Apple Watch OS 9 update: What are its new features and how to get it

Apple has launched the WatchOS 9 for Apple Watch Series 4 or later. To update, you need to have the Apple Watch paired to iPhone 8 or later and iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later, running iOS 16. We will get to the new Apple Watch features that WatchOS 9 brings shortly, but before that, let’s see how you update to the latest Apple Watch software version.

How to update Apple Watch to WatchOS 9

Here’s how to get WatchOS 9 on Apple Watch:

Keep the watch connected to a charger while you update it.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone with iOS 16.
In the main My Watch screen, tap on the General option.
Click on the Software Update option.
You should see the WatchOS 9 update if you have the eligible device.
Ensure both your iPhone and Apple Watch are on the same Wi-Fi connection and press on Download and Install.
Once the WatchOS 9 download file is ready, it will automatically start installing on the Apple Watch. The watch will reboot during the process.

So once it boots to the watch face, you can check out the new WatchOS 9 features.

What’s new on WatchOS 9

1. New Watch Faces

Lunar which shows date and time as per the lunar calendar
Playtime, which has a goofy font for time
Metropolitan, which looks like a classic analog watch face
Astronomy, which is similar to the new iOS 16 wallpapers and presents star map and cloud data.

Even the older watch faces get some overhaul. The Modular watch face now allows for a colorful background.

There are new Workout app features also.

2. Set custom workouts

3. Check heart rate zones

4. Multisport workout types for duatheletes and triatheletes

5. In-depth running stats like Stride Length, Ground Contact Time, Pace alerts, and Vertical Oscillation

6. SWOLF score for swimmers

7. Backtrack routing and Waypoint mapping option in the compass app

8. Sleep stages (like REM, Core, or Deep sleep)

9. AFib history that’s downloadable and shareable as PDF

10. Cycle tracking which also alerts the user of any irregularity.

11. Low Power Mode (without background heart rate monitoring and Always-On display)

12. Less intrusive notification banners

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