watchOS 11 is Now Available — Here Are the 5 Biggest Health and Fitness Upgrades

Apple has officially released its latest wearable operating system, watchOS 11, today, bringing a wide range of new features to Apple Watch Series 6 and newer models, including the Apple Watch Ultra and SE 2.

Announced at WWDC 2024, watchOS 11 brings a major focus on health and wellness, showcasing the continued evolution of the Apple Watch from a communication tool to an essential health and fitness accessory. While in previous years, Apple Watch may have been marketed for its messaging and call features, in 2024, it has fully embraced its role as a health companion.

With that in mind, here are five major health and fitness updates that you’ll notice after installing watchOS 11, along with a few additional tweaks.

watchOS 11 Health Features

1. Vitals App

   

One of the standout additions is the Vitals app, designed to track essential health metrics while you sleep. The Apple Watch will monitor key indicators such as your heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, and blood oxygen levels. These metrics are then summarized into a comprehensive health status report for you to review each day.

If two or more of these metrics are outside the normal range, you’ll receive an alert along with additional details. Apple highlights that the Vitals app can provide insights into factors like alcohol consumption, illness, or even subtle changes in elevation.

2. Pregnancy Tracking

   

For users who log a pregnancy in the Health app on their iPhone or iPad, the cycle tracking feature on the Apple Watch now displays gestational age and allows users to log common pregnancy symptoms, such as nausea.

Additionally, watchOS 11 introduces alerts for reviewing high heart rate notifications and faster warnings about potential fall risks, using the Walking Steadiness feature.

3. Training Load Insights

A new Training Load feature in watchOS 11 helps you better understand how your workouts are affecting your body over time. This tool measures workout intensity on a scale from 1 to 10, tracking how hard your body is working.

For cardio-based exercises, a new algorithm uses data such as age, height, weight, heart rate, and elevation to calculate your training load. This is combined with personal adjustments for stress and soreness, and you receive a 28-day readout to help plan future workouts. This feature is designed to prevent overtraining injuries and monitor your progress effectively.

4. Customizable Activity Rings and Rest Days

   

One of the most requested features from fitness enthusiasts has been the ability to customize Activity Rings and manage rest days. watchOS 11 introduces this long-awaited feature, allowing you to pause your Activity Rings for a day, week, or even months without losing your streaks. Whether you’re taking a rest day or recovering from an injury, this offers flexibility without penalizing your progress.

5. Workout App Enhancements

The final significant fitness update is the series of improvements to the Workout app. Now, you can track distances using GPS for a variety of sports, including soccer, American football, skiing, snowboarding, golf, and more. This added functionality provides more detailed tracking for outdoor sports enthusiasts.

Additional Features in watchOS 11

In addition to these major updates, there are a number of other improvements coming with watchOS 11:

• Smart Stack now includes new widgets and can suggest them based on the time, date, and your daily habits.
• Photos Watch Face uses AI to select your best photos automatically.
• Check In safety features are now available on the Apple Watch, even during workouts.
• The Translate app has been introduced on Apple Watch for easy translations on the go.
• Apple Maps now supports offline access to hiking trails in U.S. national parks.
• Summarized notifications powered by Apple Intelligence are forwarded from iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16.
• Tap to Cash allows sending and receiving funds via Apple Cash on your Watch (currently only available in the U.S.).