Engine. You can either jump up and down with excitement by the new range of apps about to come out that take advantage of all of them, or shake your head that app developers couldn’t do that until now. We continue to do both. Once the apps go live in the app store, you’ll be able to manage which apps have access to your complications through the settings in your iPhone Watch app.

3. Nightstand update is so simple but so handy

When you plug your Apple Watch in at night (and, yes, you still need to plug it in every night), put your watch on the side to activate Nightstand mode. Hitting the Digital Crown or side button to illuminate the screen so you can see the time in the night. When your alarm goes off, the Digital Crown acts as a snooze button when the side button turns off the alarm.

If you needed confirmation that the Apple Watch is selling by the boatload, just try and download #WatchOS2 tonight

— Aaron Brown (@JustAaronBrown) September 21, 2015

This #WatchOS2 install is the slowest damn thing I've seen. It may last longer than my first marriage

— pražskejáros (@prazskejaros) September 21, 2015

High-profile fans ... New PM Malcolm Turnbull wears his Apple Watch in the House of Representatives. Picture: News Corp Australia

4. Running with the Apple Watch has just gotten better

For average runners, the Apple Watch has been adequate from day one in most ways. But there were two major flaws. The pace information during a run was inaccurate (see my review of running with the Apple Watch for a full explanation as to why) and you couldn’t see your lap times at the end of a run — an annoying and baffling omission. You can now select average pace in the Workout settings and when you look in the Workout app at the end of your run you can now see your kilometre splits.

5. Opening up to app developers

While we’re talking running and the Apple Watch, let’s talk about a very clear example of how opening up more features of the Watch to app developers with this update helps to eliminate some very silly limitations. Now if you open Strava or Runtastic on your Apple Watch to start a run, that app can now see your heartrate that is being recorded by the Watch and your run will count towards your workout ring. Seems sensible? Yes, but it wasn’t always the case.

6. New watch face options

From day one with the Apple Watch, a key selling point was that you could change the face of the watch to suit your mood — but then the range of watch faces was limited. There are still limitations but you do get more watch faces with watchOS 2. With Time Lapse, you can select an iconic photograph from a city around the world, with the clever part being that as you go through your day the view of the city on your face watch reflects that passage of time. So, it’s sunset in Wagga Wagga and look at your Apple Watch and the picture shows you sunset in New York. You can also set your own photo as the background of your watch face.

Wearable revolution ... The Apple Watch was unveiled in April. Picture: Supplied

7. Siri was good when the Watch was launched, now it’s better

Just one way Siri makes using your Watch quicker is in starting an exercise routine — instead of three or four taps of the screen, you can say “Start a run” and the Walkout mode launches and begins tracking your exercise.

8. Facetime Audio calling option

One of the improvements to the Watch with watchOS 2 is the ability to reply to emails through dictation or default replies. Another improvement that fixes a feature that should have been there from the start is Facetime Audio calling. You can now make a FaceTime audio

call on your Apple Watch.

9. Replying to emails by dictation

With the first version of the Watch operating system, you could dictate replies to messages to Siri but you couldn’t reply to emails. Now you can reply to emails, by dictation or by hitting a default reply.

10. Multiple Friend wheels

In designing the Watch, Apple realised one of the most important things we do is to connect with our immediate circle of family and friends — that’s why there is a dedicated button that takes you to the wheel of contacts. With the update, you can now have multiple Friend wheels, each giving you one-tap access to a contact. The only downside is you might need to make a lot more friends.

Old style ... The original Apple Watch. Picture: Apple

FIVE THINGS STILL ON APPLE’S TO-DO LIST

1. If you open up a mail on the Watch mail app, a quick Force Touch press bring up an option to flag or delete a message. But if you read an email when it pops up as a notification, the only way to trash or flag the mail is to scroll to the end with the Digital Crown. Given notifications is at the heart of the device, this inconsistency which could easily be fixed is annoying.

2. Speed. Yes, with developers now able to make apps that run on the phone the speed in which apps open will is much quicker. But even quicker again will be better.

New features ... A personalised background on watchOS2. Picture: Supplied

3. Australians continue to miss out. No, we can’t use Apple Pay yet. Also, while Apple is justifiably showing off new features of Apple Maps that include public transport details, don’t expect to see those features unless you travel overseas. Likewise, while wi-fi calling is part of the new operating system, most Australians can’t use that with their carrier. Some of these problems are Apple’s, some of them are limitations Apple faces in working with other partners. Whatever the problem, please fix it.

4. A software upgrade can only do so much. It will take the next version of the hardware to meet it, but our wish list still includes a better waterproofing rating, longer battery life and built-in GPS.

5. The Apple Watch monitors your heartrate but imagine the potential benefits if there was arrange of biometrical sensors monitoring your health around the clock.